Best electrical ballasts according to redditors
We found 124 Reddit comments discussing the best electrical ballasts. We ranked the 27 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 124 Reddit comments discussing the best electrical ballasts. We ranked the 27 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
This ballast makes cheap LED strips integrate into your Hue setup. It works perfectly with mine. Check the Amazon comments for details. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I've not tried this myself but I think you can use this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/
I am in the process of installing the LED strips and controllers below. Tested end to end setup last night and they work as expected. RGB+WW. No surprises. Also included the matching channels with diffusers.
Hope this helps!
LEDENET RGBWW LED Strip 4 Colors... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIKAWWC?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
Wireless electronic ballast... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
LED Aluminum Channel Wide 10-Pack... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FDV1RH9?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
You can find ZigBee controllers that you can sync with the Philips Hue bridge like this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NMSQ4QQ
Been using this with 10m of led strip, it shows up in the hue app so you can make scenes with other lights and can control it from Google or Alexa.
I've been using multiple FLS-PP along with LED strips and it works fine with the current HUE firmware, you can get one of the modules and see if it works with your LED strip, just a quick look, and it has the same plug that the 5050s LEDs I have, but the 5050s LEDS are RGB.
or
I was wondering what the catch was. I was trying to find the product history.
OP, it's a Chinese special with razor thin margins (they have a different ballast in the photo). You can see on their webpage that the ballast is even different than the one shown on the Amazon link.
I'd go with this more efficient reflector if you do decide on this brand. The cool tube is a relatively inefficient reflector.
Looks like the seller has inconsistent pricing. edit: the seller buys for half this price
Same ballast, different label. Typical of Chinese imports.
That shipping price makes it too good to be true.
Yes you can but you need to get an FLS-PP ballast so they can communicate with HUE. I am not sure how yours are hooked up but the 4 individual strips need to be connected to each other. You would get rid of your existing controller and power supply. The new FLS-PP ballast needs 12V run to it. You can use your current power supply if it is 12v but you would need to cut the end off it as it's directly wired to the new ballast. The only thing you would need to do is then hook the 12V-R-G-B from the RGB strip to the ballast. Should be about a 5-10 minute job. Once you hook the ballast up search for new devices in your HUE app and it will show up as 2 devices a color lamp and a white one. If you are using RGB strips then you can ignore the white lamp. If you are using RGBW stripes then you can use both.
Going this route would fully integrate you LED's with HUE. Having said that you would not be using the remote to control the loght anymore. You would be using the HUE App or Alexa if you want to use voice commands.
You can get one here : https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485270154&sr=8-1&keywords=fls-pp
[How about this tent](http://www.amazon.com/LEDwholesalers-GYO1001-62-Inch-Reflective-Hydroponic/dp/B00283Q59M/ref=lp_3480699011_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370463827&sr=1-1 "Mouseover text")
[and these lights](http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Ballast-Economy-Reflector-Combo-/dp/B004D4X470/ref=sr_1_11?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1370464347&sr=1-11&keywords=250w+hps "Mouseover text")
They do exist but I'm not sure how popular a Hue blacklight would be.
You could create your own today if you really wanted. A simple UV light strip (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C2NQWIQ/) along with the DE FLS-PP controller (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/) should do the trick. You'd connect the UV strip to the white channel of the controller (ignoring RGB) and Hue would see your backlight as a white bulb.
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1441210947&sr=8-1&keywords=FLS+ballast&pebp=1441211138516&perid=1H3E632X1Y8FTWMWS38Z
You can control basically any lights with this
It's not CHEAP, but, cheap-er: This ballast plays well with the Hue hub (it speaks zigbee) and I've got it attached to two $12/ea rolls of LED strip from China:
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ
I have about 30 ft worth of LED strips on my porch with my hue system. I am using the FLS-PP Zigbee controller with IP67 rated LED strips. It is in a location that wont have any direct contact with water (on porch ceiling). I put some electrical tape around the connections to help water proof it a little more though.
So far 1.5 months and no issues yet.
As for the hue branded strips, I am not sure I would put those outside because.
1 - they are expensive. 30ft of strips and the FLS-PP controller cost about the same price as the starter Lightstrip plus kit. $90 roughly. So if it does die I am not out the $400-$500?? for a comparable Hue light strip plus with enough extensions
2 - the connections are not very waterproof on the hue brand. If they will see any contact with water they will corrode I think. I will just keep those on the back of my TVs for now.
