any electricians out there?

[fishface]

i've got a 4x54w T5 light fixture with one cord and one switch but what i'd really like is to be able to have 2 cords and 2 switches. so i was wondering if anyone out there would be able to and interested in doing this job for me...

please let me know if you can help me out.
thanks,
darryl

ps or if anyone can point me towards a friend or recommendation to someone who does small jobs that would be great as well.

[michika]

PM KrazyKuch

[parkinsn]

pm'd

[lorenz0]

can you take a picture of the fixture?? well the wiring

all depends on the wiring

[mark]

and if you have 2 ballasts

[fishface]

well with the help of parkinsn, and a quick look-see we've determined that it's a single 4 bulb ballast. so i'm thinking about grabbing a 2 bulb ballast and adding it. lighting 2 bulbs with the existing ballast and the other 2 with a new ballast. how's that sound?

[KrazyKuch]

Sounds possible but make sure that the 4 bulb fixture will fire 2 bulbs......their are alot of ballasts out their the require all bulbs before they fire!!!

[lorenz0]

could down grade to ballasts designed for 2 bulbs. I haven't looked at the wiring in any of my t5's but the ballast should be getting source power but i know on mt TEK is runs a parallel circuit and if 1 bulb is missing another won't light up. but if that one bulb burns out power will still go through it to light up the other bulb. well i am bored and decided to have a little fun on ms paint, this is how the circuit is probably ran right now:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/electricdia.jpg

Now basically all your trying to do is remove 2 of the bulbs and that should be a diagram for each type of circuit that you plan on running. The one thing with this idea that if its a single series circuit you might get less resistance which your bulbs may give off more light. lol i don't know, kind of rambling here.

edit: crap forgot to label the box in the picture, thats your ballast

[fishface]

thanks for your input guys but i'm considering a different approach now.

what about if i was to keep the same ballast, keep it directly wired to 2 bulbs and have the other 2 bulbs on independent switches? so basically 2 lights would be on by default, but then i could manually turn on the other one or two if need be. would that be easy enough and do you think it would work?

any thoughts would be appreciated?
i believe this is how it's wired (linear)...
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/album.php?albumid=38&pictureid=346

[lorenz0]

you could do that. all you need to do is cut the wire to the bulb and insert the switch so you can open and close the circuit. before you do this make sure that you check to see if it's possiable. remove the bulb you want to be controlled independently and make sure the other 3 are still lit. cause on the off position you will have the circuit open, you won't have current going to the other bulb in that circuit if its part of that circuit. lol if i am not making sense i can just draw out another diagram. i explain better with pictures

[fishface]

hey lorenz0, thanks and that does make sense. i'm pretty sure that should then since i've already just been running either 2 or 3 bulbs at a time and taking the other one or 2 out as it's just too bright. no matter what combo i take out or leave in the bulbs still fire fine.