My IceCap Ballast is dead - I think

[will1384]

My IceCap Ballast is dead - I think
I was going to watch some TV, turned on the
OHP and herd a pop, I then unplugged it
opened it up and looked to see what was
going on - I cant find any thing wrong,
I even tested continuity with a volt meter
and every thing is good - what happened
Now the fan comes on - but the lamp
will not fire - I did wait 10min and tried
again

I am going to let it set for a few hours
and try again

I did check the lamp its ok and the ground is
good also

 

[will1384]

Just tried it still dead - I wonder what happened
- I think a arc jumped from a wire to a grounded
piece of metal - but how, and would that be enough
to kill it - the pulse of high voltage may have burned
threw the wire to get to the metal or there may have ben
a week place in the wire - I feel that the old style ballast
would still be working now if the same thing had happened
- I cant find a burnt place any ware 😕

Next time I will keep the wires away from the metal
or rap them in black tape real thick

This blows - I am going to call IceCap Thursday
see what they say

 

[frozenbum87]

check (and replace if necessary) the fuse and/or try plugging it into a different output

 

[will1384]

check (and replace if necessary) the fuse
and/or try plugging it into a different output

No luck with that - I had it on a fuse, and threw a power strip
with a fuse, fuse still good in both - the power strip did not
shut down, its got a pop up fuse that you press to reset

I think that it happened at the out put to the lamp

 

[will1384]

Its killing me to not be able to open the ballast - I dont
want to void the warranty - I wonder if its covered

if they tell me its a $100 book end - I am going to take
pictures of the inside - high quality pictures and post

And buy a ballast from a different maker
like ARO like this one

http://www.hellolights.com/aroelba2meha.html

or Vue Technology Ballast
http://www.captiveraisedcorals.com/mhlighting.htm

or EVC Tech
http://oceanencounter.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc


ect ect ect they all seam to cost about $100

 

[Guy Grotke]

another ballast

Well, you can always buy a big low-tech magnetic ballast. I agree that they are likely much more robust to events like an arc. You probably heard a big MOSFET exploding.

Here is a good source:

http://www.goodmart.com/products/433838.htm

$55, but the shipping will kill you: These suckers are VERY heavy.

 

[will1384]

buy a big low-tech magnetic ballast

Yea I was thinking that - but I would have to use a different
lamp like this

http://www.goodmart.com/products/36808.htm

Compact Metalarc 250W - its like the HQI but uses
E39 Mogul base $37.91

and the ballast

http://www.goodmart.com/products/243337.htm

Venture Lighting CWA (constant wattage autotransformer) $45.36

I want to keep it down to 250w and a small lamp to
make it easy to work with - but that lamp is 2.5 in around
and my soup ladel reflector is cut for the HQI that is
1.5 in around - I dont have much left to cut - So I would
have to get a different reflector


Thanks for the goodmart.com link -


I forgot there in a different timezone missed them by a hour
when I tried to call about the fried ballast

 

[Guy Grotke]

MH ballasts

If anybody is looking for a cheap magnetic ballast, they have tons of them:

http://www.goodmart.com/products/ballast_high_indensity_discharge.htm

The single voltage models tend to be for 480 VAC, so look for the ones that say QUAD. They have taps for 120, 208, etc.

I think these ballasts are pretty standard: The 250 Watt can probably run any 250 Watt MH bulb, unless the bulb spec says different. You match them by ANSI codes, ie. M58.

 

[will1384]

I called them and they said just send it in - and print out
a letter telling what happened - and have all you contact info
in it

- I hope they fix it cheap or free 😎

 

[will1384]

Just got it back - they replaced it free and shipped
it back free 😀 😎 🙂 😱 😀

I am so happy - I put it all in a 3M projector now -
and the wires coming from the ballast to the lamp
are in rubber air hose - just in case it did punch threw
the wire to get to the ground

Triplets do look better - and the image is smaller now
so I can put the OHP on a shelf in the back of the room

It uses a condensor lens also - image is brighter -
but I had to rig up a way to hold it - its a little off
but it works and I am not messing with it - till
I get the MkIII projector kit - It does take a long
time to get ,but thats ok as long as it looks and
works good