There is a zigbee controller that works with the hue hub. I have it and it works great, though it is difficult to connect the wires to it
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1503796346&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Zigbee+controller
LOL awesome. Did you know that you can diy your own light strips? I got a little carried away when i discovered that ;)
I plan on doing this or something similar to this in the future to do permanent Christmas lights on my house. I don't have all of the stuff picked out yet but I do plan on using this ballast to power the LED strips. The ballast is Hue compatible. I don't think it is waterproof but you could maybe stick it in a waterproof box. Ballast: https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ
To be honest at this point it sounds like you’d be better off buying something other than Hue.
You could buy generic 5050 RGBW strips which you could cut and link as you wished from eBay for a fraction of the price of Hue strips.
Add a power supply and a zigbee controller (I have this one: Wireless electronic ballast FLS-PP lp with Power PWM interface for RGBW and RGB lights (12/24V LED/LED stripes), ZigBee certified product https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_S4v4Ab9FKRZGS) and you’re sorted.
Edit: The new Ikea led driver could be an option as well, don’t know much about it though.
So am I correct in assuming that instead of the 6ft Phillips Hue strip - I can get these two things and have the equivalent of a 30ft strip that still works with the Hue Bridge?
https://www.amazon.com/SUPERNIGHT-Waterproof-Flexible-600leds-Changing/dp/B00KCHRKD6
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ
Link: https://smile.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ
I used a regular led strip (2 actually, 32 feet) with this ballast, works with hue beautifully.
http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1462405659&sr=8-17-spons&keywords=Ip+ballast&psc=1
OP Delivers and sorry for the delay. Thanks to /u/maxwellsearcy for reminding me!
Now, cut the plugs off one side of the lights and off the power supply. Match the wires up on the Dresden ballast with RGB+ on the LEDs. Carefully strip away the outer shielding on the power supply cord and then strip the tiny wires on the inside of the power supply wire. Put those into the power screw points on the Dresden. Plug it in and test. It should come on a solid color.
Now that you have it working, go into your Hue app and scan for new lights. You will see 2 lights pop up for every Dresden ballast you configure. Once it's done scanning, click them in the app and make sure they flash. One of them will NOT flash and you can safely delete that one.
That's it!
It's this thing:
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ
Basically you plug electricity and strip lights into it and it shows up as one or two lights on the hue app.
You want the Wireless electronic ballast FLS-PP lp.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/
And these LED strips look good, though I haven't tried them, and they are a bit more expensive.
https://www.amazon.com/BTF-LIGHTING-Individually-Addressable-Flexible-Waterproof/dp/B01N2PC9KK
Though really any RGB or RGBW led strip should work with that ballast.
Sorry for the delayed response, I've been on vacation.
What I ended up doing was purchasing one of these https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ and planned on only using it with smartthing hub, but found the flaky connection a problem and attempted to add it to a phillips hue hub...and it worked!!
Note to reset the ballast you unplug and re-plug the device 5 times.
Overall installation is relatively straight forward.
Second question: No you do not need a hue bulb, but you do need a hue hub
I see you mentioning Hue strips and how much they cost. Although I haven't gotten to try it for myself yet, I hear you can use generic RGB lightstrips along with an FLS-PP to get cheaper lightstrips that are still compatible with the Hue bridge.
It really depends how much effort you want to put in and if you are up for a bit of programming on a raspberry pi...
Short answer is only official hue bulbs are compatible with HomeKit.
However you can run a piece of software called homebridge on a raspberry pi that allows you to link unofficial but hue compatible bulbs to HomeKit. I have such a set up and it works perfectly!
Then you have more options with lights! I have one of these Wireless electronic ballast FLS-PP lp with Power PWM interface for RGBW and RGB lights https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_cKwrzbZRGY7BG
Which can drive a lot of led strips...
It's a tad more expensive than the cheapest. Not neccesarily a bad thing, as the cheapest is often... the cheapest.
Your link is for 2835 LEDs. Have you researched LEDs sizes? Nothing wrong with 2835; just a matter of aesthetics and taste as to what's the "right" size, but there are other sizes available.
With crown molding, probably not possible, but it's best to put them in an aluminum channel.
