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#1
12-18-2012, 11:59 PM
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Anyone know how to troubleshoot MH ballast? Calgary
Stopped working, not much electronic knowledge so if anyone can offer help it would be greatly appreciated ...
Charles
__________________
Where did my rum go?! Success in this hobby does not count how you spend your money, it counts how you spend your time. 
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#2
12-19-2012, 12:02 AM
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I can help....pack it in a box and put at the curb and call it a sign to buy a LED Light Sorry lol had too............
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#4
12-19-2012, 12:22 AM
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Is this the one that you bought from me?
I did not have any issues with it running from June to Sept before I upgraded. But there is a knob on the ballast that says fuse. I've never opened this but presume you could unscrew it and inspect. Hopefully the fuse just burned out and you can see the filament is not intact (like an incandescent light bulb). Hope this helps.
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#5
12-19-2012, 12:47 AM
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Yeah, it is the one I got from you
 Sadly the fuse is intact, and from what little Google-Fu I have been able to summon, it is either the light switch, the capacitor (I don't even know what that is!) or the transformer ... bleh ... Charles
__________________
Where did my rum go?! Success in this hobby does not count how you spend your money, it counts how you spend your time.
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#8
12-19-2012, 01:40 AM
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I'm not familiar specifically with that model but after googling it I found a page that claims it is a cap and coil style ballast and not electronic. In which case you should be able to open it up and replace components if need be, but you'd have to look up the part #'s and order from a place like Litemore, BriteLite, Calgary Lighting Products, or Westburne, or some place like that.
For a double-ended 250w halide it will be an ANSI M80 ballast and the bad news is that I think these are not made anymore. However I'll explain what I know anyhow. There are three components: the transformer (the "coil"), the capacitor (the "cap", looks like a tin can) and then pulse-start ballasts (of which M80 would be) have a 3rd component, the ignitor, which looks like a smaller cap usually. Sometimes, it is the capacitor and sometimes it is the ignitor when they go, but unfortunately unless you are an electrician, diagnosing the errant component involves trial-and-error replacing until it starts working. Having said all that, however ..... Double-ended halide lamps are notoriously finicky. Have you confirmed that it isn't the lamp? Because dollars to donuts, I bet it is the lamp. If you try another it might just fire up. When I ran these lamps myself I had some fail as early as 6 months in and they wouldn't even turn on.
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-- Tony My next hobby will be flooding my basement while repeatedly banging my head against a brick wall and tearing up $100 bills. Whee!
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#9
12-19-2012, 03:00 AM
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In my experience time to replace the ballast assembly.
__________________
I believe Reefkeeping is not a hobby but a way of life It's unfortunate mine is at a stand still! Building a 135 reef 9 years in the making(seem like I'll never get this 1 together! Too Busy with the Nano and Pico tanks
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#10
12-19-2012, 04:01 AM
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I do have another lamp I can check yes, once the daystar shined again ...
Charles
__________________
Where did my rum go?! Success in this hobby does not count how you spend your money, it counts how you spend your time.
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