Industrial Use Metal Halides
- Thread starter Innerorbit
- Start date
Innerorbit
Well-Known Member
Ok, took the ballast apart last night. I saw the multi-tap wires in there and I cut off the old 277 volt cord but I have one question before rigging up the new cord for 120.
weedworm (or anyone else who knows), can you please help me attach the wires correctly. In the light there are 3 wires that go to the cord: a copper wire, a black wire labeled 120 volts (one of the multi-tap wires) and a yellow wire. On the new 14 guage cord there are also 3 wires, a black, yellow and green one.
Can you please tell me which goes to which?
Thanks! Sorry for asking so many questions but you've been very helpful and I think I'm almost there.
weedworm (or anyone else who knows), can you please help me attach the wires correctly. In the light there are 3 wires that go to the cord: a copper wire, a black wire labeled 120 volts (one of the multi-tap wires) and a yellow wire. On the new 14 guage cord there are also 3 wires, a black, yellow and green one.
Can you please tell me which goes to which?
Thanks! Sorry for asking so many questions but you've been very helpful and I think I'm almost there.
weedworm
Well-Known Member
ok so the copper wire is bare? and no labeling on the yellow? and the black wire says 120Volt am I reading that right?
Off the cord you have two grounds an a possitive
green and black are usually grounds
yellow white will be positive
can you post a pic of the wires you have and the ballast?
Off the cord you have two grounds an a possitive
green and black are usually grounds
yellow white will be positive
can you post a pic of the wires you have and the ballast?
Innerorbit
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the quick responses weedworm. The copper wire is bare and just attaches to the inside of the ballast, obviously thats the ground. The yellow wire has some words on it but i'll have to go and check it again to try and read them. The black wires are the multi-tap wires in a row of 4: 277, 240, 208, 120.
To the original plug it was wired with the bare copper, yellow and black for that voltage (277). I'm assuming that the copper and yellow wires will be used with the black wire labeled 120 for the new cord. I'm assuming that the black on the new cord (ground) will have to go to the bare copper wire on the fixture. That leaves a white and green wire on the new cord to attach to a yellow and black 120 wire from the fixture. If I got that right. I'll try to get a few photos of it and read what the yellow wire says if you still aren't sure.
To the original plug it was wired with the bare copper, yellow and black for that voltage (277). I'm assuming that the copper and yellow wires will be used with the black wire labeled 120 for the new cord. I'm assuming that the black on the new cord (ground) will have to go to the bare copper wire on the fixture. That leaves a white and green wire on the new cord to attach to a yellow and black 120 wire from the fixture. If I got that right. I'll try to get a few photos of it and read what the yellow wire says if you still aren't sure.
Innerorbit
Well-Known Member
Ok, here are some photos of it. That is the old cord still attached. As you can see I took off the old black 277 wire but hopefully you can get a good idea of the light from the photos. The black wires are the multi-tap ones in different voltages. Also pictured is the new cord.
Attachments
weedworm
Well-Known Member
yup do it like you said after you wire it if you can try pluging it in to a outlet that has a switch that way if anything goes wrong you can flip the switch quick lol thats what I did no problems but also remember these lights take a few moments to turn on so give it a few after you plug it in if it dont come on right away
Innerorbit
Well-Known Member
Ok, so this is what we decided, right?
Light-New Cord
copper-black
yellow-white
black (labeled 120)-green
Light-New Cord
copper-black
yellow-white
black (labeled 120)-green
cannabineer
Ursus marijanus
STOP!
In the USA black is the "hot" wire. Green and copper are ground. The "cold" return wire should be white ... not sure about yellow.
I am worried though that if you connect copper to black, you'll build a short. cn
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_5/chpt_2/2.html
In the USA black is the "hot" wire. Green and copper are ground. The "cold" return wire should be white ... not sure about yellow.
I am worried though that if you connect copper to black, you'll build a short. cn
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_5/chpt_2/2.html
Innerorbit
Well-Known Member
Ok, hooked up the cords, put it back together....got excited and plugged it in. It's been 10 minutes and nothings happening.
Edit: Canna, just now so your post! luckily nothing happened but it didn't turn on either. Not sure what to do now
Edit: Canna, just now so your post! luckily nothing happened but it didn't turn on either. Not sure what to do now
cannabineer
Ursus marijanus
I'm just glad nothing happened.
Are you certain you didn't trip a breaker? If no - no harm, no foul. But I'd see if schematics for that particulat transformer are available. cn
Are you certain you didn't trip a breaker? If no - no harm, no foul. But I'd see if schematics for that particulat transformer are available. cn
Innerorbit
Well-Known Member
Ok, I'm thinking that maybe this is the right combination:
Copper-green
black-black
white to yellow
If green is ground then that connects to bare copper wire. The black is apparently hot so it would make sense that there are different black wires for the different input voltages. That just leaves the yellow to white. Opinions?
Copper-green
black-black
white to yellow
If green is ground then that connects to bare copper wire. The black is apparently hot so it would make sense that there are different black wires for the different input voltages. That just leaves the yellow to white. Opinions?
209 Cali closet grower
Well-Known Member
man those are some die hart ballast!
209 Cali closet grower
Well-Known Member
you got it.
209 Cali closet grower
Well-Known Member
I have the same hood in the pic, but I made my light horizontal 
Innerorbit
Well-Known Member
Opened it back up, switched the wires around, plugged it in...it worked!!!! Yes! Thanks for the help everybody. + Rep to you weedworm for the info and quick responses... even though i connected a positive wire to a bare copper one! haha 
Cool, 209. How did you move the light around in the hood? Do you make it a remote ballast as well? It was mentioned earlier in the thread that it can be done and makes the light a much better grow light in a lot of situations and in your photo I see that the wires drop down instead of directly up where the ballast usually sits. Btw, I checked out your journal and I'll be watching for sure, I had something very similar in mind for my 1st grow.
Cool, 209. How did you move the light around in the hood? Do you make it a remote ballast as well? It was mentioned earlier in the thread that it can be done and makes the light a much better grow light in a lot of situations and in your photo I see that the wires drop down instead of directly up where the ballast usually sits. Btw, I checked out your journal and I'll be watching for sure, I had something very similar in mind for my 1st grow.
209 Cali closet grower
Well-Known Member
I'll take some pics to show you, but it was easy, and yes I made it a remote ballast.I have had this ballast for 10yrs, lol.There great for grown on a budget.Opened it back up, switched the wires around, plugged it in...it worked!!!! Yes! Thanks for the help everybody. + Rep to you weedworm for the info and quick responses... even though i connected a positive wire to a bare copper one! haha
Cool, 209. How did you move the light around in the hood? Do you make it a remote ballast as well? It was mentioned earlier in the thread that it can be done and makes the light a much better grow light in a lot of situations and in your photo I see that the wires drop down instead of directly up where the ballast usually sits. Btw, I checked out your journal and I'll be watching for sure, I had something very similar in mind for my 1st grow.