Also, those cheap ass WIFI controllers and remotes work surprisingly well, but you may want to upgrade to the Hue platform using an FLS-pp. The main advantage for this immediate one-off install would be allowing tying more than one together for a single remote. Using the WiFi things, you're going to get boxed into trying to wire and power them as a single strip (which may work perfectly fine). Of course, you'd need a remote that works with Hue... the Hue Dimmer works well.
You can build your own very cheaply, total cost is basically $55 for a third party controller, plus ~4$/m for chinese LED strip.
http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ
I have two dresden controllers (Running ~200W of lighting) and two lighstrip+ connected to my system and everything works fine.
The only problem is that you will never color match a third party product. The bulbs and strips will always display exactly the same color (Assuming you are within the gamut of the products) but third party can be way off.
Hello from /r/hotpeppers fellow gardeners/growers. I am currently growing hot peppers and I am quickly outgrowing my setup. (I start peppers for my dad too, and he’s getting into it, so, yea) You guys are the light experts and indoor gardening masters so I wanted to ask here ! I am on a bit of a budget, and am more used to/comfortable with older technology. I’ve never soldered anything, can hardly program my DVR, and know very little about LEDs. That stuff wasn’t even out yet when I bought my old equipment and worked at the garden store.
I am currently running a 48” T5 with 8 bulbs (8x54 watts per bulb) in a 4x4x7 tent. I have space in the unfinished basement to move my project do an “open grow”. Since I won’t be using the tent anymore, I’m not as concerned about heat buildup, and believe I have more options. By Monday, I will have transplanted everything, and will have approximately 40-50 2 gallon pots that will eventually go outside to raised beds in May. The basement room area is open for circulation, and has no walls/doors. The useable area is 8x8 or larger.
I need as much light coverage as possible right now, for the money. I COULD get another T-5 but for the amount of money I’d spend on one, I can get the 1000 Watt MH Light. Also, running 2 T-5s would be having 16 bulbs to look after and replace - creating a lot of waste and hassle in the process. I’d also need to re-mount the light and then mount a second. My goal would be to start everything like normal, transplant to cups and keep under the T-5 until the next transplant. Transplant again to larger pots, move under the 1000 watt, shut off the T-5 for next year to save bulb life. I’m thinking about getting a 1000 Watt light, with a Parabolic Reflector. https://www.amazon.com/Hydro-Crunch-Parabolic-Vertical-Reflector/dp/B071W2LS5T/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1550770353&sr=8-3&keywords=Parabolic+reflector
I read through the Wiki guide and would appreciate a recommendation on a decent Ballast. The last on I bought was an old 600 Watt Lumateck, and it still works, but it was $200 10 years ago. I don’t know how much has changed since then. The wiki lists a cheaper iPower ballast, but it seems to have mixed reviews and concerns about failure. I’ve noticed that a lot of people like the VivoSun LED lights here. How are their Ballasts ?https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-Dimmable-Digital-Ballast-Program/dp/B016POA2KW/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=Ballast+1000&qid=1550770714&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1
The local hydro shop near me wasn’t very helpful :-( and only had newer, expensive tech. It’s a small store, and didn’t have much of a selection. Thanks in asvance guys/girls !
https://smile.amazon.com/iPower-GLBLST1000D-convertible-programming-Overheating/dp/B008NYJ6D2
https://smile.amazon.com/HydroplanetTM-Hydroponic-Digital-Dimmable-Electronic/dp/B019J42406
Just a note that I have no experience with ballasts or which brands are best because I use LED lighting, so I can't attest to that ballast's quality - but you're looking for something like this. I would recommend you do some research to look for product reviews on forums/reddit before you jump right into buying anything.
3 rows of 7 lights
Sun System Evolution 8" Air-Cooled Reflectors
Solis Tek Digital Ballast V2.0
Veg bulb
Flower bulb
​
Edit: Had to double check the specs
So I purchased another amplifier and I'm getting the same result. It seems like the amplifier is a major issue with these, so I thought about going at it another way. I was going to cut off the 1A power plug and put on a 3A power adapter that goes into the controller, but as far as I know no one has done this.
There are 2 possible issues: 1) The larger amps will fry the zigbee control board and that's that. 2) The board has some sort of limiter on it that doesn't allow the extra power to pass through to the light strips and the entire project is moot.
However, I have found a 3rd option, which is a little expensive but bypasses the Philips LightStrips completely.
