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t4 / t5 under cabinet units in luminaire

fourmations

Member
Joined
30 Aug 2008
Messages
201
hi all

i was thinking of using the undercabinet units in a luminaire
they are really neat self contained strip units that are linkable

like these...
T4adjust2.jpg


the t4 ones are 30w at 30" and are really neat and tidy
i could easily make a luminaire to take 3 of these for a cool 90w over 96l

can anyone see any issues with using these enclosed in a luminaire
(overheating or anything like that)

on to t5HO (i have done plenty of reading but need to ask)
I assume that t5HO use a different ballast than regular t5's?

I would rather use t5HO because the daylights are much more readily available

any thoughts

thanks

4
 
anyone?

i'm surprised no-one here has looked into these units
with aquariums in mind. especially the t4's

they are really compact, tonnes of light, more lumens per watt
more watts per lenght, not expensive to buy, more economical to run
can be linked or separate, so you can do peak lighting mixes etc etc

you could put three of these complete units in a 5" wide luminaire!
get your hands on reflectors and your in biz!

its seems to be a diy dream, unless someone knows something I dont?

rgds

4
 
I think no-one's tried them because I believe they are normal output lights rather than high output ones we use in tanks most of the time. I don't think they're going to be as bright as the T5s we usually use for the same wattage.
 
thanks ed

i am learning so i'm certainly no making any definite claims here! more curiosity,

even so, a lot of people use the regular t5's
and you can get those undercounter units for t5
still giving you very good value, linkable lighting
it just appeals to me in its simplicity because i can make an enclosure in work
or use one of the azoo fixtures i have to create a good value, economical unit
screw three ready made units into a piece of folded metal with reflectors and i'm done

but im wondering on one point, the lamp is mounted on its own ballast
and as you can see from the image above, the ballast runs the length of the tube
therefore blocking the light at that side, they have a reflector, but it looks dubious

i think i might just give it a whirl and see what happens
i have sufficient light for my new tank but may make a luminaire for my other tank

if i could find a compact ballast for t5ho that would be a good option too

rgds

4
 
Personally I would give them a pass, they won't give you the lumen output if you want to run a highlight tank, you will probably end up spending more money eventually, been there done that on other equipment.
 
They will work, the only issue is they usually come with colour 827 tubes as standard and are not sufficiently IP rated. If you can put them in an enclosure which will protect them from condensation and change the tubes for different ones then you're all set.

My only doubt would be the lifetime of the ECG, as I've had one failure in 3 months with only 2-3 hours usage at night from the 8W versions.
 
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