# Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 18W @ Bulb



## Morepower! (Aug 3, 2008)

*Tweeking a "55W" Kit Ballast to get an extra 18W-102W @ Bulb*

After trying many different things to get more power from these "55W" automotive kits I found a *very *simple Mod that will net an extra 8.8W(15.09W with 1.19K resistor) @ the bulb. I can't beleive the hours I've spent soldering resistors here and there, then testing and re-testing when all I had to do was turn up the pot !!!! I played with the pot a while ago, before setting up the test equipment, but couldn't *see *a difference and just dismissed it. Anyway 1/4 turn clockwise is all it takes, but don't go any further than that or you will start going backwards as the pot dosn't seem to have a definate stop.


*New test results so far:*
Just pot mod.

0.58A AC @ Bulb
88.1V AC @ Bulb
= *51.09W*


*Updated results:*
With 1.19K Ohm resistor

0.64A AC @ Bulb
89.6V AC @ Bulb
= *57.34W*

*Original test results HERE*

.


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## Flashanator (Aug 3, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get 51W @ Bulb*

Cool!! :thumbsup:

Would there be significant life loss?? Ballast or bulb?


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## Morepower! (Aug 3, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 15W @ Bulb*



Flashanator 500mW said:


> Would there be significant life loss?? Ballast or bulb?


 
I really have no idea, anyone know if it would make much of a difference ?

On another note the pot resistance at it's lowest is 3.84K Ohms so I think i'll be able to get more out of it yet. If I can get 60W I think I should stop there ? I don't know how far I should try and push it.

EDIT: I have soldered a 1.19K Ohm resistor across the pot to give the lowest reading of 0.93K Ohms which is giving me 57.34W @ the bulb. I think i'm going to stop there as I don't know how much more the ballast will take. Besides i'm pretty happy with the results, I'm getting an extra 6,800Lux from the factory settings.


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## BVH (Aug 3, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 15W @ Bulb*

Good job, Morepower! Keep us updated on long-term results/life reduction good or bad.

Any thoughts as to whether the POT mod is the only difference between all the 35 watt kits and the 55 Watt kits on the market?


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## Flashanator (Aug 3, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 15W @ Bulb*

MorePower! thats amazing. Good work man Id be very happy with that wattage. And agree thats enough.

Lets hope they last long.:twothumbs


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## Patriot (Aug 3, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 15W @ Bulb*

You did it! That's really good news, especially given the fact that it's not a difficult mod. 

Thanks Morepower.


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## Morepower! (Aug 4, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 15W @ Bulb*

Hey, no problem guys. I'm always more than happy to share any results I get, both good and bad. That's what I like about Forums, just about anything is possible.

Now for the "how to". The resistor used is a 0.5W, 1.19K Ohm(measured on a meter as I'm too lazy to work out the colour bands). Soldering the resistor across the pot is a little difficult due to it's position and the small size of the soldering pads. I found the best way was to pre-solder the legs of the resistor, leaving a tiny blob right at the tip, then doing the same with the pot pads. You will need a fine tipped soldering iron and a steady hand, hold the leg on the pad and apply just enough heat to melt them together. Try to set it in the right position from the beginning as bending the legs later on can result in ripping the pad off the PCB. Once that is done turn the pot clockwise until you get a reading of 0.93K Ohms and your done, 57W @ the bulb. Also note that the ballast now pulls an extra 2 Amps @ 11.1V on the input. See pics below. 

As to whether this mod. will shorten the life of the ballast or bulb is yet undetermined, so perform it at your own risk I guess. It is my opinion that doing just the pot mod. alone should be fine if being used in a torch as the ballast dosn’t have to deal with the added heat it would normally be subjected to from being situated in the engine bay of a car.

I’ve decided to keep pushing my poor old, beat up ballast to 65W, if it will do it, then do some run time vs heat tests. I can’t believe it is still going, I’ve reduced resistance at many points throughout the circuitry, repaired broken tracks, gouged tracks, cracked a ceramic resistor and tore off a solder pad and repaired it !! My only concern is I have removed all the thermal rubber compound, at least I’m assuming it is to help with heat dissipation, from the ballast in order to see what makes it tick. BTW does anyone know what that stuff is ? And better still where I might be able to purchase some from ? I guess if it fails attempting 65W I’ll chalk it up to a casualty of bettering the hobby.

*The Pot*









*The resistor Mod*








*The test results*















*This Mod managed to double the start up current only*


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## Morepower! (Aug 4, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 15W @ Bulb*

I just found the ballast's limit. I,ve totally rung it's neck and I can't get anymore power out of it, I doubt even Scotty could get more out of it. 

With 243 Ohms across the pot I get the following:

90.0V AC @ Bulb
0.65A AC @ Bulb
= *58.5W*
Input current is 7.4A @ 11.1V DC
Making an extra 6,900Lux above factory settings.

I will do some runtime and temp. tests to see how it's now going to stand up to the punishment.


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## Flashanator (Aug 4, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 15W @ Bulb*

:devil:

I pray for long lasting performance...

So anyone care to take a bulb lumen guess at 58w output?

Doesn't the lumen/watt efficiency go thru the roof as you overdrive the bulb?

would it be near or over 6000lumens?


I really hope this setup lasts.


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## Morepower! (Aug 4, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 15W @ Bulb*



BVH said:


> Any thoughts as to whether the POT mod is the only difference between all the 35 watt kits and the 55 Watt kits on the market?


 
I was wondering the exact same thing, and knowing what I know now I'm thinking they might be the same ballast. Do you think the 35W and 55W bulbs are the same though ? If you think they are I'll buy a 35W kit and test it, but if not I don't really want to waste the money on the ballasts and not have the right size bulbs to go with them.

I've just finished doing some runtime/temp. tests at the max ouput level.

*@58.5W*

Start temp. 20⁰C

10 mins. 50⁰C
15 mins. 59⁰C
25 mins. 74⁰C
30 mins. 78⁰C
40 mins. 103⁰C

NOTE: The thermocouple was situated on the outer case at the point where the power transistors(or FETS ?) are mounted. After some searching I found a wide range of operating temps for transistors, from -65 ⁰C to +200 ⁰C. I don't really know what a "safe" operating temp. would be for this ballast but I am going to heatsink it when I get a chance.


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## scott.cr (Aug 4, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 15W @ Bulb*



Morepower! said:


> I found a wide range of operating temps for transistors, from -65 ⁰C to +200 ⁰C. I don't really know what a "safe" operating temp. would be for this ballast but I am going to heatsink it when I get a chance.