I purchased one of these: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/
This is, essentially, a complete replacement for the Hue controller attached to the light strips. It supports up to 10 meters of LED strip (with proper power adapter) and integrates with the Hue system so it shows up in the app just like any other bulb! The best part is you don't need to purchase a Hue LightStrip at all since it doesn't use any of those parts.
If you are starting from Scratch I would look at Osram lightify garden strips. https://www.amazon.com/SYLVANIA-LIGHTIFY-Osram-Gardenspots-Adjustable/dp/B00R1PB2ZY/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1496056371&sr=1-5&keywords=osram+lightify
They are meant for outside AND you can remove the spikes and screw them directly onto the deck ( they are designed this way)
Another solution is to get outdoor rated lightstrips and connect them with this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It is a ballast that will connect to HUE ecosystem or actually any zigby controller. I use one of these for lightstrips in my kitchen
You also need the LED controller piece that comes with the standard 2m Lightstrip Plus kit. The 1m extensions do not have their own controllers.
If cost is an issue, you could look at a third-party lightstrip. The dresden elektronik controller works great with the Hue bridge: https://www.amazon.com/Extension-Control-Wireless-Ballast-Certified/dp/B00PQINDM8/ref=as_sl_pc_as_ss_li_til?tag=huelig0f-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=5a38826281f4403d6e42991b393a70dd&creativeASIN=B00PQINDM8
You can also just buy the controller and then find your own power supply and third-party strips.
boy, have i got something to show you
Using huegasm (chrome extension), meters of generic LED strips and 2 hue bulbs, you can do the above. You do need this
Wireless electronic ballast FLS-PP lp with Power PWM interface for RGBW and RGB lights (12/24V LED/LED stripes), ZigBee certified product https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_pkivyb18HR99K
Or you can look at the FLS-PP IP Zigbee ballast with a power supply and any RGBW LED strip (The SuperNight LEDs are 18 bucks for 15 feet)... The ballast is recognized by Hue as a full color light.
I highly suggest you research the new reflectors coming out that are dome shaped such as the Growlite OG reflector and the Luxor reflector. It'd be perfect for your space!
As for ballasts, they're getting smaller in size.
I have a Lumatek, and yes that boost is nice, but there's other great options out there!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00SIS02X6?psc=1
I had ok luck with this.
The Hue light strip itself seems like a gigantic waste of money to me. You can get an FLS-PP controller and 16.4' of light strip that's better than Hue (more LEDs per foot) for about the same price as one Hue light strip which only comes with 6' of light. I got a couple FLS-PP controllers on sale for $55.
It largely depends on how much length you need. If you only need a few feet, the regular light strips from Phillips are your best bet. If you're doing long runs, it can be a lot cheaper to go 3rd party.
I ran about 30 feet for my apartment using 3rd party, and spent a little over $100. I compared it to the light strips and it would have been around $450 using just light strips. So far the integration has been super easy.
Here's what I bought:
1x FLS-PP for $55 (this is what you use to control the lights via the Hue app)
1x 12v power supply for $12
1x set of pigtails (only needed one of them, so a local AV or tech store might sell individual ones) for $5
2x 16ft SUPERNIGHT RWBWW LED Strips for $17/ea
They aren't as bright and as uniform as the Hue Lightstrips, but you get what you pay for. The Hue Lighstrips are $90 for 6.5feet, and I would have needed 5 boxes total, so $450 just for the strips.
I use this for my closet: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NMSQ4QQ/
full color and hue app recognizes it because it's zigbee. not that I need colors in my closet, but the plain white controller wasn't much cheaper, so I figured why not.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NMSQ4QQ/#Ask
Have a look at the FLS-PP lp by Dresden Elektronik. It is a zigbee led strip controller that will work with Philips Hue and should work with Smart Things Hub. It will work with the 505SMD led strips.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NMSQ4QQ
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ
They sell it in the USA too :)
http://amzn.to/28QJWuk
I cannot find the latest Bridgelux on amazon; I've got credit on amazon only unfortunately, this is what limits my selection.
Your "You're really cutting it too close on that driver; there is a chance that the chip won't even illuminate." statement has me curious. The driver I picked is pushing out 36v at 2.3 A; do I need one that would push out 36v at 3.6 A?
