Ive read some about magnetic ballast combos and adding caps for the 575 hmi. Will this electronic work? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=360078493110

I guess I should ask the seller if the ballast has a ignitor (it is usually built in right?).

Do electronic ballasts output only 1 voltage? Or do they output many voltages... I just want to make sure the voltage is right. I can always add an ignitor into the circuit later.

You'll have to do some research. Here are some starting places:

Ballast Facts, Faqs And Links, A guide to everything ballast related

All you wanted to know about MH Lamps, Metal Halide Lamp Q&A

eballasts are a different animal from coil&core ballasts and I can't say off the top of my head just what you might get away with in terms of lamps for that ballast you reference above but I'd guess it's incompatible with a 575.

If you must have an e-ballast, the most economical path would be to salvage a 575w overhead projector (Dukane models 670, 680, 682, 3M 9850, and a few of the Elmo Solar Deluxe models although they apparently have a finicky ballast). Occasionally on ebay and craigslist, most under $100 recently, and as low as$35 plus shipping last week (although I think that was a fluke). Best of all you get some optics to play with too

Arizonavideo told me it would work, so i got it, and it works... to a point. After about a minute and thirty seconds, the bulb starts getting really bright, it flickers and goes out. A couple times it has stayed on for a long time, but it doesnt get to that really bright point (it is probably only at the brightness of a 400w and I have no choice whether to make it go higher or not. At the bright flickering point, I can here my fan (medium box fan) slow down. Maybe the bulb starts drawing to much current and the ballast shuts it off. Maybe it is getting too hot. There are 3 wires that go out. I tried using one of the live wires and the ground, the bulb lit, but went out within seconds.

Maybe this bulb won't work with it, maybe I need to tweak the ballast so it wont kick off when the bulb starts drawing more current, maybe it needs better cooling, maybe I need to use the ground wire in some way.

I don't have a multimeter, but may be able to borrow one from a friend.

Would picture of my setup help?

jimbo12d,
did you ever get that 575watt bulb to work with the 600watt e-ballast ?

No, I sold it. It was a cheap chinese 600w ballast. It had an undervolt cut-off. I think a lumatek would do the trick. There is also a 575 watt coil ballast that is sold on some website for just over $100. Venture's M178.

Recently I have been trying to "overdrive" an s51 ballast and was successful for some time. But, I'm still working out the kinks. Cost me about $70 to get the s51 "working", now i wish i had just bought a lumatek (I lost money when I sold the 600w eballast).

http://www.goodmart.com/products/1000269.htm

I asked AZ about that m178 a few months back and he felt a 600watt S106 with a new cap to lower it to 550-575watt would be a better match than the m178. He said the m178 is made for a 135v lamp so it's a bigger mismatch than the 600watt S106 when used with the 575watt lamp.

I give you credit for trying the 600 watt Electronic ballast. Someone had to try


I think I said "It might work but....."

A 600 watt HPS lamp runs at 6A which is about the same current that a 575 runs at but the 600 watt HPS is a 110V lamp and the 575 is 95V. It looks like the electronic ballast you had got hot and started to shut down which is not too surprising with the load of a 575 lamp. I have had a lot of people ask about the 600 watt electronic ballast but I have always said maybe but...

The 600 watt coil ballast is proven for the 575 and so is a lot of other setups. Picking up a used 575 OHP is a good move if you don't have all the parts yet. You might get a good lamp, reflector, condenser lens and ballast. They sometimes sell for $100 to $125. You have to fan cool the ballast.

We watched Indiana Jones last night with the 1200 watt, twin ballast PJ on the 127" wide screen setup and it is still running good with the first lamp after 2 years.

I may never get to use my spare lamp!