They are probably FETs. I work for a company that makes RF amplifiers (which of course means we use plenty of FETs) and we consider the upper continuous safety limit to be 70-75 °C. Sometimes we go to 85 °C on customer request.

From the pics, it looks like you can easily improve heatsinking on the FETs near the chassis wall by using a THIN layer of thermal paste and screwing the tabs to the chassis. For the FETs not immediately next to the chassis wall you will have to be more creative in your heatsinking.

If the FETs are bipolar these are not the most rugged technology so you should be careful not to overheat them. It doesn't take much to "defeat" a bipolar transistor.


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## Morepower! (Aug 5, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 15W @ Bulb*



scott.cr said:


> They are probably FETs. I work for a company that makes RF amplifiers (which of course means we use plenty of FETs) and we consider the upper continuous safety limit to be 70-75 °C. Sometimes we go to 85 °C on customer request.
> 
> From the pics, it looks like you can easily improve heatsinking on the FETs near the chassis wall by using a THIN layer of thermal paste and screwing the tabs to the chassis. For the FETs not immediately next to the chassis wall you will have to be more creative in your heatsinking.
> 
> If the FETs are bipolar these are not the most rugged technology so you should be careful not to overheat them. It doesn't take much to "defeat" a bipolar transistor.


 
Thanks for your input scott.cr. I've "defeated" many a transistor in my time :naughty:. The FETS that are putting out the most heat are the ones pointed out in the pic below. Whilst they are not screwed to the chassis they are covered in the black rubber compound and do have that silicone impregnated rubber mat behind them. Do you think that is good enough ? I hope so because screwing them to the chassis would be a real pain. I'll probe the rest of the FETS just to make sure they are within the safe heat limits.








I've just completed some runtime vs heat tests on a STD ballast and the pot mod only.

*STD ballast(42.29W)*

Starting Temp. 20˚C

10 mins. 34˚C
15 mins. 39˚C
40 mins. 54˚C
50 mins. 58˚C 


*Pot mod.(49.28W)*

Starting Temp. 25˚C

10 mins. 43˚C
15 mins. 49˚C
20 mins. 54˚C
30 mins. 62˚C
40 mins. 68˚C
50 mins. 72˚C
1 hour 75˚C
1.5 hours79˚C
2 hours 81˚C 



NOTE: All measurements were performed in "free air". Anyway you guys can draw your own conclusions on the info supplied as i'm just about done with all the boring testing(besides the wife is getting on my back) and am going to TEC cool my ballast and build it into a host so I can start blasting things with the new found extra power :devil:. If I have any failures or find out anything of significance i'll post it. Also if any of you guys give it a go please let us know how it went, good or bad.

*I'm thinking maybe this light ?*


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## liveforphysics (Aug 7, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 15W @ Bulb*

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Outstanding work! Very good to know that the lower current sensing resistors only change the start-up current levels.[/FONT]

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']My job involves finding cooling solutions for servers. My experience with TEC cooling for devices with this low of output has been very poor. Remember, your device is only requiring around 10w of energy to be removed. Sticking even a 10w TEC in the setup will mean a doubling the thermal energy generated by the device. Yes, it will be a bit higher grade energy (delta-T), so a sink can function a bit more efficiently, but you are also asking it to double or more than double the thermal load.[/FONT]

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Use acetone to prep the surface of the case, and thermal epoxy a thin computer heat sink onto the side of the case. Unless you are trying to operate the ballast in some very high temperature environment, this will be more than enough to reach thermal equilibrium at a safe temperature for the ballast.[/FONT]

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Great work! I'm going to perform this modification on the ballasts I use on my cars and motorcycles. I think I will run leads from that point out of the ballast, so I can have external variable control of the current through the bulb. Perhaps connecting to a DPDT relay with varied resistances to permit a high/low beam current changing function.[/FONT]

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Best Wishes,[/FONT]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']-Luke[/FONT]


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## liveforphysics (Aug 7, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 15W @ Bulb*

Outstanding work! Very good to know that the lower current sensing resistors only change the start-up current levels.

My job involves finding cooling solutions for servers. My experience with TEC cooling for devices with this low of output has been very poor. Remember, your device is only requiring around 10w of energy to be removed. Sticking even a 10w TEC in the setup will mean a doubling the thermal energy generated by the device. Yes, it will be a bit higher grade energy (delta-T), so a sink can function a bit more efficiently, but you are also asking it to double or more than double the thermal load.

Use acetone to prep the surface of the case, and thermal epoxy a thin computer heat sink onto the side of the case. Unless you are trying to operate the ballast in some very high temperature environment, this will be more than enough to reach thermal equilibrium at a safe temperature for the ballast.

Great work! I'm going to perform this modification on the ballasts I use on my cars and motorcycles. I think I will run leads from that point out of the ballast, so I can have external variable control of the current through the bulb. Perhaps connecting to a DPDT relay with varied resistances to permit a high/low beam current changing function.

Best Wishes,
-Luke


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## Morepower! (Aug 7, 2008)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 15W @ Bulb*



liveforphysics said:


> Outstanding work! Very good to know that the lower current sensing resistors only change the start-up current levels.
> 
> My job involves finding cooling solutions for servers. My experience with TEC cooling for devices with this low of output has been very poor. Remember, your device is only requiring around 10w of energy to be removed. Sticking even a 10w TEC in the setup will mean a doubling the thermal energy generated by the device. Yes, it will be a bit higher grade energy (delta-T), so a sink can function a bit more efficiently, but you are also asking it to double or more than double the thermal load.
> 
> ...


 
Hey Luke, thanks for the info on the TEC's. I've played around with them a little in the past, but am no expert. They most certainly produce alot of heat and sinking is a must. The one I mounted met with an unfortunate accident, but sounds like it wasn't going to do the job I needed it to. On your recomendations I will just use a heatsink, which I already had on order anyway. I have a white silicone compound that sets like silicone sealant, that is supposed to have good thermal properties, which i've used on some LED's. It's not an epoxy that i'm aware of, would it be good enough ?

Speaking of external pots, I just finished the following mod.














I was looking around on hidworld.com and got the idea for the external pot from there, there are some very interesting mods being done over there. Though most are being done with the OEM ballasts.