5m RGBW RGBWW 5050 Led Strip Light DC 12V 4 in 1 Led Chip Waterproof Non Waterproof 60led/m indoor outdoor home decoration
http://s.aliexpress.com/BVb2yYfQ
Wireless electronic ballast FLS-PP lp with Power PWM interface for RGBW and RGB lights (12/24V LED/LED stripes), ZigBee certified product https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_uTgEyb283918T
Either go for the ip20 or ip69
I built one for myself out of a sodium lamp and a ballast.
I am in a hurry right now, but I will come back later today with more info, some pictures and maybe even some drawings if I have them of what I made.
Not by itself. Needs to be connected to one of these
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/
Personal preference from working in lighting maintenance:
Scour your local For Sale classifieds sites / craigslist etc for used 2 lamp, 4' flourescent fixtures.. they can be T12 or T8.. Its best if the tombstones are set up such that the lamp pins will be parallel to the ground when they're rotated into place.. (because the bulbs Im going to point you towards radiate from a single face and its best they point down rather than a 45 deg out the side)
Reballast them with these:
https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Advance-08683-IOPA-2P32-N-Fluorescent/dp/B007QBIRHO
Then relamp them with these:
https://www.amazon.ca/Philips-463133-16-5W-Instant-Bright/dp/B01MQZPZPQ
I prefer 3500-4000k myself as I find 5000k very harsh.. Even a 3500k LED is a "cleaner" whiter light than an aged 3500k Fluorescent.
My reasoning - Demo fixtures are dirt cheap.. 5-10$ a piece. The lower temperature and current requirements mean you're going to cook less ballasts with hot bulbs and hot ballasts, so lifespan should be excellent. (Have installed around 10,000 of these tubes and nearly as many of these ballasts.. no tube failures yet). If a tube fails, no big deal, slap in another easily available tube.. If you buy a specific LED fixture and it dies.. you've either gotta match the fixture or live with a mix-n-match setup. If prefer these lamps to the ones that dont require a ballast as then all your line voltage stays within the metal fixture and you're not feeding 120V out to the tombstones..
Consider mounting a few fixtures on the wall where it'll shine under the hood of what you're working on.
Switches.. lots of switches. The ones on the wall on their own switch(es). The ones on the ceiling either switch for each bank or checkerboard them or what-have-you.. so you can select the amount of light you want to use at any time and your choices arent "staring into the sun" or "tripping over shit in the blackness"
Check with a local commercial lighting supplier for buying a bulk of all the ballasts/lamps at once.. they may be able to cut you a deal there.. as the price in the amazon link for the lamps is high.. I think we pay around $10-12 CAD each..
Livelong is talking about CFL bulb, not HPS. For the HPS you would need additional ballast.. For each..
Should work fine. For 15 bux its worth a shot. I'm gonna buy one to check it out. I used this one for my kitchen and it works great but I needed the white channel in the kitchen.
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1523074024&sr=8-2&keywords=zigbee+led+controller
I just installed the FLS-PP https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ Works great and I haven't had the disconnection issue that some people seem to have in the reviews. I have about 20' of RGBW on the underside of my platform bed, I could probably double that if I needed to. https://imgur.com/gallery/qI4sL
Hue is nice. It has plenty of integrations, such as OpenHAB. But as you say there is the upfront cost since you need the Hue hub (which is technically Zigbee)
The hue strips are also quite expensive, but there is a 3rd party zigbee LED strip controller that works with the Hue system. I have this controller for my desk lighting. See: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
I have 4 of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-APL600-Hydroponic-600/dp/B0052AESTM
and havn't had any problems after 3 years, so I suppose i would recommend them.
I use one of these, mated to a cheap Sylvania RGB led strip:
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ
Is that the kind of thing you're looking for?
Love it! Just last week I installed rgb leds in a similar channel as part of new baseboard on the stairs, and I gotta warn you--once you're done, you'll be looking all over the house, plotting what to light up next.
I think you're right to do them in channels--especially in a kitchen, that'll be easier to keep the fancy bits dust-/moisture-/grease-free. They're really easy to work with, just use a mitre box and a hacksaw.
rosencratetc's point about adding a motion sensor is a good one. Do you have any other smart bulbs in your environment? We're using Hue's new motion sensor, and I really dig it. With that, you can do scheduling, too.... You can control generic strips with Hue by adding this ballast .
(Briefly: cut the barrel jack off the end of the power cord, strip the wires back a wee, and connect to ballast. If you go this route I can add detail & photos.)
