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    DIY: Nanocube PC ballast

    nikecivic
    nikecivic
    Moderator


    Posts : 1672
    Join date : 2011-11-09
    Location : Camarillo, CA

    DIY: Nanocube PC ballast Empty DIY: Nanocube PC ballast

    Post by nikecivic Sat Jul 14, 2012 4:17 pm

    My lights went out on my Nano Cube 6. I wanted to find a cheap fix to this light because I am only using this tank as a refugium at work. I basically have caulerpa, cheato and xenia in my tank so I didn't want to spend money on upgrading to LED or another PC fixture or components.

    So I found a thread from Nano Reef and followed the same steps.
    http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/inde...ic=63992&st=20

    The stock bulb is a 18watt PC light and the Nano-Reef thread uses a common Compact Flourescent (CFL) bulb used in any bulb socket at home. So I found a bulb at home that was 23 watts and broke the tube and removed the circuit board inside the housing.

    DIY: Nanocube PC ballast IMAG0722


    I used P1 as the (+) power and P2 as (-) power.

    Since the PC bulb is has 4 straight pins I wired them this way:
    (left to right)
    P3 first left pin
    P4 second pin
    P5 third pin
    P6 last pin

    I soldered wires to the circuit board and and twisted the rest of the wires with a cap.


    DIY: Nanocube PC ballast IMAG0724


    DIY: Nanocube PC ballast IMAG0725


    DIY: Nanocube PC ballast IMAG0726




    I basically gutted the hood and removed the stock ballast, power transformer, fans, nite leds and fuse.


    DIY: Nanocube PC ballast IMAG0723

    I tested everything for light off before I closed it all up.

    DIY: Nanocube PC ballast IMAG0729


    I reassembled everything and tried to tuck all the wires and circuit board behind the reflector.



    DIY: Nanocube PC ballast IMAG0730


    Everything works great and I connected the circuit to the switch inside the hood. I don't know how long the bulb will last since it is rated for 23 watts and the buld is 18 watts.


    Hope this helps anyone who needs a cheap fix. I guess this would work in theory for anyone who wants to use it for multiple bulbs and T5 lighting.


      Current date/time is Thu Mar 28, 2024 12:51 pm