I removed the original pot, the resistor is 0.5W, 179 Ohms and Pot is 5k. At the highest resistance(5K Ohms) the ballast is doing 49.45W @ bulb, at the lowest(179 Ohms) I'm getting 60.86W(got my 60W !!!!). Good idea switching between resitances for high/low. Before I stick the ballast into a torch if you want any particular wattage levels @ bulb I will let you know what figures to use for resistance if you like. You might be able to work out it out from the figures already here but I don't know if it works out to be linear. Otherwise let me know ASAP as I'm hanging to fire it up in my last mod.

*EDIT: *I wouldn't attempt this mod. unless you are prepared to possibly destroy your ballast(s). I will be using mine on a regular basis from now on to see how it stands up to the punishment and will report any failures immediately here. But so far so good. Does anyone have any thoughts on what components would be most likely to fail, if any ?



.


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## Flashanator (Aug 8, 2008)

Your crazy MorePower!!!!!  60w

Would Love to know how many lumens.

I hope this 60w mod will be good for a show & tell light, not heavy use.

Would I need heatsink for running at 20mins runs in vector twin? Theres not much room in VT.


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## Morepower! (Aug 8, 2008)

I need some advice/thoughts on a couple of things.

1.) Can anyone see a problem with the way I hooked up the external pot ?

The reason I ask is since intalling the pot the bulb won't ignite unless the pot is turned up to full power, but works perfectly when It is and I can turn it up and down without a problem. The other thing, which is actually a good thing, is that at the lowest setting(49.45W) it is producing ALOT less heat now, 59°C @ 60 mins. compared to 75°C  @ 60 mins.(49.28W) from before the mod. This has me completely baffled and I'm wondering if I've done something wrong ?

2.) I'm assuming the pot is setting the "on" bias current to the FETS, if this is the case do you *think *itwould be a good idea to remove the 179 Ohm resistor and let the pot supply all the current available ?

EDIT: Flash I'd say it would be ok, but in reality your guess would be as good as mine at this stage.


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## Morepower! (Aug 11, 2008)

UPDATE: I did do something wrong when installing the external pot. I used a 1/2Watt resistor which was big enough to handle the "run" current but it seems not big enough to handle the "start up" surge. I removed the resistor all together and am running full power to the FETS. It now starts up at all power levels without a problem. It also netted an extra 2W, giving me a total output of 62.24W. 

My concern is not for the ballast anymore. Looking at the start up figures they put out ~140W every time they are turned on. Granted that this is only for a very short time but it shows that they are at least built to deliver alot more power than I am pushing them too. I'm hoping that by sinking away the extra heat generated I might be able to get some decent lifetime out of it at full power. If a heatsink is not practical then maybe sticking to an on/off cycle that would suit.

My main concern now is for the "55W" bulbs supplied. I took a close look at the bulb I have been using for testing and it appears at some point the pressure has been so high that the gas has pushed it's way past the glass seal around the bottom electrode  I could *try* and take a pic of this if anyone is interested. Since discovering this I have put some aluminium plate as a shield between myself and the bulb. So now I am thinking I need to go with a DL-50 fatboy(if I can get them), or maybe a GE 35/50W bulb ? It's starting to make sense to me why these ballasts are throttled back. I don't know what you guys think.


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## Flashanator (Aug 11, 2008)

if the bulbs explode, wonder if the glass or reflector will be damaged in a light?

I might start stocking up on these H7 bulbs then. For my mod the fatboys wouldn't fit, too long. its a tight fit


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## That_Guy (Aug 12, 2008)

Where did you buy these ballasts from?


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## Flashanator (Aug 12, 2008)

Hey Morepower! what total lux are you getting with 60-62w output?:naughty: Do yo measure from 1 metre away?

that_guy, irrc the orig ballast he over powered was from HIDworld.


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## Flashanator (Aug 12, 2008)

morepower! just had two more question if you could answer please.

1) At (62w output) what is the input wattage?

2) How long does that ~140w last for on start up? how long (secs) till it goes back to normal?


Just seeing if the 16awg wire @ 14.4v can take the load on start up. I assume it will as its rated at 22amp.

thanks.


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## Morepower! (Aug 12, 2008)

Flashanator 500mW said:


> morepower! just had two more question if you could answer please.
> 
> 1) At (62w output) what is the input wattage?
> 
> ...


 
The input current was 7.4A @ 11.1V @ ~62W but your really testing my memory for the 14.8V figure. I think it was 5.4A, I will double check that for you when I get home and put an edit at the bottom of this post if i'm wrong. 

Start up voltage I can't measure exactly due to the 23KV, but I did put the probe across it straight after that and got around 84V x 1.7A = 143W. It only lasts around 10-15 seconds(at best guess) untill the bulb comes up to temp. Your wire size will be fine. You just need to make sure your battery will handle the current draw, some have pretty low current polyswitches.

The last Lux measurements where taken from the bare bulb at a distance of 140mm. I havn't done a comparison at the higher power level.

@ That_Guy I bought THIS KIT. The service was great and the shipping was pretty quick.

.


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## Morepower! (Aug 15, 2008)

I finally killed the ballast. Though it was totally my own fault. I was trying to come up with a viable on/off cycle for full power(~62W) operation, while confined inside a light and without any modification to the ballast as far as heatsinking goes. Well, I forgot I had left it turned on and flattened a new, freshly charged, 10Ah 14.8V Lithium battery. So that means it ran without a break for ~2+hrs. The ballast got so hot it warped the PCB and melted solder !!! Lucky it didn't start a fire in my garage ! Anyway it looks like I have to start again, I already had ~60hrs up on that ballast at full power without a problem, except for the bulb ignition which was a problem that I caused. Fortunately I have 3 more to play with . However this time I am going to sink it to see what runtimes I can get that are within ~80C.


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## LuxLuthor (Aug 15, 2008)

Just saw this thread, after following your previous one. Thanks for all your investigations and sharing results with us. Very interesting info.


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## Flashanator (Aug 15, 2008)

Wow nice hrs on that ballast Morepower! I assume that wont happen to me as I wont let it get hot enough to melt solder


Ill be running 20min @ tops then let it cool off.


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## Morepower! (Sep 5, 2008)

Below is my latest achievement. Performing this mod however is a big job and requires a deep breath before taking to the ballast with a hacksaw !!

Anyway it will do ~60W @ the bulb continuously in a static test, using a PSU, for 60mins and only reaching a temp. of 61C which is well below the safe temp. level for the FETS. I will do a "how to" if anyone is interested.