I'm trying to make two led light strips "smart" by having them work with my Philips hue bridge, so I've decided to get an FLS-PP controller (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_mLxozbAA4DEXS), power supply, and a cheaper roll of RGBW LED's. I eventually want to connect everything to HomeKit. Since I'm routing two LED strips with different colors to the controller, I heard I need to use an amplifier (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MN7AFLC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_aPxozbHAC56Y0). At this point I feel like I don't know how to go about connecting everything together. I know that one of the light strips is going to be about 5 feet long, and the other long enough to provide coverage alongside the edges of a 60" TV. I don't know whether each light strip/color will be able to be controlled individually or not, how many power supplies are needed, and if there's an easier/better way to go about this. If someone could give me some advice, I would really appreciate it!
TL;DR want to install two hue compatible led's on a budget, don't know best way to go about it.
Oh for sure, here's where I'm at (copy pasted from a comment I made a while back):
I've had quite a few set ups in the past, and this one is my favorite by far. It's made in such a way, that I can close all the doors and it would be unnoticed. If it's dead silent you can hear the 6" fan running, but with the AC running you can't notice it at all. It's great!
​
So my set up, is also a closet, that is slightly bigger than my tent. So in order to manage heat better I may take my tent out and put mylar on the closet walls. I like having the tent so I can have clones/saplings in the closet with light, and have my flowering ones stay in complete darkness. I'll try to take a photo for you too!
​
I also, just ordered my 480W Quantum Board light, which arrives on May 29th! I know I could do more to better manage heat and not need a new light, but this seems like an opportunity to upgrade so I'll take it.
So I am looking at something like this.
Hood:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003GF0W04/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_TPc1Cb63M6Q3R
Ballast:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L1Z4TJG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_HBb1CbQMVSKP3
Bulb/s:
HPS bulb:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002JLE6HG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_zOb1Cb3MV7271
And I cant seem to find a normal priced eyehortilux MH bulb that didnt seem like used or returned ones I dont know what I need here heh kind of winging it but I'd like to get a setup going soon cause my eyes are starting to bleed from all the reading ;)
I need a MH bulb for veg right. Can I go different brand MH and run the more expensive eyehort HPS during flower? Is that ballast and hood better than "fine" I want to optimize my 4x4 space as best as possible I want to use all that light so need an oversized hood how am I looking guys.
Is it a good idea to do maybe a yieldlabs 1000k kit instead of going the piece by piece route. So many choices I'm doing nothing but dreaming of bud heh who knew I started a college course in budgrow
Hello peeps,
I would like to build a UV sterilisation box (big enough to fit one bird cage inside) to kill any virus/bacteria attached to its surfaces. The reason why I need a system like this is: I am a volunteer at wild life rescue and more often than not we end up with extremely ill birds with pathogens easily transmittable to other birds, meaning, reusing cages becomes extremely problematic as some of these viruses are very resilient to a huge variety of disinfectants/chemicals.
Reading online how labs keep pathogens under control (while testing different samples) I've found most high tech labs use UVGI (Ultra Violet germicidal irradiation) which uses high frequency light (UV-C) between 220nm to 280nm, damaging the DNA sequence of the micro organism and prevent its reproduction. Now, one of these industrial systems can cost a lot of money (we are talking about $500 to $1000) which, for a volunteering organisation, is a lot of money.
Searching a bit more online, I found that what I really need is a UVC bulb (probably mercury based) around the 36w to generate enough irradiation for about two hours to effectively killed any virus attached to the surface of the cage (after the cage has been completely cleaned or dirt), assuming a single bulb and assuming the "box" containing the cage is fully covered with aluminium foil to maximise the coverage.
After digging a bit for this, I settled on the Philips TUV Pl-l 36w 2G11 (a four pin light bulb, used primarily in aquarium filters) which matches the specifications I calculated before (after reading a few papers) but then... I will need an electrical ballast to plug my light bulb to power... and here, my lack of electrical knowledge gets me stuck.
Trying to find the answer by myself, I resorted to youtube and found a channel describing how to build your own aquarium filter (more or less what I need, minus the water and the tubing) I was pretty excited that I am headed in what seems the right direction... the problem is, this guy did not provide comments about which ballast he is using or which other items he purchased.
Searching a bit more, I found an adaptive ballast similar to this one but... assuming that works, I still have no idea how to connect it to the 2G11 connector. Does it require one power one ground or does it require two?
