Reef nutrition

Can anyone track down an m81 (150w) ignitor for me?

S

sfsuphysics

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Not asking for a handout, but I like to have options on where to buy things sometimes, if anything to see if the price is fair. Anyways looking for an m81 ignitor (for a 150w HQI magnetic ballast), only place I found one was hellolights @ $45. Tried googling but get all sorts of strange military references!
 
Locally I have a place called Riverside lighting that I can get those at. I know the City has a couple great electrical/lighting supply houses, I'm just not sure of the names.

Have you tried McMaster Carr?
 
High-Pressure Sodium Starters
14595K48 and K49

Also known as ballast ignitors, these starters work with high-pressure sodium bulb ballasts to quickly and effectively start the bulb. Furnished with mounting clamps.
Max.
Mounting ANSI
Distance Ballast
Watts from Ballast Number Lg. x Dia. Each
35-150 2 ft. S76-S55 2 1/8" x 1 1/4"
14595K48 $43.98
150-400 2 ft. S56-S51 2 1/2" x 1 1/4"
14595K49 43.98
1000 5 ft. S52 4 3/4" x 2 5/32" x 1 5/16"
14595K52‡ 58.68
‡Oval shape; dimensions are Lg. x Wd. x Dp.
Click to expand...

McMaster.com page 678 of the catalog. I know they say HPS, but see iof the ANSI codes look right to you.
 
Lets see, going by the specs on my "bad" one...

MH/HPS/PAR/COM Min Ignition(V):190
Un(V): 220-240 Out(W) 35-250
In(A): MAX 2.5 Fn(Hz): 50/60

Eitherway looking at that McMaster's one, it's hard to tell, since the ANSI code is for a sodium bulb, and at that price I might as well get the hellolights one that I know will work. But I do appreciate the help Gresham.

I tracked one possibility down from another place online for $17, says it's for 35-150w MH bulbs, however I sent off an email asking for specs on it, since there are two separate types of 150W ballasts, M81 (HQI/DE types) and M102 (screw in socket, I'm guessing different ignition)

Eileen, hmm didn't think of that, I always assumed they were simply some sort of store that only dealt with the wanna-be electrician (you know the guys who have a pickup truck, think that qualifies them as contractors for the home).

I popped open the bad one to see if it's simply a bad capacitor or something I could diagnose, but the whole damn thing is encased in resin... lil' bastards don't want to let their secrets go!
 
Mike
Try Pacific garden supply they repair ballasts. I remember them stating that. If you can wait till monday I can ask the electrician at work where they get their parts for Mag ballasts.
 
Hey Bryan,

I have a dual 150w DE magnetic ballast from an Odyssea light that probably has the part you want. Both ballasts work fine so you could just use it as it is or harvest it for parts.
 
Bryan?? *looks around*

But yeah? I don't want to cannibalize your ballast or anything. But if you're offering, I would love to try it out.

/
 
OK, that's what I get for trying to Reef at work. Sorry Mike. I'm not planning on using the ballast for anything. I was hoping to sell it in the future, but I'll be happy knowing it helped you. No richer, but happy. ;) I'll go open it up and make sure it has the part you want.
 
Hey Mike,
I cracked open the case and it looks like this is a M137 ballast. I know it fired two DE 150w bulbs in the fixture it came from, but I don't think it has the same ignitor in it as an M81. Sorry to get your hopes up.
Matt
 
Ahh, interesting, m137 is a 175w ballast, very strange how those odyssea chaps throw their lighting together, heard about their 250w only drawing 170w, which makes me worried about how cheap those parts really are.

No worries on my hopes, I'll just mope around feeling depressed for myself, and today is my birthday too :(
:D

No biggy though, I don't have the free time yet to set up the system for another few weeks. so I'll just end up ordering one online.
 
Hey Mike is that for the fixture you got from me? I think there was a spare ignitor with the ballast.. IF thats the part you need Lapsan had told me where he got them from but I don't remember where.. You might try hitting him up...
 
Yeah that's the same fixture, it wasn't a spare ignitor that was with it, but a spare capacitor. I managed to figure out it was not a capacitor issue because I swapped ignitors around and the other bulb fired.
 
Hey Mike if you see this I have another 150w de magnetic ballast just sitting here at the house.. It;s off of one of those coralife knockoff pendants.. I changed it out to an icecap ballast.. The mag ballasts still work and it has its own housing... Shoot me an email if you want to try it out...

fishnfst598@yahoo.com
 
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