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## Flashanator (Sep 5, 2008)

now that is impressive


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## bfg9000 (Sep 5, 2008)

Morepower! said:


> I will do a "how to" if anyone is interested


 I think it's safe to say a bunch of us are interested


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## liveforphysics (Sep 5, 2008)

I would LOVE to see a write up! Also, I have 8 of the 35w version of this ballast. I'm really very curious to know if the "55w" version is simply a 35w version with that pot turned up, or if you have any idea if its a different design.

I ask because I'm going to be switching my coral reef aquarium over from using 4x 150w MH bulbs, 12x 54w T5HO, and 36 x cree XR-E blue emmiters to a setup that uses banks of automotive HID projection lens setups to enable me to mount my lights much higher above the tank to improve cooling and asthetics. I would love to modifiy them to adjust power levels in stages to better simulate the dawn to dusk light transition.


Thanks for sharing your great research and work on this very commonly available ballast!

Best Wishes,
-Luke


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## Flashanator (Sep 5, 2008)

MOREPOWER IS KING!!!!!!! 


those 60w output ballasts in my VT are friggen smoking tree lines 500meters away. Its amazing what that extra diff does. ITS NUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


NOW MY THOR X10 has been heavily dethrowned in (throw) by my VT . By a huge margin. And my Ti mega is a joke compared to my VT.


Ill post beamshots another night, as its a little hazzy & cloudy ATM.




Thanks MorePower :wave:

forgot to add, when i first fired it up & took the beast outside, being the Columbo of Flashlights. I noticed the huge difference straight away. I got a good sight for lumens. This mod is just jaw dropping.


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## Morepower! (Sep 5, 2008)

Flashanator 500mW said:


> Thanks MorePower :wave:


 
No problem Flash, glad to hear it is working so well. Now you can boast a genuine ~120W power house. It's just a shame that in that configuration it is limited to a runtime.

As far as the "how to" on the latest mod, you guys will have to bear with me as it will have to be a fairly extensive post. It also requires replacing the original FETS that comes with the ballast unless you have access to a Mill.

@ liveforphysics, first off I have to tell you I'm jealous of your aquarium set up. I've been trying to convince myself for a number of years now to go with a Marine aquarium. Also, knowing what you have in mind for the ballasts I did a continuous 2hr heat test for you.

Ambient = 19C
1.5hrs = 52C
1.75hrs = 53C
2hrs = 53C

Needless to say I am VERY happy with those figures, to make sure the thermocouple wasn't lying I made sure I was able to keep my finger on the heatsink for quite a while at the 2hr mark and did so without a problem, I found it wasn't possible at 61C. The first couple of tests I did and got 61C @ 1hr I had the ballast laying on it's side, in the test above it was standing upright. To explain the differences in temp. the only thing I can think of is in the upright position the fins on the heatsink where able to take more advantage of convection ? I didn't, however, think it would have made that much difference !!


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## Morepower! (Sep 7, 2008)

Ok, here it is. Firstly cut out the part of the casing that the 2 FETS are up against(see pic below). It has to be done with the PCB in place as it is just too difficult to remove it IMO. I didn't cut all the way through, but very close, then just broke the piece out with pliers. Obviously great care needs to be taken not to cut into the PCB, also blow out any alluminium dust from the circuit when your finished.







There are 2 ways to go from here, 1 is to cut the FETS out and replace them with some new ones as the legs arn't long enough to be able to attach them to the heatstink. The second is to remove some of the material of base plate of the heatstink with a mill, either side of the gap, so it will sit down into it allowing for proper attachment of the original FETS. If you opt for buying new ones you will need to match up their values as best you can. Here are the links for the specs of the original FETS, Q3 and Q1. Though it would pay to check the numbers on the FETS that came with your ballast just incase they changed something at some point. With the second option you will also have to overcome the problems that might arise when trying to refit the case cover, also I don't know how much it would affect the heatsink's performance. BTW the base plate of the heatsink I used is 1/4" or 6mm thick, so it's pretty heavy duty.


*The Gap*








Before cutting the FETS out, if you choose this option(which I did), take all measurements for drilling the holes in the heatsink. You will have to drill(I recomend using a drill-press so when the bit breaks through you don't destroy the components on the other side) and tap 2 holes to attach the heatsink to the ballast casing as one of the holes has to be a blind hole, so a nut and bolt is not possible. You may however be able to adhere the heatsink, instead of bolting it, with some of that silicone heat type paste that sets like silicone sealant. But if you want to remove the sink later it could be a problem. I used a nut and bolt and a TO-220 heatsink kit(has insulating washers/bushes) to secure the FETS to the heatsink. I didn't use the heat pads that came with the kit, I just used heatpaste. The pads may be better, I don't know.

*Heatsink drilled, casing drilled, tapped and filed flat*






Once that is done and everything bolts together the way it should, loosely bolt the FETS to the heatsink(no paste at this stage), bend and put the legs through the holes in the PCB, bolt the heatsink to the casing and solder them in place on the backside of the PCB. All anti-static and proper soldering techniques need to be used, obviously. Once they have cooled down remove the heatsink and solder them to the topside of the PCB and that part is done. I used heat paste between the FETS and between the heatsink and ballast casing.

The next thing you need to do is solder 3 or 4 0.1Ohm resistors accross the resistor bank as pictured below(BTW that is your ballast below Flash). This is to stop the existing resistors from getting too hot.

*0.1Ohm resistor bank*








And that is pretty much it. I think the info above is pretty clear, but if your not sure about something just ask. Have fun !!!!


.


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## Patriot (Sep 7, 2008)

Great post and pics *Morepower*! Very detailed. 

Thanks


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## Morepower! (Sep 7, 2008)

Thanks Patriot36, and no problem.

I knew I would forget something.

You will also need to use heavier cable for the input power because the STD harness gets fairly warm if run for longer than say 30mins. The input "run power" is now 7 Amps @ 11.1V.



*Heavier harness cable* 









*What the finished mod should look like*








.


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## Flashanator (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi Morepower!

As you mention the high current for my input cables. At 14.8v do you think I should bother doing something about it?

thanks.


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## Morepower! (Sep 7, 2008)

Flashanator 500mW said:


> Hi Morepower!
> 
> As you mention the high current for my input cables. At 14.8v do you think I should bother doing something about it?
> 
> thanks.


 
The ballast is very well regulated so voltage dosn't make any difference, the input power(Watts) will be the same. I wouldn't worry about using heavier wire in your situation as you won't be running them for long enough. The power figures on the back of your ballasts were achieved with the STD wiring harness.


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## SafetyBob (Sep 7, 2008)

Thanks so much for posting all the stuff to do this. This will be on the project list for sure. 