I might be over thinking this, as all I need is to build a lamp, but don't want to get electrocuted in the process of assembling and testing this.
Help?
Below, a few links to the items I've been looking to buy to assemble this project:
I basically need a weatherproof version of this
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496000415&sr=8-1&keywords=zigbee+led+controller
In total I have;
4x - Apollo 1000Watt Ballast
> (https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-APL1000-Hydroponic-1000/dp/B00BLTD8XU).
This is the amazon page, I can provide real photos. Each ballast was used for one vegetation period and then swapped out for non-static causing ballasts. This is only an issue because I was running controller software with Ethernet cables and they were blocking the signal.
4x - 6" hood or air tube w/o lamps These are also Apollo I'm assuming, they were purchased together in kit's you see popular on amazon.
> https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-GLK1000LS24-Digital-Dimmable/dp/B005ECZVXK/ref=pd_sbs_86_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B005ECZVXK&pd_rd_r=BYJZ0ZQA8ZAKWG80CHDV&pd_rd_w=xx7wb&pd_rd_wg=cRPdr&psc=1&refRID=BYJZ0ZQA8ZAKWG80CHDV
I am referencing this page just to show the Air-tubes. Duct size is 6"
1x - Hydrofarm - Autopilot 4 light
> https://hydrofarm.com/p/APCL4DX
This was never used, and comes with it's original packaging but the packaging isn't in great shape. This required more technical knowledge than I expected.
I'm also fairly certain I have a 6" CFM Pro series inline fan still in box and sealed, I can confirm that later.
I have a general idea of what to expect in terms of pricing, but was hoping someone could make some offers.
thanks for the response.
Thanks for your insight! The 630 w cmh can be used in a traditional digital ballast? like this one? Ballast-1000w and traditional double ended hood?
I've been running one of these through a Hue hub for four years now. My light strip is just RGB, works great.
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ
I have seen these mentioned from time to time. I am curious to see what others say, since I am interested in something similar.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ
What you've got there is an F14T12CW.
The F14 refers to 14 watts, T12 to the diameter of the bulb, and CW to the color temperature which is nicknamed "cool white". An equivalent F14T12 that is "soft white" will be much warmer, and "warm white" will be warmer still.
Old tech at this point, so the big box stores may have long-ago clearanced that size. But the local hardware store should have it still, or you can order online.
Buy a pack of starters at the same time -- I've never regretted replacing the starter at the same time as the lamp with old T12 stuff.
Those lamps are a "period feature" now, they were new at a time when having florescent lights was high-tech and something to show off.
This is the only controller that will work with Hue, and as you said, not HomeKit.
I’ve used it before and it’s not worth your time. There are no generic LED Controllers that are Homekit compatible without the use of HomeBridge.
Buy Hue. It’s worth the price.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-pkODbGJC3RBB
https://www.amazon.com/Epco-14085-Retainer-Ballast-Reflectors/dp/B00ZQ3XADU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=Fluorescent+reflector+clips&qid=1573861665&sr=8-1
No problem.
I was also looking at an alternative solution from another reddit post which would use the following items:
If this makes sense then it would look something like this?
LED strip --> strip connector --> 10m extension cable (through ceiling) --> strip connector --> LED strip for cabinets on other side of wall
Found a very informative video of the ballast + LED strips + hue bridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNfa9X5Sq1Q
That's already $93 + tax so if it makes more sense to just get a refurb hue strip kits and synchronize them to the same room (Kitchen) then I guess I will go with another set of hue strip kits.
Hey what do you think about this ballast for the Magnum Hood?
OR should I just go with this combo?
Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!
Here are your smile-ified links:
this
Magnum Hood
---
Never forget to smile again | ^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot
Get a 600w HID HPS like this https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-APL600-Hydroponic-600/dp/B0052AESTM/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1519979682&sr=8-7&keywords=600w+ballast No reason to settle for LEDs unless you have no ventilation. iPower worked fine for me for years too. First ballasts I ever used. Ran a medical basement years ago when I was a noob with x12 600w iPowers. Ballasts worked fine. For your space a 600w HPS would be great! Cheap and super effective. Get a hortilux bulb if you want the best bulb.
Would something like this work?
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ
Maybe somehow tap into the tree lights
Not sure if you're using Philips Hues or not, but I picked up one of these and it works with the Philips hub. You can use the cheaper light strips that you mentioned with it.
