anyone using a flipflop for lights?

i have a question about using a flip flop for my lights . using 2 rooms , ballast on 24/7. switch the light between two rooms 12/12. Can these things work with magnetic ballasts? also the flip flop is made to handle 4 ballasts(8 bulbs) would it work if you were to run only 3 ballasts instead of 4 ? thanks for any input here

there is a thread on here from an electrician, its called master electrician, search it and ask him

i just found my answer , thanks

i just dont know what kind of timer i need .

From the info that i have gathered on here is that the relay that is used for the flip flop can develope bad points and can weld shut and then it will only operate one of the lights and not be able to switch to the other one. I would love to find a relay that i could trust to flip flop my little 250w hps lights so i could just run the ballast 24/7 and just setup two seperate grow rooms too but i dont trust the relays. I hope if you figure out how to get it to work reliably that you will post on here your findings. Thanks.

Wohjew said:

i just found my answer , thanks

Click to expand...

What was the answer you found?

i found that YES i can use magnetic ballasts and YES can run 1-4 ballasts on the 4 ballast flip flop unit.Hmmm ive never herd of the welding thing myself , before i buy one im going to ask . they sell for 359$ for the 4 ballast 8 light unit . in your case flipping 250w i dont think it would weld.

where did you find it? can u post a link

Progressive-growth.com, they are great

Those will probaly work great. I just need one that i can use on my little 250w hps so i can run one ballast and two bulbs. One less ballast to hide.

That's brilliant! If you know how to wire, you can run two lights off one ballast. Why didn't I think of that?

You cant run two lights at the same time off of one ballast though. Thats the point in the flip flop relay. Run one light for 12 hours and then flip to the other light for 12 hours. Your ballast runs 24hrs a day and you dont get that power surge when the ballast powers up every 12 hours. That's how i understand it atleast. lol

Exactly what I was thinking. You could split your crop schedules up and would only have to buy half the ballasts (which can get quite expensive.)

yes they are great i wanna try one , they come wired very simple . if you want to spend the money the one from progressive-growth.com will let you run 1 ballast or up to 4 ballasts. so you could flip your 250w

i had my timer weld last week what a pain in ass. talk about all most a fire. if it wasnt for the smoke alarm outside the room. and i think it was all from a thunder and power outage.

weld ? how does this happen ? are these flip boards bad ?

Pretty much any relay with points can weld shut with a voltage spike when running HID lighting. If you are going to use a flipflop than you should really do some research on them. I would really love to use on but even running it on my little 250w hps setup is enough of a voltage spike that it would worry me all the time.

o really dam that sucks, the one i want is 359$ if it welds what happens ? other than your relay sucks and dont work , would it cause a fire then ?

You can build your own flipper for about the price of a 240v timer, and use this design for other applications. e.g. converting a 120v timer to a 240v timer.

Parts:
120v timer
Potter & BrumfieldKUP-14A15-120 relay & socket (doesn't have to be this make but P&B is common and reliable)
cord with 2/3 prong plug (depends on the timer you are using and want to ground)
electrical box or board to mount (din rail looks pro if using more than one relay)
Assembly:
mount the relay base
wire the cord to the A terminal (neutral), B terminal (110ac) You have just wired the coil of the relay.
Application:
Flip Flop: Output of the ballast will go to the common terminals 9,8,7 (yes you will have a spare)
NC (timer off) terminals 3,2,1
NO (timer on) terminals 6,5,4

That is NOT the correct relay to use, it must be rated for 600V. The only place to get a quality flip custom made is at www.nowirenuts.ca. You can send an email to [email protected]. Other flips being manufactured are potential shock hazards. If you are running digital ballasts, the ballasts MUST be shut off for a minute or less, before each 12 hour flip cycle. The flips at progressive growth are garbage.