Did you use the same bulbs that came with the kit or something else? 

Bob E.


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## Morepower! (Sep 8, 2008)

For any Aussies considering this Mod. the links below are for the heatsink, resistors and FETS I used. Note that the heatsink needs to be cut in half, so it will do 2 ballasts.

HEATSINK

Q3 FET from RS Components

Q1 FET from RS Components

0.1Ohm resistors from RS Components

And just for fun a pic of a test that went wrong. I thought the hook up wire I had would be good enough for a quick test to see if the new FETS were going to work correctly. The lamp lit, just started to ramp up then there was much smoke which resulted in a mad scramble for the off switch on the PSU. 

*FAIL, LOL !!!*








*Important Note: *The cheap bulbs that come with the ballasts are not designed to handle anywhere near the ~60W this mod will deliver. While I have not had one fail yet I believe it is really only a matter of time. I would *NOT* be a happy camper if one of them failed catastrophically in one of my lights and damaged the reflector and/or lens. So if you are seriously thinking about performing this Mod. I strongly recommend you participate in the GB for the Fatboy DL-50 bulbs, more info on them HERE. I've put my hand up for 3 bulbs, and am considering going for 4. These bulbs are no longer made, so when stocks run out that's it.


.


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## Flashanator (Sep 8, 2008)

do you think the bulbs would really go  or just stop working?

i cant use fat boys on my vt, as there too long. the cheap h7 bulbs are already very close to the ballast. But ive stocked up on 4300K bulbs.



EDIT: morepower, when you posted...



> Making an extra 6,900Lux above factory settings.



what was the total lux? And does anyone think they can work the estimated bulb lumens of 60w output overdriven?

thanks. :thumbsup:


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## Morepower! (Sep 8, 2008)

Flashanator 500mW said:


> do you think the bulbs would really go  or just stop working?
> 
> i cant use fat boys on my vt, as there too long. the cheap h7 bulbs are already very close to the ballast. But ive stocked up on 4300K bulbs.
> 
> ...


 
You are really testing my memory here Flash, which is not good at the best of times. What I do remember is the Lux readings were taken at a distance of ~150mm from the bare bulb and the readings were in the 200,000 range. As far as the cheap bulbs blowing up, from what I've read the more you overdrive a bulb the higher the pressure is in the arc chamber. And I do remember someone saying they had one blow up on them. Hopefully someone more knowledgable will chime in and give some more info on this. I just know I'm not prepared to take the risk, and I think someone said you get more Lumens from the Fatboy ???


.


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## BVH (Sep 8, 2008)

Flash, I forget, is your "VT" a Vector 192?


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## XeRay (Sep 8, 2008)

Flashanator 500mW said:


> And does anyone think they can work the estimated bulb lumens of 60w output overdriven?
> 
> thanks. :thumbsup:


 
using quality ~4000K bulbs should get about 6000+ lumens with 60 watts to the bulb.


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## Morepower! (Sep 29, 2008)

I found a way to get even more power from these ballasts, 91.44W !!! The lowest setting on the pot now is 60W:twothumbs Input was 11.8A @ 11.1V. But *so far* it is not sustainable, it will run at that power level for about 6mins after which the square waves are no longer square. I don't know this for a fact, it is purely a guess based on the sound the ballast makes, at the 6min mark it starts to sound a bit off(dirty power ?). I've had no prior experience with ballasts of any type before this(I didn't even know what they did except that fluro's had them) but I did use to build HI-FI power amps as a hobby. If this was an amp I'd say it was starting to "clip" as I don't think the step-up transformer can supply enough power. If it wasn't a constant load I could just add more capacitance. I'm also wondering if some of the tracks on the PCB are big enough now. Does anyone have any idea what too hot is for a transformer ? I've seen some specs that vary wildly, from 65C(max) to 225C(max). Any help, ideas, thoughts, theories or flat out guesses would be much appreciated. Something is falling over I just don't know what yet.


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## Morepower! (Oct 18, 2008)

I've had a bit of time(first day off in 2 weeks) to play with the ballast's further. I have just cracked the 100W mark, 105.2W to be exact. It is still capable of more, when I gave the pot a quick spin to the highest setting I saw 12.7A @ 14.8V input, but quickly turned it back down. At 105W the input power is 14.8V @ 10A. I havn't done any run times at this power level but I have gotten 40mins, so far, runtime at ~92W by beefing up(jumping with heavy wire or thickening them with solder) some of the higher current tracks on the PCB. By doing this I was able to lower the temp. of the AC step up transformer, because one of the tracks that run under the trans. was heating up. Also I wired the transformer from the ballast I blew up in parallel with the existing trans. and got it to run cooler again. I solved the distortion problem which was as simple as increasing the input voltage from 11.1V to 14.8V. I like easy fixes. The circuit was just suffering from too low a voltage. The ballast pictured below, that I'm getting 105W out of, hasn't had the transformer mod yet, but I used some newer FETS with even higher current and voltage capabilities. The light being produced at this power level is totally insane !!! The pic is not even close to doing it justice(camera set to auto).



*Newest Modded Ballast(105W)*









*First Ballast with Transformer Mod.(92W)*








*First Ballast with Transformer Mod.(92W)*







.


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## Flashanator (Oct 19, 2008)

good lord man, can you plz make this for my Ti Mega, :naughty::naughty::naughty:

that would be insane.

I pay anything dude:laughing:


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## Morepower! (Oct 19, 2008)

HOLY CRAP !!!!! I made a mistake when I said I saw 12.7A when turning the pot up and back down quickly. After running it a bit more I turned the pot up slower and saw 20.7A !!! However at that level the nice, crisp tone of the ballast turned into something that can only be described as severe static. The light output was crazy. I was using a new 4300K bulb, one of the one's that came with the kit. I didn't want to risk my new Fatboys. I've got to say for cheap ballasts these are very robust. I'm very impressed so far, I will definately be ordering and building more of these for a few future projects I have in mind. Now I'm wondering whether the Fatboys are going to last.


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## Morepower! (Oct 19, 2008)

Flashanator said:


> good lord man, can you plz make this for my Ti Mega, :naughty::naughty::naughty:
> 
> that would be insane.
> 
> I pay anything dude:laughing:


 
You must have just snuck that post in before me. If I get time I will build one for you, but I have no idea when due to the lack of time I have to play at this time of year.


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## Flashanator (Oct 19, 2008)

fair enough,

I just go nuts over 90+w HID in my Ti Mega. Think of the godly throw? 

