Damn that would be amazing if thatās all it is and itās that cheap and easy to fix. I felt like there was maybe a cool down somewhere that was occurring because a reset wouldnāt get it back on, and then there was no particular amount of time to let sit unplugged before it would finally come on again when I plugged it in. I was wondering if the ballast was overheating but it didnāt feel any hotter than usual. Thereās a whirring noise on startup for the ballast though that I wouldnāt hear when Iād plug it in before it was ready to come back on, if that means anything.
Is the capacitor in the light housing or the ballast?
Caps are usually in the ballast, the light housing is just reflector and mogul socket. Lots of aquarium ballasts had em on the outside for easy service.
They are easy to spot, especially if it was made to be serviced, it woudnāt be soldered to a board, it would have screw / spade terminals. Looks lke a small cylinder, my 250w / 400w MH ballasts had ones that were about as round as a half dollar and maybe 2" long? They do come in a variety of sizes, but a cylinder with terminals would be a giveaway.
Iād take the cover off the ballast and just look around. WORD OF ADVICE. Capacitors store energy, before trying to disconnect one, unplug the light and let it sit for a little, while turned on, giving the capacitor time to discharge. They can pack a nasty punch if you donāt. Most have a part number, granger.com has been pretty cheap when I needed to replace. It would look something like this: Keystone CAP-400MHQ Metal Halide 400W 24uF 400Vac Capacitor - - Amazon.com
If you have an electronic ballast, its a 50/50 if it was made to be serviced. Cheaper ācap and coilā ballasts always areā¦
When a halide goes out, it needs a cool down period to refire typically. That whirring noise is the ballast trying to refire the bulb, but the bulb hasnāt cooled enough. When you have a cool setup and the bulb lights right away you dont hear that whirring sound because the bulb arcs and lights instantly, instead of arcing to try to light (making the whirring sound).
Iāll see if I can take it apart tonight and get a look. I appreciate the info and will probably have some questions lol
It would be insanely awesome to get this light back to the reliable workhorse it has been in the past. I still think LEDS are in my future for other reasons but it would be less urgent for sure.
Its funny, but I have commented on Jims plants to my own neighbors. I REALLY Like the lawn, nice mulch, raised beds, and we smoke and hope to do that one dayā¦ That would be the best maintained bed in my yard, weeds overtaking everything else BUT the weed LOL
Well, its a digital ballast, and I just saw a hundred pics of phantom drones. LOL Not finding wiring diagrams, or board picsā¦ Your out of warranty period yes? Opening the ballast voids it. But if its out of warranty, and ya wanna peek inside and snap a pic, it might help. Problem with digital ballast, ALOT of it is surface mount / circuit board mount, and not as serviceableā¦ Its a 50/50 nowā¦ if it was a cap n coil, I would be already looking for the cap LOLā¦
ALL POINTS BULLETIN - ALL POINTS BULLETIN!!! Anyone seen @LemonadeJoe of late? Thought Iād ask BEFORE reaching out, going over tentative detail of the āSep Thingyā. Last I heard, a āHoudini moveā was noted. SS/BWā¦mister
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