I want to connect some fluorescent bulbs and I need a help from an electrician.
I want to make an indoor greenhouse for growing seedlings. I have a building with big windows but they are blurred and not enough sunlight can enter inside. I want to build a fluorescent bulb based grow lights.
I need those bulbs need ballasts and starters but I can't find any info on connecting a lot of bulbs.
Picture related is what I want to do, but on much larger scale, I want to have 50-60 of 1.5m (4,9feet) bulbs working at once. I don't want to buy assemblies because it will come up expensive. Bulbs are 2.30$/piece each, I need to buy rest of the connectors and wires, and will build my own reflectors. Each bulb is rated 58W
FYI It's not for growing weed.
Tl;dr: What's the easiest way to connect 50-60 fluorescent bulbs like this: | | | | | | | | | | | |
picture of another similar setup
>>925362
Easiest way? Get blue and red 12v led strips.
I'm not aware of a system that allows multiple bulbs to be run on the same ballast. Basically the bonus circuitry in the ballast and starter just start and keep the arc going. So you kinda need one thing per arc you want to maintain. So I guess you'll just be buying 50x 50$ assemblies if you're set on fluorescents. How much of this have you done before? Start small first. Don't want to blow a few thousand dollars on a setup you'll get bored of in a few weeks.
>this is my life
>>925362
Perhaps you have not properly considered your lighting options.
>>925392
Always wondered how fast those things rotate.
>>925390
I forgot to mention also the cheapest way.
desu, I haven't done too many research on LED strips because I thought they were much pricier, but if there isn't any way to connect multiple bulbs on one ballast, maybe LEDs will come up cheaper in the end
>>925392
do you have any experience in this?
I am pretty new to this field and am aware I still don't know 20% of this stuff, any help will be appreciated
>>925362
ballasts dont require starters man.. the ballast does everything. and ballasts can run up to 4 lamps at once. just make sure to get one that supports 4 LAMPS. YES THEY ARE LAMPS NOT BULBS. FLUORESCENT LAMPS. and you would need 1 ballast per 4 LAMPS.
so you will need the LAMPS, ballasts, sockets for the LAMPS and wire to extend the ballast wiring to the LAMP sockets.
by the time you DIY all this crap you might as well buy some of those 8 foot commercial fixtures, or find a building thats closing down and selling everything and see if they will sell the fixtures.
>>925362
The fixtures are what they are because balasts are expensive. You need a large capacitive charge to ignite the lamps. The balasts also do some balancing on the input voltage since unbalaned signal will drift the mercury in them to one side.
If you want to, you can buy the individual balasts and the bulb mounts to wire to them. Then you can build a frame to hold all that stuff.
Ideally search for basic shop lights at hardware stores. Everything is wired up already, they're mass produced so they are probable cheaper than you could get a single balast for.
My work shop I built has a bunch of these for my lighting.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_420865-43921-MXL-101___?productId=4013481&pl=1&Ntt=utilitech+linear+shop+light
>>925362
I'm no plantfag but I've seen special plant lamps in hardware stores that emit a very specific and narrow wavelength of light that seems almost purple/ultraviolet to human eyeballs. I guess its got what plants crave - meaning regular white bulbs won't do pretty much shit except make the room temperature rise along with your electricity bills.
Plant bulbs are shittons more expensive tho.
What I do know about is electronics and this guy >>925532 knows whats up.
>>925547
That is blue+red leds.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/5M-300LEDS-5050-Strip-Plant-Grow-Light-Red-Blue-5-1-Aquarium-Hydroponic-flower-/252220715913?var=&hash=item3ab986b389:m:mKeGj2d79xJlOVMZaHjieMA
13aud for 5m. In a large grow setup, you can use one hid lamp for like 4m^2 easily. But I imagine you want strip lighting for making a very compact verticle setup.
>>925394
It's just basically a flood drain setup. The plants dip into water at the bottom of the wheel. Very slowly. Enough to keep all the roots wet.
>>925396
I have experimented with aeroponics and have 100w red and blue light units. Good for rapidly growing seedlings. Low heat generated means I can really photosynthesis compared with a hid for example. But depending on what you're growing, lettuce is fine for one light source. Or if you don't need it to flower. Flowering plants need a red shift in their light spectral intensity. So more red to trick them into believing it is summer and flower.
