my "CUSTOM"SeaLife 30" DUAL 70w MH retro conversion Options

[KrackerG]

In conjuction with my "CUSTOM"SeaLife 20" 70w MH retro conversion...please allow me to introduce it's "Big Brother", my "CUSTOM" SeaLife 30" DUAL 70w MH retro conversion...boasting 'twin' 70 watt Metal Halide 10,000K and 2 65w blue actinics!

Still in the testing phase, but so far, it's twice as awesome as the 20" !! Here are the specs:

Custom SeaLife 30" Power Compact w/ moonlights
2x65w PC Actinic
2x70w MH 10KK
1 CSL LED moonlight
2 Aromat 5EU-F ballasts (remotely mounted)
2 Enermax Ultra-Cool case fans
270w total
13.5 watts per gallon

This post has been edited by KrackerG: Jan 30 2006, 08:55 PM

[KrackerG]

A few things were done differently here opposed to what I did on my 20" CCSL light. First of all, the MH ballasts were no longer mounted up in the hood like the WPI ballast. These ballasts I used here in this hood are the new Aromat ...5EU-F ballasts, which do not fit correctly in the hood...it's too thick! Plus with heat concerns (x2 bulbs x2 ballasts), I thought it would be wise to mount them outside of the actual hood and found an old computer power supply housing to do the trick. I also added a case fan for cooling just the ballasts and wired it up...just 2 wires for the fan.

The 2 ballasts are powered via 2 standard computer power cords that plug into the back. This makes installation a breeze!

A single solid 14gauge/2 pair power cable then connects the bulb sockets to the ballasts directly. One single connection was used instead of splicing together this wire to that. The wire goes all the way up to socket itself....solid!

[KrackerG]

Here are 2 HQI sockets which both look alike and both will work. The upper one fits 70w metal halide bulbs perfectly just as it is and both actual sockets themselves have a "spring" to them making bulb changes easier. The side of the socket of the worklight are enscribed "250W 1500V" and look "beefier" than the regents.

The Regent QF300 socket requires some chipping away of the ceramic socket for the bulb to work. This cracking away at the ceramic is is tedious and can be ruined if you break off too much at a time.

Look for the worklights in your planning for this mod...it will make your life easier.

[KrackerG]

IMO, one of the more painful duties required to do this mod is drilling. It just that you only have 1 shot at drilling so no errors. Plus this hood is round...use a hole punch. You cannot put back what you drill so drill once, but measure twice, double check then drill.

I had to drill an 1 extra hole (or 2 on my 20") for the MH power wire. Standard computer power cable is 18gauge...lower the number, thicker the cable. Instead of running 2 separate pulls as I did in my 20", I used a single power wire from Lowe's that is 14gauge (thicker) and is actually 2 pairs of wires so only 1 wire, only 1 hole was needed to be drilled. Notice the size difference of cable in gurth...it's called 14/4.

[Reefer_Buddha]

what a halide pimp Actually ive used the qf300 regent sockets and they work fine with my ushio bulb, it was the worklight ones i had to tear up and eventually they cracked. Lets see the tank pics with the lights on it.

[KrackerG]

Again, CSL wired these up with WAY TOO MUCH wires. There is enough wires to run back and forth twice...so I cut some of it out to save space, allow for better direct cooling, and to just clean up.

Here you see an earlier picture when the hood was stripped clean down to the bone. Notice the 2 retangular 65w ballast (larger than the 20" ones) and all that blue and red wires. Once again, I soldered all the connections removing the screw caps. Much, much cleaner now!

Also, notice that single bulky fan...thats gotta go! Also, you can see the leads going to the 2 power switches on the side. These are stock for turning the PC tubes on and off...not anymore! More on this later:P

[KrackerG]

Here are the 2 PC ballasts installed but they've been turned around. The red/blue PC wires USED TO go to the left but there is way too much going on over on that side already so I switched it! On that busy side, you have the power wires coming into the fixture, switches, a fan, and brackets so moving it to the other side was the good logical thing, where real estate is plentiful!

This pic was taken after removing some of the extra red/blue PC wires but notice there is still plenty of slack left over.

The red/green, white/black is for the metal halides...and from here on out, I will refer to them as "DA TWINNSS"

[KrackerG]

..buddha, pics of the tank are comin'...i'm gettin' there...relax! sounds like your fan is defective...oops, no warranty!:DLOL! Dats ok...your gonna' want to disassemble all of it anyways. I felt it was easier to make this (when drilling, etc) to take it all apart and then reassemble it. Your gonna' want to drill carefully from the inside unless your Dr Drillmaster or really just don't care about scratches.

ANYWAYS...here is the underside of the hood...all wired up. The sockets below were then attached using orings directly on the 14/4 wires. Forget that wimpy "dental floss" that comes w/ the sockets ,seen below...

