Rcpilot
Reef enthusiast
I have (2) Coralife SPL-165R-JS ballasts. Each of these will drive a single 65w PC bulb.
Can I drive T5 bulbs on these ballasts instead?
Can I drive T5 bulbs on these ballasts instead?
Will PC Ballasts Drive T5 Lights?
- Thread starter Rcpilot
- Start date
project5k
Reef enthusiast
without more specs i cant say for sure, but looking at what little info i could find in my rather half-assed looking for them, i would say yes, that you can drive a t5 bulb with that ballast.. just make sure that you add up the wattage of the bulb(s) that you are trying to connect, and make sure that they add up to less than the 65w rating on the unit...
bjohanson1234
.........
The closer to 65 the better also.
It might have shorter life span, burn the bulbs out faster or give off a different spectrum. Dont know
I have run t5's on t8 ballasts, just mached up the wattages like project said.
Just make sure that you wire it correctly. There should be a schematic on the ballast but it might not look exactly like it since PC's have the pins on the same side of the bulb
Post some pics we can try to get it working
Brian
It might have shorter life span, burn the bulbs out faster or give off a different spectrum. Dont know
I have run t5's on t8 ballasts, just mached up the wattages like project said.
Just make sure that you wire it correctly. There should be a schematic on the ballast but it might not look exactly like it since PC's have the pins on the same side of the bulb
Post some pics we can try to get it working
Brian
project5k
Reef enthusiast
I disagree. it will have a shorter lifespan(the ballast) cause it will be working harder, and will be running hotter...
heat is the #1 enemy of all electronics. my suggestion is (if a 4 foot bulb will work) would be to run no more than 1 54w t5 off each ballast....
this way you are running the ballast under its rated(and suggested) load, therefore it wont get as hot, and should last longer. running it hot just means it dosent last as long, and you know that they say it'll run a 65w bulb, and thats probably at the design limit, by backing away from that, you are in effect building in a margin of error...and safety.
what bulbs would you want to run? get that info, and then we can spitball configurations...
bjohanson1234
.........
Yes but ballasts are like little transformers.
They are tuned for a specific load and run more efficiently when they are within that load rating. If they are under loaded, they arent as efficient.
Thats why I said get it as close to 65 watts as possible
They are tuned for a specific load and run more efficiently when they are within that load rating. If they are under loaded, they arent as efficient.
Thats why I said get it as close to 65 watts as possible
project5k
Reef enthusiast
well, they used to be, the old magnetic ones were exactly that, basically a choke coil or a small transformer, but newer more common electronic ballasts are really just high frequiency high voltage SMPS(switch mode power supply). and are more like the PS in a computer than the transformer in an arc welder...
and when you really get down to it, isnt the ballast really just a current limiting device? i mean, voltage step up and frequiency increasing are both great for noise, and efficency, and the life of the bulbs, but you can fire a flour bulb without a ballast, but the bulb wont last long and will self distruct if the current isnt limited...
and when you really get down to it, isnt the ballast really just a current limiting device? i mean, voltage step up and frequiency increasing are both great for noise, and efficency, and the life of the bulbs, but you can fire a flour bulb without a ballast, but the bulb wont last long and will self distruct if the current isnt limited...
Rcpilot
Reef enthusiast
Welllllllllllllllllll,
I'm not sure what to do. I was initially thinking of using 54w bulbs, but then I realized those are 48" long. This is for my frag tank and it's only 30" long.
Soooooooooooo,
Then I thought maybe I'd run (2) 24w bulbs (only 24" long) or maybe even (3) for a total of 72w load.
But will a 65w PC ballast drive 72w worth of (3) bulbs? Would I wire them in series? :confused: Or in parallel?
Here's the ballast:
Coralife Aqualight Ballast, 1X65W, Model: SPL-165R-JS
I'm not sure what to do. I was initially thinking of using 54w bulbs, but then I realized those are 48" long. This is for my frag tank and it's only 30" long.
Soooooooooooo,
Then I thought maybe I'd run (2) 24w bulbs (only 24" long) or maybe even (3) for a total of 72w load.
But will a 65w PC ballast drive 72w worth of (3) bulbs? Would I wire them in series? :confused: Or in parallel?
Here's the ballast:
Coralife Aqualight Ballast, 1X65W, Model: SPL-165R-JS
Last edited:
project5k
Reef enthusiast
you can do 2 of the 24 watters, but not 3, going over on the wattage is a bad idea, period.
i see no problems with running 2 bulbs in PARALLEL.... running them in series would probably cause them to not even light, or if they do, definately not properly and would cause a voltage drop across each bulb such that they might have shortened life spans, and may or may not put out the right spectrum...
i see no problems with running 2 bulbs in PARALLEL.... running them in series would probably cause them to not even light, or if they do, definately not properly and would cause a voltage drop across each bulb such that they might have shortened life spans, and may or may not put out the right spectrum...
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