Morepower this Monday or Tuesday ill send you that housing.


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## Charon (Nov 9, 2008)

I have been following this thread for some time now, and I love the work you have been doing on the ballasts. 

I am now looking into duplicating your work on some of my ballasts and get my twin vector to another level. 

I think what would help is a summary of each mod and its benefit and or cons and perhaps any insight or thoughts on specific mod. I will try to put a list together just let me know if I miss anything



Turn the pot up: Extra 8.8W
.5W 1.19K resistor soldered to jump pot: 15.09 W with pot turned up
Jumping resistor bank with resistors: Increases startup current
External pot: control pot resistance outside the ballast
External Heat Sink: Help cool the FETs
Jump 3-4 .10 Ohm resistors to the resistor bank : prevent the existing resistors from getting too hot
Beef up high current tracks on PCB
Wire transformer in parallel with existing trans: cool trans down
Increase input voltage: Solves distortion problem
Let me know what I am missing or any thoughts on which combination of mods you are using on the current testbed. Are all of the mods being used at once right now ? Or are some of these dated and you would not recommend some of the earlier ones ?

Love the mod(s).


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## Morepower! (Nov 12, 2008)

Charon said:


> I have been following this thread for some time now, and I love the work you have been doing on the ballasts.





Charon said:


> I am now looking into duplicating your work on some of my ballasts and get my twin vector to another level.
> 
> I think what would help is a summary of each mod and its benefit and or cons and perhaps any insight or thoughts on specific mod. I will try to put a list together just let me know if I miss anything
> 
> ...



 
Hey Charon, you've pretty much got it down pat. And I'm glad someone is going to have a go, however I just hope you have the ballasts already as they seem to have changed them a little from the one's pictured in my post. Instead of having the other 4 FETS they now use a "stepping IC", and at this stage I don't know if it is a good thing or a bad thing. Also for now I wouldn't recommend going over 90-95W as I have damaged a two of the three ballasts I have modded by pushing them up to 190+W. Of course I am not surprised by that but the surprising thing was the damage didn't show up untill a couple of hours use later. There are a few other things you need to know that I havn't put up yet so when I get a chance(I'm really busy from now till Febuary) I'll add some more pics and explanation.


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## [email protected] (Nov 18, 2008)

*Morepower* just a quick question, these ballasts appear to be of a higher standard than those I encounter in Chinese HID kits... have you had to remove any thermal (rubbery/silicone) compound to conduct these modifications OR are the ballasts you choose simply laid out in a manner suitable for such tinkering?

I must say the ability to vary the output (and ultimately runtime) is more than appealing!


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## Morepower! (May 23, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> *Morepower* just a quick question, these ballasts appear to be of a higher standard than those I encounter in Chinese HID kits... have you had to remove any thermal (rubbery/silicone) compound to conduct these modifications OR are the ballasts you choose simply laid out in a manner suitable for such tinkering?
> 
> I must say the ability to vary the output (and ultimately runtime) is more than appealing!


 
The ones I buy do have potting mix but not much so the mods can be made without removing much, if any. I'm just starting to play around with the newer style ballasts from "HID World". So far I got 117W to the bulb but I doubt very much that will be sustainable at this point. I will be shooting for ~90W and see if it can be sustained. I'm also going to try actively cool them with a little 40mm fan. I'm hoping to have one up and running before our fishing trip 1-6-09. Just by turning up the pot you can get an extra 8-10W to the bulb.


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## Flashanator (May 24, 2009)

Go MP!!

Lets hope you get something around the 100w working...


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## Mettee (Aug 27, 2009)

any new updates morepower?


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## Isthereanybodyoutthere (Dec 1, 2009)

Ok the modding of the resistor bank with resistors:= Increases startup current

Did this result in a fast start up ,kind like the stanley ??

i want to mod a ballast ,not for more power ,only for faster start up 


ok ok maybe later i HAVE to try for more power


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## Illum (Dec 1, 2009)

ohh man, this thread deserves to be subscribed:thumbsup:


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## danjoo (Dec 8, 2009)

HI CPF

My first posting with some content. 

Please excuse my bad englisch,sorry.


I want to add this in this tread because is more or less the same ballast i think.

I also look to mod my HID Ballast to more power.

There are some things they look like this FETs maybe adjustable voltage regulaters. In there neigbourhood i check the resitors if they are the adjustors for the regulators. And with some luck i find them.

I post a pic for the cheap china 35 and the 55 Watt i Have.

All measurement are bevor the ballast, bulb power can be 80% from what i read in this forum.
Power is from 4s2p LiIon pack, luckily i harvest this cells for free, In my light they run with this cells. I now its overkill for this cell config. :thinking:
I try to put more cells into the light in parallel.

At the 55 watt ballast is the "Morepower Mod" allready includet in the "bevor" readings.
In the upper right corner of the 55 watt is some other modding done, not from me. Maybe anybody an idea, i buy this as new from ebay.


I did no runtime heat test or something else, in my light is active air cooling. The 55 watt runs without the covers to get air into the electronic.

Till now the stock china bulbs take this power.

Best regards

Daniel


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## Mettee (Dec 24, 2009)

I would like to get more info on the pot you guys are using here...I tried this mod with one I picked up. I chose a pot that was the best match to the "470R" since the one more power used in not mentioned in depth.

danjoo seems to be onto something with the resistor specifically in control of the FET's. I didnt pick up on that from what more power did in his mods.


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## danjoo (Dec 25, 2009)

I also dont know what exactly morepower is doing there.

This must be the original power setup pot.
Maybe after the production ther is a set pot needed to even out tolerances in the stock parts?


btw
till now i dont have seen all mods toghether, the second trafo, the morpower poti plus resistor mod, and my pink resistor mod.

I dont have a bulb to use this power.

But i look around to get one, and the next HID kit... :shrug:

to see how far we can drive this ballasts...


daniel


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## Mettee (Dec 26, 2009)

I attached my pot in two places that I tested and traced back to what I thought would be the right place....no power increase or decrease in any of the resistor location at any setting on the pot. I am not using the same ballast to let you know but I am pretty sure they all work the same. I think its the pot I am using, it may not be doing what it is supposed to. My electronics knowledge is rookie at best.


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## danjoo (Jan 4, 2010)

Try a different pot with lower resistance, if possible measure the pot you want to test.

if you add a 1mega ohm pot to a 1 ohm ressistor the komplete resistance is only very less decreased.


