Please help with ballast wiring!

[s0larb3ar]

Hi,

I currently have a 20 G with its original 18" 15W Eclipse light strip. I'm trying to make a DIY light fixture by adding a second 18" 15W light strip, connecting the new and original to one ballast. I have an Advance electronic ballast that is suitable for the setup, but for some reason I can't connect it together so that it works. I've looked at the handy diagram they have on the ballast, and I've done my best to emulate it.

The ballast comes with the usual black and white wire which i've dutifully connected to the outlet line, two blue wires, and one red wire.

If someone could draw out a crude diagram (that includes the two terminals in the endcaps) or describe step-by-step how I connect these together, that would be so great!

Any help would be appreciated, even if it's to tell me that i got the wrong equipment!

BTW, I'm a new member and I just got my second tank...and trying to do this one justice! Hey all

 

[1oooop]

I see, can you give me the original diagram, LOL, I might be able to help(I totally PWNED my parents at wiring the new GFIO[they thot the wires were connected in a different way])

 

[duke33]

Can you scan the diagram and post it here? That would help. All I can say is you wire it in series, or continue the wire to the next light.

 

[Cory Keeper]

simply hook one blue wire to one endcap, and the red one to the other. That ballast sounds like it can handle 2 tubes. To add a second one, simply wire the tubes in parallel.

 

[1oooop]

hmm, 2 blue and 1 red? any other wires? maybe another red?

 

[The Zigman]

run 1 blue to each tube... connect the red to BOTH tubes.
then it will work.

there are 2 hot wires (the blues) and one neutral (the red)

 

[Cory Keeper]

what Zig said.

 

[duke33]

Yeah what Zig said.

 

[s0larb3ar]

Oh yes, that's pretty much the diagram that is on the ballast. However, I don't know how to make the 'Y' connections to each end of the lights (i understand that I need wire nuts?), or how to run the 1 red wire to two tubes.

TOTAL newbie at this DIY stuff, so bear with me =]

 

[Cory Keeper]

solder would work, as well as solderless connections that you can crimp.