# HI Everyone / DIY Shop Lights



## DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR (Apr 25, 2008)

sure you can. 
one issue is that normal shoplights almost all use magnetic ballasts, and it may not be a good idea to use one with bulbs other than what is designed for. 

the good news is that electronic ballasts can safely run tubes other than specified, for example i have a sylvania quictronic 4x32t8 designed to run 4 48" tubes at 32 watts; running 2 24" tubes at a 4x overdrive. it can be done, if youre confident in your ability to mess with electrical stuff. 

you can buy the cheapest shoplight, rob it for the endcaps, then mount the 36" bulbs in your canopy and wire the endcaps to an electronic ballast, an advance REL4x32t8 or the sylvania equivelant will do the job.

this is a good read with wiring diagrams and info that would be useful while messing with ballasts and lights. http://www.geocities.com/teeley2/overdrv1.html


----------



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

You can also use 24 inch long bulbs, staggered to get light to both ends. The middle one foot of tank length would get the most light, but the ends would still be well lighted. Four 24 inch T12 bulbs would be 4 X 20 watts, or 80 watts. That would give low light intensity for a 40 gallon tank - I don't know what size yours is. There are some real cheap 24 inch single and double tube lights available, mostly made for under counter installations.

I did something like this for a 29 gallon tank, using 3 x 24 inch bulbs. My problem was that when I got done I had spent about the cost of a AH Supply light kit, but for much less light. I purchased an electronic ballast for mine, which drove up the cost quite a bit.


----------



## [email protected] (Jul 17, 2008)

Any of the shop light style fixtures I've seen recently are from China and all had electronic ballasts. That's the good news. The bad news is that they all had electronic ballasts from China and were designed to sell at bottom dollar to cheap so and sos like you and me. In general that means no warranty. So, I buy mine from a store that has some sort of return policy. Cutting the fixture voids the warranty anyway. 

That said, purchase a 4 foot shop light that specifies it will run T8 bulbs. That will guarantee you an electronic ballast. Open it up and assemble loosely with your chosen 36" bulbs/tubes. If they work well, you can proceed to cutting it down to fit. 

Using tin snips cut off about four inches from one end of the box and the reflector. Using that end as a template, trace out what goes where and carefully cut the remainder to the correct length - notching as needed. A Dremel type tool makes this part easier patience can substitute for tools. Re-assemble and use 36 inch tubes. 

When you are ready for more light, repeat the process. When you can afford better light, you can simply upgrade the ballasts for a start. The next upgrade will cost a lot more, but you'll be ready for it by then.


----------



## DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR (Apr 25, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> purchase a 4 foot shop light that specifies it will run T8 bulbs. That will guarantee you an electronic ballast.


No it doesnt. 
very few shoplights will have electronic ballasts inside.
even when made for t8 tubes.

most are magnetic. some of the >30 $ fixtures will say that they do have electronic ballast.

but most of the cheap ones wont and you would be lucky to find one that did.
i bought 2 from home depot that are made for t8's, ballats were magnetic.


----------



## lilsuper2335 (Nov 13, 2008)

robert18 said:


> Hello to all,
> 
> I'm glad I found this place as I have been doing alot of research on planted tanks, I have a 65 gal community tank and have been in the hobby for about 3 years, on and off due to moving with the military.
> 
> ...


i just bought a shop light from home depot to replace my single setup...they come as one solid peice but if you cut and make smaller and bolt the two peices together i know it would work nicely just make sure you put the bulbs in it when you put the two peices together so that way you get an accurate measurement


----------



## airborne_r6 (May 2, 2008)

DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR said:


> No it doesnt.
> very few shoplights will have electronic ballasts inside.
> even when made for t8 tubes.
> 
> ...


What about this one:
Commercial Electric 4 Ft. Shop Light With Electronic Ballast $8.53


----------



## [email protected] (Jul 17, 2008)

*Shop lights, T8 vs T12 and the law*

Perhaps the retailers in Michigan are doing a better job of keeping up with the times. Starting in September 2000 magnetic or coil ballasts were banned (by the DOE) for T12 fixtures. They could still be used for T8 fixtures. As of July 2009 All normal - coil or magnetic ballasts are banned for US sales. 

My guess, and that's all it can be since we're 2/3s of a continent apart, is that the stores in CA are selling older stock, or special order stock. All of the ballasts I've seen in flourescent fixtures (the inside of, not just the box) recently are electronic. Even the standard 18" under counter strip lights have had electronic ballasts - in Michigan - for some time. What we don't have anymore are $7.00 shop lights. The going rate for a shop light fixture here is $15.00 and up. 

As always, your mileage may vary. 

Don




DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR said:


> No it doesnt.
> very few shoplights will have electronic ballasts inside.
> even when made for t8 tubes.
> 
> ...


----------



## bpimm (Aug 2, 2007)

Here is a link to a build where I did the same thing only I made an 18" out of a 48".

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ts/47348-upgrading-light-eclipse-12-hood.html


----------



## lilsuper2335 (Nov 13, 2008)

DiscusIt'sWhats4DinneR said:


> No it doesnt.
> very few shoplights will have electronic ballasts inside.
> even when made for t8 tubes.
> 
> ...


 all the shop lights that i seen at home depot had ballast but they were for t12 setup but i found out that any light smaller than 12 such as 8 or 5's would work on a t12 cuz it takes less to run them and more for t12 so thats what i bought and mine work great...you have to buy a pigtail to wire it up and plug it in the wall also just wire a switch on the neg side and you will be golden


----------



## robert18 (Nov 17, 2008)

Wow, 

Thanks for all the good replies, It seem all I have to do now is go and see if they sell shop lights here with electronic ballasts or not, I think they do b/c the shop lights are all around 15 20 dollars. 

Well I'm going on vacation this week, so I will look when I get back and by then I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions and more crazy ideas for trying DIY. 

Thanks and I'll be back.


----------



## helgymatt (Dec 7, 2007)

Every T8 fixture I have seen has electronic ballasts in them....Most run about $15.00 I DIY a 48" shop light fixture with two T8 bulbs. I took out the stock ballast and installed an electronic ballast designed to run 4 32 watt T8 bulbs. It is called 2x ODNO (overdrive normal output). You can do 3X, or 4x ODNO as well, but this will shorten your bulb life more than 2x ODNO. It worked well! Do a search for ODNO and you will find lots of threads that show you how to wire it up. Fairly simple. Just don't burn your house down!

Here is one link... http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-tank-faq/175-cheap-lighting-odno.html


----------