If you measure for example 3 ohm, try a 100 ohm pot.
Than you can set up in a proper range.

In my mods the current is low and the cheapest pot is good enought.


have fun

daniel


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## Morepower! (Mar 6, 2010)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 116.8W @ Bulb*

Hi Guys, it’s been a while, had alot of dramas, but I’m partially back for now. I have worked out how to mod the new style ballasts and have been getting 116.8W @ the bulb for 50mins straight without any problems so far, except for some bulb failures. It does however require active cooling via a 40mm (1 ½”) fan, but no big deal. It is capable of more but I have decided to throttle it back for now, though of course by nature I will have to push the envelope later as my goal is for ~150W that is sustainable. The problem I am having now though is the Chinese bulbs are only lasting for around 3 hours before the arc chamber starts to bulge out and the 1 Fat Boy I have tested with is slowly eating it’s self up (electrodes). The Fat Boys are also a little too yellow for me at that wattage. I’m saving them for some compact 80-90W throwers. The mod is a little different but it’s not too bad, when I get a chance (which could be a little while) I’ll do a “how to”.


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## Illum (Mar 6, 2010)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get an extra 116.8W @ Bulb*



Morepower! said:


> The problem I am having now though is the Chinese bulbs are only lasting for around 3 hours _*before the arc chamber starts to bulge out*_ and the 1 Fat Boy I have tested with is slowly eating it's self up (electrodes).



oo:

so they could exhibit an "non-passive end-of-life event" for a bulged lamp the next time its fired up? Got pics? I do not recall ever seeing such HID anomalies before:thinking:


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## joedm (Mar 7, 2010)

Awwwwww... C'mon. 
Still no pics? You know there's some of us eagrly awaiting mor details and pics...

You can't just say something like that and disappear...:shrug:


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## Morepower! (Mar 7, 2010)

.


*Here's one I prepared earlier*








It's not the bulb I was talking about but it virtually has the same bulge and I have 2 others just like it. As far as the "how to" it takes alot of time to take the pics and do the write up. Also I havn't worked out how to set up the cooling fan properly yet. joedm are you going to have a go at modding one yourself ?

P.S. Does anyone know how I can edit the original Thread title ?


.


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## joedm (Mar 7, 2010)

yup, have my ballast open, potting removed, ready to go....


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## Morepower! (Mar 7, 2010)

joedm said:


> yup, have my ballast open, potting removed, ready to go....


 

Do you have the old style or new style ballasts ?


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## joedm (Mar 7, 2010)

I know it's definitely not the old style, but then again doesn't look exactly like the new one either.


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## bshanahan14rulz (Mar 8, 2010)

Morepower, have you ever used Philips 35W burners? This is just hear-say on my part, but I hear that they actually burn cooler than china bulbs when overdriven. Obviously some fatboys would be best, but they can be too expensive if you are just experimenting. Be careful! One of my favorite threads here, I plan on finding some HiLuxTek ballasts soon to mod them to also have a "boost" mode for when I need it.


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## Mettee (Mar 9, 2010)

Glad to see you are back MorePower

I have not been able to get my ballest to do what yours does so for me some better detail would be awesome. I am obviously missing something.

Thread title is modded by clicking on "go advanced" once you click edit. It will let you do it there.


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## Morepower! (Mar 9, 2010)

Mettee said:


> Glad to see you are back MorePower
> 
> I have not been able to get my ballest to do what yours does so for me some better detail would be awesome. I am obviously missing something.
> 
> Thread title is modded by clicking on "go advanced" once you click edit. It will let you do it there.


 
Thanks I'll try that, I have done it once before but could not remember how I did it.

Perhaps you could tell me, or better still show me with pics, what you have done and I could help you from there. I'm assuming you have the old style ballast ?



.


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## Mettee (Mar 11, 2010)

I actually have a few different ones. The older ones I dont really care about. I got a few newer ones from DMM, let me get some pics up, my camera is busted(sony) and its at the service center...again.


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## Morepower! (Mar 12, 2010)

Well if you can believe it my camera has shat it'self also. So here is a drawing, please don't laugh as I just don't do drawings.








.


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## liteitup (Mar 12, 2010)

i have some 55 watt ballasts that the only way i can find to turn them up is with the current sensing resistors. This works however i wanted to make something adjustable and i cant find a pot anywhere on these ballasts... have you seen anything like this before morepower?


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## Mettee (Mar 12, 2010)

Ok that drawing gives me something to look at, I will see if I can match those points with what I have. I need to get the "correct" pot I think that is part of my problem. Can you link to one? I have no idea how to spec one.


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## Morepower! (Mar 12, 2010)

Mettee said:


> Ok that drawing gives me something to look at, I will see if I can match those points with what I have. I need to get the "correct" pot I think that is part of my problem. Can you link to one? I have no idea how to spec one.


 
I am using a 100K Pot. There is another part to the mod and you will also need 4 of these, but untill I get my camera back it is too hard to explain.


.


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## Mettee (Mar 12, 2010)

ok...

So the heat sinks are for the FETs?

And if I want to have a fixed output I can use a specific resistor after I measure what the pot is set to? I would add that resistor in place of the pot? OR am I just stupid 

Drew


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## Morepower! (Mar 12, 2010)

liteitup said:


> i have some 55 watt ballasts that the only way i can find to turn them up is with the current sensing resistors. This works however i wanted to make something adjustable and i cant find a pot anywhere on these ballasts... have you seen anything like this before morepower?


 
I havn't played with any like that, maybe you could try and source a heavy duty wire wound pot and do it that way ?

Oh, and Mettee that is correct. The heatsinks are for the "new style" ballast.


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## Morepower! (Mar 13, 2010)

Double post, sorry. But I found a Pic of the new style ballast I obviously took ages ago before my camera died. It is important to wire it as I did or it won't work, I know there seems to be an easier way of doing the same thing but it isn't the same. Also it is important to use a bought or scavanged SMT resistor as the 1/4W one's I have don't seem to work. The TO-220 heatsinks need one side to be cut off so you end up with an "L" shape and silicone them to the back of the stepping IC.

*New style ballast*








.


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## Morepower! (Apr 14, 2010)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get 116W @ Bulb*

Well I had to buy a new camera, $548.00 to fix or $619.00 for a new one. Anyway here are some pics of the heatsink mod. to the stepping IC, and another bulb I have ruined. The 2 heatsinks are attached to the back with some heatsink compound that actually sets like silicone sealant I bought from DealExtreme.com. I still havn't worked out the best way to incorporate the cooling fan yet. One of my delemas is it would work out better for me to have the fan blowing through the heatsink and into the torch instead of sucking the air past it. Does anyone think it will make that much difference blowing rather than sucking  ??






















