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[Navyscuba]

I will take you up on the offer if I am ever in Florida...I could see me making something like this one day if my addiction to fish keeps up:hypnotized:. I would love to see a drawing and I was wondering where you got the sockets for the fluorescent bulbs (or bulb holders or whatever they are called). You can pm me if you dont want this stuff clogging up your thread!

Well here is a drawing of how I did the wiring for the ballast for 4 T8 bulbs. Including some links of the materials I used, but you will need wire nuts and some other like the 3 prong outlet plug and a switch box and the switch itself.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Well there you go some parts maybe change according to your needs. The cable is good because it goes right inside the sockets for the bulbs. It comes in rolls of 25' that was enough for my application. I had some spare from another project but this should be plenty. Any questions let me know. :welcome:

 

[xVitox]

Well here is a drawing of how I did the wiring for the ballast for 4 T8 bulbs. Including some links of the materials I used, but you will need wire nuts and some other like the 3 prong outlet plug and a switch box and the switch itself.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Well there you go some parts maybe change according to your needs. The cable is good because it goes right inside the sockets for the bulbs. It comes in rolls of 25' that was enough for my application. I had some spare from another project but this should be plenty. Any questions let me know. :welcome:

You are awesome! Now I can build a grow light set up and not have to use cfl bulbs! let me know if you are ever visiting PA!
EDIT: By wire nuts, do you mean the things to connect the wires together?

 

[Navyscuba]

You are awesome! Now I can build a grow light set up and not have to use cfl bulbs! let me know if you are ever visiting PA!
EDIT: By wire nuts, do you mean the things to connect the wires together?

Yeah just type wire nuts on the website for Home depot or Lowes. The yellow ones would work for you better since the cable is 14 ga but I usually buy the mixed can yellow and reds. Reds are for bigger cables or for when you use several cables. :thm:
PS. Remember not to have power into it before you finish. Just in case don't wanna have your GF send a mobster after me cuz you shock yourself. hahaha

 

[Kerry121774]

absolutely amazing!!! Great work!

 

[xVitox]

Yeah just type wire nuts on the website for Home depot or Lowes. The yellow ones would work for you better since the cable is 14 ga but I usually buy the mixed can yellow and reds. Reds are for bigger cables or for when you use several cables. :thm:
PS. Remember not to have power into it before you finish. Just in case don't wanna have your GF send a mobster after me cuz you shock yourself. hahaha

Hahahaha, ill probably solder it up instead and use shrink tubing. Dont worry i will turn and keep the power off until this is completed...i do not wish to be sleeping with the fishes (well not more than i already do with the three fishtanks in my room)

 

[Navyscuba]

Remember the wire needs to be single strand so it catches on the bulb sockets. Cool on the soldering and shrink tubing I like it too.

 

[xVitox]

Remember the wire needs to be single strand so it catches on the bulb sockets. Cool on the soldering and shrink tubing I like it too.

yeah...i made my own wiring harness for my car stereo, originally with the wing nuts. Got laughed at a lot for that one...so i eventually went back and soldered everything into place and taped it up all nice so now it looks decent :bling:
edit: what do you mean by single strand? just not fraying?

 

[Navyscuba]

Well one is Braided wire like the one on cars and the one for houses and many electrical stuff is a single solid wire. Forgot to mention that the ballast don't have a ground cable, You just have to ground the metal case of the ballast.

 

[xVitox]

Well one is Braided wire like the one on cars and the one for houses and many electrical stuff is a single solid wire. Forgot to mention that the ballast don't have a ground cable, You just have to ground the metal case of the ballast.

so you are saying the three wire that one is braided, and the others are solid? the braided would make a better ground anyway since it could handle more current (yay physics II class!)

 

[Navyscuba]

No all the cables are solids. What I did was putting a terminal on the ground and screw with 2 pressure washers to make good contact.