250W Giesemann light Repair?

[navychief]

Hi, folks. Before I get into the details, I want to ask if this is a good place for starting a thread?

Problem:

Infiniti 250W HQI w/ four 24" T5s - $890 light I cannot toss!!!

Ballast seems to not be pushing the lamp completely?
Ballast (if bad) is no longer available. How to build a new ballast system?

If this is a good place to discuss, I'll hunker down and begin. If there is another thread I might have overlooked, please let me know.

Chief

 

[oreo57]

Hi, folks. Before I get into the details, I want to ask if this is a good place for starting a thread?

Problem:

Infiniti 250W HQI w/ four 24" T5s - $890 light I cannot toss!!!

Ballast seems to not be pushing the lamp completely?
Ballast (if bad) is no longer available. How to build a new ballast system?

If this is a good place to discuss, I'll hunker down and begin. If there is another thread I might have overlooked, please let me know.

Chief

Which ballast?

 

[moondoggy4]

How many ballast?

 

[victornguyen]

its eaiser to buy a new ballast. I had to all of them in the last few years.

 

[victornguyen]

email coralvue.com customer support. they can help you to rewire a new ballast.

 

[navychief]

Which ballast?

It's a single, sealed unit. I was hoping to troubleshoot it, but it's full of sealent compound.

 

[navychief]

email coralvue.com customer support. they can help you to rewire a new ballast.

I will give that a try. I bought a transformer for the HQI and two ballasts for the 4 T5s. Just have to figure out the proper wiring/circuitry.

 

[moondoggy4]

Can you take a picture of the ballast?

 

[navychief]

If additional pictures are needed, I can provide.

Thank you!

 

[oreo57]

If additional pictures are needed, I can provide.

Thank you!

Dang that thing is ugly...

 

[navychief]

Dang that thing is ugly...

Yeah. So much for determining which component needs replaced, let alone trying to removed it..

 

[navychief]

Light intensity

Light intensity

Although the light does work, it appears to me that the ballast isn't pushing the 14K 250W bulb to its full potential. Is this possible, or do ballasts simply stop working? I do not own a PAR meter, so I have no real way to determine the intensity.

I have been using a Radion LED light over my tank for a couple years, but wanted to go back to the giesemann since it seemed to work very well my corals.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Any way to use a ballast remotely?

 

[oreo57]

Although the light does work, it appears to me that the ballast isn't pushing the 14K 250W bulb to its full potential. Is this possible, or do ballasts simply stop working? I do not own a PAR meter, so I have no real way to determine the intensity.

I have been using a Radion LED light over my tank for a couple years, but wanted to go back to the giesemann since it seemed to work very well my corals.

Not an electronics guru especially w/ "old" tech.
My go to guess is some or one of those large electrolytic capacitors is dead or weak..
Unless someone comes up w/ a better solution.. best thing would be to rip it down to just wires and sockets.

Ballast looks to be some hybrid between magnetic and electronic..
And the proof is here.
Maybe resurrect this thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1328106&page=6

see post 132

Seems that was some "fancy" tech back in the day..
Still leaning to gut and replace..

UNlike I said should be fairly straight forward to just plug a new ballast in..
This whole "compatibility" thing is why I "favor" LED's.. everywhere..
https://www.*********.com/threads/which-250w-hqi-ballasts-for-a-geissman-infinity.199089/

 

[navychief]

Any way to use a ballast remotely?

Not understanding the "remotely" question.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Remotely meaning a power brick outside the unit like most of the LED lighting these days.

 

[tacocat]

Did the ballast not fire up the HQI and T-5’s? The Giesemann ballast looks like an electronic rather than magnetic ballast. Wiring up a new Coralvue ballast is your best bet. Trace the old wires to the new ballasts.

 

[navychief]

Did the ballast not fire up the HQI and T-5's? The Giesemann ballast looks like an electronic rather than magnetic ballast. Wiring up a new Coralvue ballast is your best bet. Trace the old wires to the new ballasts.

It does, but it has this very lite flicker with the HQI. It doesn't seem as bright as before, and the ballast is cool as a cucumber. The ballast always ran pretty hot.

 

[navychief]

new components....I hope

new components....I hope

So here are a few pictures (transformer first) of the components I picked up at my local electrical/lighting store. One magnetic transformer w/capacitor and wiring diagram to drive the HQI. Two ballasts for the 4 T5s that i need to drive. Anyone have any comments/suggestions? WIll this work although it's not an electronic ballast like what came with the fixture?

 

[navychief]

new components, continued

new components, continued

Here is the two ballasts for the T5s plus the transformer wiring diagram...

All help appreciated.