240V MH on 120V Power

[Scrog]

Hey guys,

I came into a lot of MH ballasts but unfortunatly they are all 240V. I have already bought a 400W MH bulb and would love to use it in a veg. cabnet but I am not sure if I will be able to get this to work on a residential power outlet.

Does anyone know if this can be hacked to a 120V line or if there are converters constructable or i could buy to aid me?

Thanks

 

[Growdude]

Hey guys,

I came into a lot of MH ballasts but unfortunatly they are all 240V. I have already bought a 400W MH bulb and would love to use it in a veg. cabnet but I am not sure if I will be able to get this to work on a residential power outlet.

Does anyone know if this can be hacked to a 120V line or if there are converters constructable or i could buy to aid me?

Thanks

Have you opened them up to see if your ballast is multitap?
Are there unused wires on your ballast?

 

[Scrog]

I've cracked one open earlier. wasn't sure wha tto look for so closed it up.

I'll check it out again and even get some pics. They're pretty old and dirty but should work on 240V.

 

[Scrog]

Found a few resources... something like
http://www.quick220.com/220_volt.htm

but its not too cheap. > $100

 

[mendo local]

Sounds dangerous, be careful. 220 is 220 for a reason. Either way, good luck to ya!

 

[Growdude]

I've cracked one open earlier. wasn't sure wha tto look for so closed it up.

I'll check it out again and even get some pics. They're pretty old and dirty but should work on 240V.

Just look inside for any unused wires, if you have unused wires your ballast is multi tap and there would be no need for that converter.

 

[MJ20]

^^I agree.That converter alone is almost the price of a balast

 

[Scrog]

That 220 converter is for 110/120 to 220/240. I checked the specs and SHOULD do what i needed. But it is certified to go much higher than I'd need. 20A and 4400W is way more than I'd need. A weaker commercial one would rock over seemingly industrial.


What is this "double tap" you speak of? I'll crak my ballast's open tonight and get a bunch of pics.