.


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## cccpull (Apr 14, 2010)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get 116W @ Bulb*



Morepower! said:


> Does anyone think it will make that much difference blowing rather than sucking  ??



Isn't it the same thing? :thinking:


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## HKJ (Apr 14, 2010)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get 116W @ Bulb*



cccpull said:


> Isn't it the same thing? :thinking:



Blowing into equipment has a few advantages because the air is cooler: A larger amount of air is moved (Measured as mass) and the fan will work at a lower temperature.


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## Illum (Apr 14, 2010)

*Re: Tweeking the "55W" Ballast to get 116W @ Bulb*



HKJ said:


> Blowing into equipment has a few advantages because the air is cooler: A larger amount of air is moved (Measured as mass) and the fan will work at a lower temperature.



If the container is bigger a combination usually works wonderfully
sucking air out will cool the entire enclosure's ambient temperature as more than one path of air is traveling, one of the may reasons why certain old computers using obsolete chips like Intel i376 of whatever has blowfans riveted to the sides of enclosures that "suck" air out at one end. A fan that blows at something is usually well suited for specific "hot spots" like a heatsink, but theres the disadvantage of the "hot exhaust"mingling with the "cold air" in the enclosure, [usually creating a rainstorm  j/k]and may hemper the cooling of other parts in the assembly. A blow fan sucking air out should align the convection flows and promote effecient cooling.

I'm in the process of using 8 Gamma32 120mm blowfans to cool a lawnmower shed by venting out, not in to the aluminum shed by solar panels


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## bluebanshee (May 10, 2010)

Awesome thread. I couldn't find any other information on overdriving HID ballasts.

This is supposed to be a 50/55w ballast. Any idea how to over drive it? It was still hooked up in my truck so I didn't poke at it. Does it look like a pot on the board at the bottom?


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## Morepower! (May 14, 2010)

It looks like it could be a pot, you will have to carefully remove the rubber coating and have a look.


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## danjoo (May 27, 2010)

Yes the port at bottom looks like the small pot.
If thias not work.

Try the to big resistors.
The one left to the red thing, and left to the green cap.
This resistors can be adjustors for some voltage regulators. 
Measure the resistance, then half it, by connecting another resistor paralell.


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## IlluminatedOne (Jun 8, 2010)

A lot of great info in this thread thanks for sharing all that with us, i have ordered some ebay 55w ballasts and bulbs for my Thor mod i am going to do when they arrive, but i may end up tweaking mine for a little bit more if its possible with the ballasts i have on there way.


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## Morepower! (Jun 28, 2011)

*LATESt UPDATE*. I have been able to get ~198W to the bulb(not measured yet as I have blown fuses in my good DMM will have it fixed shortly) the bulb wattage was estimated on 75% of the input power. 15.4VDC x 17.2A = 264W x 75% = 198W. Now obviously either the bulb(cheap china one) or the ballast is going to live very long but I'm hoping when I get around to actively cooling the stepping IC it MAY just be usable for practical amounts of time. Pics and proper measurements to come.


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## FRITZHID (Jun 29, 2011)

Morepower! said:


> *LATESt UPDATE*. I have been able to get ~198W to the bulb(not measured yet as I have blown fuses in my good DMM will have it fixed shortly) the bulb wattage was estimated on 75% of the input power. 15.4VDC x 17.2A = 264W x 75% = 198W. Now obviously either the bulb(cheap china one) or the ballast is going to live very long but I'm hoping when I get around to actively cooling the stepping IC it MAY just be usable for practical amounts of time. Pics and proper measurements to come.


 
i wish u well in your endeavor!, i only wish i still had the equip/time to devote to our hobbies that you have, i am truly jealous!
i look forward to the outcome! (and ofcorse.... BEAMSHOTS! lol)


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## Murilo (Jul 8, 2011)

Hello,

Maybe u can help me!
I got some months ago, 2x 100w xenon ballasts and 8x 100w bulbs, and make a little adaptation in a LG BN315 Projector, but 100w in a projection isn't too much, so i need Morepower on iT!

Hehehehe

With openned ballast i saw a diferent project, didnt have this little pot, but the bigest problem is: all CIs codes are erased!

I would know it you can help me with your CIs codes, and maybe where is connected this pot!

Maybe if i able to get arround 150~160w from this one would be perfect.

Photos:










Thanks

Murilo


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## Morepower! (Jul 9, 2011)

Mmmm culd be an interesting challenge. However are you prepared to blow one or two up in getting what you want ? If not I'd say leave them alone.

Also could you please send me the high res shots to [email protected]


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## Murilo (Jul 28, 2011)

Sure, (i forgot this thread this month sorry )
That's no problem, i can blow one but two, maybe not hehehe, even i have osciloscope and some other good equipaments, i didn't turned it on and saw the waves on circuit pins, thats why i asked about the CI normally used on your ballasts.

I will try send you now some high resolution shots if my internet help!

Thanks
Murilo


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## Morepower! (Aug 15, 2011)

I replied to your email wit the high res shots, how did the mod I suggested go ? Sorry it was my best guess as it was a completely different set up to mine.


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## Petar92 (Aug 5, 2012)

Hello everybody! I read about all your work,and it is brilliant! Congratulations to all who managed to get more out of stock china-made ballasts! 
Anyway,I have a question. I happen to have a 35W china ballast, and I wanted to boost it up a little.. I removed all the pot,but there is no potenciometer in my ballast. I guess this is cheap one. 
I understand that i have to add a few 0.5ohm resistors to the exisiting ones, but that wont give me much brightnes boost,right?
I read Daniel's post about adding resistors in paraller to the big ones,but I cant quite figure out to which one,since I found 3 big blue resistors in my ballast... And should I add new to only one of them,or two,or all 3? 
Thanks in advance! 
P.S. There is a picture. Green are 3 big resistors,and blue are smd resistors.



[/URL][/IMG]


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## Bullzeyebill (Aug 5, 2012)

Welcome to CPF. :thumbsup: Your image is not working.

Bill


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## Petar92 (Aug 7, 2012)

Update: Soldered two 0.5ohm resistors to current sensing smd resistors,but as I can see,i got no visible improvement... 

Just measured resistors: 1 = 1,3ohm 2=4.7k ohm 3= 5.1k ohm :thinking:


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