Not being the biggest fan of moonlights, I settled for just a single one sitting dead center. Who ever heard of 2 moons?? ...not in my universe! I just drilled 3 more holes in a row and attached it w/ the stock hardware. The moon is then wired to 1 of the switches that was stock for the PCs tubes. The other switch controls the fans...all 3 including the one on my ballasts box:P This switch is usually on though considering the moonlight is on a timer. In fact, no switches are really need...that's why I stole them from the lamps without hesitation.

You can see to the right on the reflector where the tube clips had to be relocated.

[KrackerG]

O-rings installed on the MH wires...brackets mounted and I cut out some of the reflector material from the regents' to maximize the output of the bulb, otherwise the bracket is there under the bulb. This also shields the wires (and the bracket as well!)

[steguis]

Did u move the PC lights further away from the center or did you leave them in their stock position? When you wire the ballast to the socket, does it matter which wire you connect to or are they reversable? Lastly, you said you used PC screws to connect the socket to the reflector, where did you get the nuts for the screws?

[KrackerG]

ok. was thinkin' about VHO upgrade like this...any comments??! oh, and i just got 2 more 20" CSL hoods...anyone need lights!?

[KrackerG]

shouldnt it look like this??

[KrackerG]

Originally posted by steguis
Did u move the PC lights further away from the center or did you leave them in their stock position? When you wire the ballast to the socket, does it matter which wire you connect to or are they reversable? Lastly, you said you used PC screws to connect the socket to the reflector, where did you get the nuts for the screws?

The PC lights were scooted out away from the center to make room for the DA' TWINNSS. It doesn't make a difference which wire goes where. I just used standard computer case screws. They can be bought at any PC shop...

Guys, I should have more pics up soon. Their still in my camera and I have to go through them (all 154) and edit and pick 'em. Hope to have them all up by this weekend...

[beermu]

KrackerG- What exactly are the "worklights" from which you got your sockets? Do you have a brand name or model #? How much did they cost? The way the metal bracket on my socket is shaped, it won't lay against the reflector (there would be a 1/4" space)

[SDMike]

Originally posted by KrackerG
Here are 2 HQI sockets which both look alike and both will work. The upper one fits 70w metal halide bulbs perfectly just as it is and both actual sockets themselves have a "spring" to them making bulb changes easier. The side of the socket of the worklight are enscribed "250W 1500V" and look "beefier" than the regents.

The Regent QF300 socket requires some chipping away of the ceramic socket for the bulb to work.  This cracking away at the ceramic is is tedious and can be ruined if you break off too much at a time.  

Look for the worklights in your planning for this mod...it will make your life easier.

All right, I'll bite. How the F#$% do you figure out which socket works without ripping the fixtures apart in the HD??

I got a pair of the 500w worklights thinking I was getting everything that would work together... Nope.

The bulb is about 21mm across at the ends, the socket's a few mm short top to bottom.

What to do?

I can probably return the worklights, exchanging them for the bigger Regents... Or go to Hellolights and get another pair of sockets for $12-15/ea.

Oh, more fun. Got a dead power supply from a local computer place. Ripped out the dead circuit board, pulled the fan off the side and noticed that it is 12v DC! Grrrr. Back to the computer place... Nope. We don't carry 110v fans. You have to go to Fry's (about 30min away) to get that...

Talk about clueless! Those guys are probably great for doing computer stuff, but get them out of their element, and you get "uhhhh, ummmmm, you can't do that, you need the power supply..." In their defense, I'm doing something that they've probably never thought of. You want WHAT? for an aquarium?

Help!

Mike

[Reefer_Buddha]

if youre using an Ushio bulb then you need the sockets from the qf300 and you have to bend them just a tiny bit out, no chipping or anything like that.

[SDMike]

Originally posted by Reefer_Buddha
if youre using an Ushio bulb then you need the sockets from the qf300 and you have to bend them just a tiny bit out, no chipping or anything like that.

Hey Reefer!

You'll get a kick out of this! Right after I built my diamond plate AL "redneck special light stand" I got a screaming deal on a 40L. All that harrasment, and I never did get the darn thing onto my tank...

Back to the topic: So, I gotta go buy ANOTHER pair of fixtures, huh?

Mike

[Reefer_Buddha]

thats cool man, glad you got a good deal. Youll need the qf300 fixtures if you get an ushio bulb, duno about the other brands. Its only 12$ at hd here. Usually the sockets alone are that much from places like hellolights.com

[Reefer_Buddha]

kraker, did you ever figure out what kinda glass to use? Im gona add my 70w halide into my hood this weekend just need to know where you got your glass and what kind for the uv filtration.

[Reefer_Buddha]

just finished this diy and i love it. The Shimmer is the SHIZZLE new lighting specs:

1x65w 10k
1x65w Super Actinic
1x70w Ushio MH

200w over the 20L

can you say "grow time"