# Replacing a ballast???



## simpsota (Mar 11, 2006)

I think I’ve had one of my ballasts go bad on my 36”, 96W Current Satellite lights. Can I replace the ballast with any 96W ballast, or is that “dangerous”?

It looks like I can get 120V, 60Hz, 96W ballasts for about $20 (maybe cheaper and with no shipping if I go to HD or Lowes this weekend), but I’m wondering if I’d be better off eating the $35 plus shipping and ordering one of the actual Current replacements…

My fixture is a dual fixture so I'd like to keep the square pins and just attach them to the new ballast so that I can use the same bulb design with both ballasts.


----------



## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

I highly recommend the ballasts from www.ballastwise.com. They're inexpensive and well built. This is the one you'll want for a 96 watt PC bulb.


----------



## cassiusclay (Feb 19, 2007)

AaronT said:


> I highly recommend the ballasts from www.ballastwise.com. They're inexpensive and well built. This is the one you'll want for a 96 watt PC bulb.


i second that ive got 2 of them running a pair of 400W MH over my 75 reef and have yet to have any problems with it. havent tried the PC ballast yet but am probably going to as i have nothing but praises for the other 2 ballast ive gotten from them
knock out ballasts so far :boxing:


----------



## simpsota (Mar 11, 2006)

Great! Ballastwise is the place I found the $20 ballast at after a web search. That's what generated this post in the first place. 

Thanks for the help!


----------



## trag (Jan 9, 2008)

You folks who bought ballasts from Ballastwise.com, were they packed properly?

I recently ordered three T5 ballasts from them and they just threw them in a box and dropped a couple of pieces of rectangular styrofoam in with them. The styrofoam didn't come close to filling the excess volume in the box and the ballasts were able to rattle and thump all along the shipping route.

They appear to be in fine condition, which is a testament either to the gentleness of the shipper, or the sturdiness of the ballasts, but certainly not to the careless person who loaded (I won't say "packed") the box. I haven't actually tested their functionality yet, but no parts are broken, nor dented and there are no internal rattles.

I would expect the ballasts to at least be wrapped in bubble wrap, or enclosed in a box full of peanuts (preferably the former), but to just drop them loose in a box bespeaks a total lack of concern and care.


----------



## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

I recall mine being packaged in a nicer fashion than that.


----------



## simpsota (Mar 11, 2006)

I'll let you know in a couple of days when mine arrive. They shipped yesterday.


----------



## simpsota (Mar 11, 2006)

Well, I have to say that they were packed just fine for me. Each was individually boxed with a wrapping around it. They were then tightly wrapped in a bubble wrap envelope.


----------



## simpsota (Mar 11, 2006)

OK, so now I have a new question. I haven't done much (ok, any) wiring of PC lamps before so this may be a dumb question.

The ballast I'm replacing is for a 4-pin bulb. The old ballast had two red wires and two blue wires, each one feeding a separate pin.

The new ballast only has one red and one blue wire so I'm not completely sure how to hook it up and I can't figure out how to read that little diagram on the ballast itself.

Should I just hook it up so the one red wire feeds the two pins that used to be fed by the two red wires and likewise for the blue wire?


----------



## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

Is there any chance you can post a picture of the top of the ballast so we can see the diagram?


----------



## simpsota (Mar 11, 2006)

It's kind of hard to see, but the blue one is the new one and the yellow one is the old one. I tried to do a little sketch of the new one too.


----------



## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

Judging from the pictures it looks like it's asking you to splice a short piece of wire into the blue and red wires so they can each have two connections. 

I'm not sure that's necessary. Try inserting the blue wire in one side of the socket and the red wire in the other side of the socket and see if it will fire up. They're easy enough to remove if you need to splice a wire in. Just grab the inserted wires with pliers and pull straight back with a twisting motion and they should pop out.


----------



## simpsota (Mar 11, 2006)

AaronT said:


> Judging from the pictures it looks like it's asking you to splice a short piece of wire into the blue and red wires so they can each have two connections.


That's what I thought it was saying too which is what confused me. I tried your suggestion though and just put the one blue and red wires in and it worked just fine.

Thanks Aaron!


----------



## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

simpsota said:


> That's what I thought it was saying too which is what confused me. I tried your suggestion though and just put the one blue and red wires in and it worked just fine.
> 
> Thanks Aaron!


You're welcome. I'm glad it worked out for you.


----------



## trag (Jan 9, 2008)

simpsota said:


> That's what I thought it was saying too which is what confused me. I tried your suggestion though and just put the one blue and red wires in and it worked just fine.


A little late back to the party here but thought I would mention...

On ballastwise's website, if you click on a specific item, such as your ballast, there will be a link on its page to download the PDF datasheet for the ballast. The datasheet often has more detailed and more readable wiring diagrams than the tiny one on the ballast.

Although, I'm guessing that this is the ballast that you bought
http://www.ballastwise.com/images/upload/Documents/DXE196HPL.pdf
and it doesn't look like the PDF diagram is any more helpful than the one on the ballast.

Interesting, that your item was nicely packaged. I wonder how I managed to irritate them into not packing mine nicely, without actually communicating with them in any way, except to order the items...

With a little luck I'll be building one of my lights this weekend. It will be a two bulb 39 W 36" T5 HO based on this ballast: 
http://www.ballastwise.com/item.asp?PID=26&FID=15&level=1

Jeff


----------



## Fortuna Wolf (Feb 3, 2007)

BTW, I'm building hoods for 10 gallon tanks, do you know where to find a 2 * F15T8 ballast?


----------

