# Rikko's DIY T5 strip (with pics)



## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Very cool, thanks for sharing! I am about to do a similar switcheroo, a WH7 driving 54W T8 bulbs. Still waiting for the reflectors to come in, for some unknown reason UPS ships them all over the place instead of to me :icon_roll 

Does the WH7 really get hot? I wouldn't have expected that, especially with 28W (?) bulbs. I am planning to mount mine outside of the canopy, in the back (invisible).

I used to be a firm believer that 1 Watt fluorescent light = 1 Watt fluorescent light, boy was I wrong. I will replace all of my T8's except for one pink "grow light" (Florasun) with T5's, it is a big difference.

I wonder if I could drive both T5 and T8 bulbs from the same ballast... have to try that.


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## Rikko (Jan 24, 2004)

Wasserpest said:


> Does the WH7 really get hot? I wouldn't have expected that, especially with 28W (?) bulbs. I am planning to mount mine outside of the canopy, in the back (invisible).


 It gets pretty hot. For interest's sake, I'm going to drop a jar of water on top of it and check the temperature in a few hours.. We shall see how hot it really is. If you left your hand sitting on there for a while you could certainly burn yourself (a bit), but it's certainly not going to do too much damage. If you mount it on a piece of metal and just let it breathe a bit (ie. don't trap it inside a sealed hobby box) you have nothing to worry about.



Wasserpest said:


> I used to be a firm believer that 1 Watt fluorescent light = 1 Watt fluorescent light, boy was I wrong. I will replace all of my T8's except for one pink "grow light" (Florasun) with T5's, it is a big difference.
> 
> I wonder if I could drive both T5 and T8 bulbs from the same ballast... have to try that.


 I was sold on T5 the second I dropped an unreflected T5 fixture beside an unreflected T12 fixture in the store. One tube each and you can see plainly how much more light is coming from the T5. With decent reflection it's that much better.

I see no reason why you can't drive both types of bulbs. In essense, you're running 4 separate 54W ballasts so you ought to be able to run any combo you like. I know some people caution you not to mix bulbs in a ballast but I've yet to see them back it up. Perhaps the higher wattage bulbs will simply wear out the ballast quicker than the smaller?
I tested mine with a 4' T5 and a 1' T5 when I first got the ballast and was playing - worked fine.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

I am currently using a 4x 32W electronic ballast, and even when connected to four T8 32W bulbs, it gets only warm, no problems touching it. One thinks that with T5 technology being more advanced and efficient, the ballast would not get that hot... 

What made you choose 28W pairs instead of single 54W HO per fixture?

Here an article that "sheds some light"

http://www.lightsearch.com/lightnow/technology_T5.htm


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## Rikko (Jan 24, 2004)

I avoided HO/VHO namely due to heat. I'm really not a fan (no pun intended) of having to deal with excess heat from bulbs and ballasts. That said, I may play with some small T5 HOs for my mini reef.
Well, that and because we had the salesmen for the NO T5s come in the door and I get them close to wholesale. 
He's now said they're going to be selling HO T5s (probably actinics and 6400K again) so I'll give that a shot in my reef.

As for ODNO - tried it. It's not worth it (on T5s anyway). I ran 2 bulbs side by side. One was NO and the other VHO (three leads on it).. The light increase was marginal (not even double), and the heat increase was .. well obvious. 

Thanks for the link.


Oh, and an update on the heat measurement.. I wasn't able to get a proper reading of the ballast temp, but approximating I would probably say it runs around 50C. Well within the acceptable range but perhaps warmer than you'd want stuffed inside an unventilated hobby box.


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## ashwinr (Nov 6, 2010)

Hey why can't I see the images?


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Hey maybe because you are looking at a seven year old thread.


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## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

Hey, be nice! It's only 6 1/2 years old!


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## chad320 (Mar 7, 2010)

Lol. Real nice.


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## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

I have changed bulbs in T5HO lights while the fixture was turned on. It isn't very comfortable, but you don't actually get physically burned. I'd equate it to very hot dishwater.


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