ballast temperature

[alapimba]

Hello, my projector is almost done but i noticed that the ballast temperature is a bit high(for my fingers)... I don't know if this is normal and if it need to be refrigerated with a fan or if i don't have to do nothing. Check this 2 pictures with my setup. The ballast don't get hot from the lamp because theres wood on the way so it only get hot by itself. So i need to cool it anyway or theres no problem? Let me know if everything is just ok. Thanks

[dj_holmes]

i got a similar problem the ballast gets (transformer) gets super hot. too hot to touch. i think at that temperature the wire will melt. but then i got thinking that the light box it came in was airtight and it had no fans blowing on it and it was designed to run for days!!!! i'm puzzled? does it need cooling i would think so. cos anything around it would melt if not the ballast. i could be wrong but boy my setup is similar and experience has shown me better safe than sorry.

just stick a small fan on it. or use some metal as heat sinks...i would waite for more replies though. good luck. nice pj!

[alapimba]

Hi thanks for your reply.
I'm not really worried with the wires because they are on teh side that don't gets hot so i guess there wont be any problem of melt cables or something. I'm only worried with the ballast. so far i only have run the projector for like 30/40 minutes and nothing happends but the ballast it's very hot. My worries is if i have it on during 2 hours it will keep getting hotter and hotter till explode
Maybe it's stupid but i wanted to make sure theres no problem and that i can keep the projector this way. On my pictures you can see the complete ballast but only the bright part of the picture gets hot. the rest is cool...

Thanks for yoru reply

[dj_holmes]

bruv your ballast is a transformer that changes the voltage from one thing to another. its essentially a coil of wire. its got to do with electrons jumping of one set of wire to another . thus reduced or increased voltage. but due to design in-effiecncy the wires get hot and or hum. thus heat! thus, too much heat = melted transformer

my guess would be the hot air being blown out don't really help the air around the transformer from cooling. try putting some some of guard around the hot air exiting, to block it getting near ballast. also wood can conduct heat at high temp. i woun;t be suprised if the bulbis heating the wood. WHERES YOUR REFLECTOR???????????

[alapimba]

the reflector is "inside the wood" lol.

in this picture i guess you can see it..on the left side of the lamp..theres metal between the wood and the lamp and a gap of 3mm between the metal and the wood to don't let the wood gets hot.

[dj_holmes]

o.k bruv only a few suggestions.
1. if your whole pj is in a box and the area also around the transformer is in a box then if you make a air port just next or back left of your ballast (next to your powercable) then it will concentrate cool air due to the sucktion of your fan and force your ballast cool..understand? sorry english 3rd language no matter how hard i try it still sound s like japanese!

o.k 2. make sure that your ballast and bulb are matched. if it is second hand could be possible warn out. even though this is unlikely. still you got to consider.

3. your fan could be pulling pushing hot air in or around your ballast. conclusion make sure your seal all areas (i was thinking wires)

at the end of the day all transformers get hot. its the same as a bulb. its a piece of wire when electricity runs through it gets hot. same thing with ballast.

i tried to draw a pic but its like 4 am here and i'm really sleepy. try to make it out. good luck. with the pic not the pj!!!! lol

pj looks good too!