I use Smartthings and it works pretty well with that. I know it's ~$50 but you're not tied to a 6' strip of lights. Hope that helps
I haven't bought it yet nor do I know if the latest firmware had affected it. This is what was recommended to me when I was looking for the same thing: http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-electronic-ballast-interface-certified/dp/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448298638&sr=8-1&keywords=FLS-PP
Sadly, not a lot cheaper
The ones that I took out have two pins, the ones I replaced them with do as well. These are the ones I picked up to replace them.
I was thinking of swapping it out with a T8 and getting new T8 lamps as well, just write off the $7 on the replacements. I did find a T12 ballast online though that I figured would be just as simple a fix and would use the new lamps I just picked up.
I have this exact setup for my herb garden in my back room.
Two T5s from this pack:
https://www.amazon.com/VIVOSUN-6500K-Fluorescent-Tubes-White/dp/B01731MOGQ
Running off this ballast:
https://www.amazon.com/ROBERTSON-Fluorescent-eBallast-RSW234T12120-RSW240T12120/dp/B00H9HJSFU
Just wire according to the instructions on the ballast.
OR! Use grow light leds:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/50W-100W-Full-Spectrum-LED-COB-Chip-Grow-Light-Plant-Growing-Lamp-Bulb-220-110V-/253986031197?nav=SEARCH
If you can solder, just hook up straight to a wall outlet, use cpu thermal paste and hook up to a large piece of metal or an old cpu cooler. I grow 4 lime trees off this setup.
You should be all set! Hmu if you have any questions!
This is the hue aftermarket controller at Amazon, as far as I know it's the only one available that supports the hue eco system.
Has good amp rating
Late to the party here... I actually have a similar setup running 2 of the exact same machines. Look for this: NEMA 6-20 outlet and 2 of these NEMA 6-15 to C13 cords Wire this with 2 hots and a ground - don't use the neutral. This will run OK on a 20A breaker.
I'm not sure what you mean by spliceable lights but maybe this product would fill that gap? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NMSQ4QQ
I just ordered the Dresden Electronics FSL-PP LP of amazon.co.uk along with the suggested power adaptor as well as suggested RGBW led strips.
Wireless electronic ballast FLS-PP lp: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00NMSQ4QQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1453453271&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=fls-pp+lp&dpPl=1&dpID=41d%2Bw6ouySL&ref=plSrch
JnDee™ 12V 6A 6 amp 72W DC POWER Supply ADAPTER Transformer: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0086DE6FI/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1453453271&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=fls-pp+lp&dpPl=1&dpID=51oKWAafXcL&ref=plSrch
Mixed-Gadgets RGBW LED Light Strip 16.4ft 5M Flexible Non-waterproof RGB+White 300leds: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00PXOEOQ4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1453453271&sr=8-3&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=fls-pp+lp&dpPl=1&dpID=51dKMQKvKZL&ref=plSrch
I ordered a total of 10 meters of led strip, and I am anxious to see if I can drive the entire 10 meters of that one power supply. Also if it will drop in intensity at the end as well as the quality of the white light.
I can update you with my experiences when it arrives if anybody are interested?
In my example, I believe I would need 3 FLS-PP IP Zigbee ballasts ($55ea), 1-2 RGBW LED strips ($17ea), 3 power adaptors ($17ea), a splitter (~$15ea), and 4 ethernet cable adaptors (~$20 total). Grand total ~$268 on the conservative end + tax.
Or I could buy 3 Hue lightstrips ($90ea), splitter (~$15ea), and 4 ethernet cable adaptors (~$20 total). Grand total ~$305 + tax.
I could save ~$40 or bite the bullet and know that my current ecosystem will work seamlessly with the Hue lightstrips. Either way its not cheap but there are trade offs to going the DIY route.
Please disprove my estimates/theory, I would happily pay less for a setup with equal functionality :)
P.S. I'll add links to the items listed above but I'm on the train commuting in and the wifi sucks :/
Not completely what you are asking for
But a good alternative.
What's the difference between T8 and T12? Looks like the currently working one is T12.
This one should work, right? I'm not looking for anything fancy. These were cheap shitty lights that I'm only planning to use for my garage at home. My lighting sucks and I do a lot of DIY work in the garage.
EDIT: LMAO! I'm at -1! Who the fuck downvotes comments asking for help and clarification in a sub dedicated to asking for help and clarification?!?! Reddit kills me sometimes.