DIY Xenon light under $75

Ok so heres the story...

Awhile back I invested in some of those Xenon HID headlight kits for my car, the ones that literally BLIND people as you drive down the highway and constantly get flashed because they think you high beams are on.

So today I stood around at work and got the craziest idea that if those were such bright headlights, then why couldnt they be used on an aquarium?

So here is my equipment(im leaving out the more detailed parts just because im sure you can figure out how to do certain things on your own)

• 8000k HID Xenon kit(mine were 35 watt bulbs/ballasts)- about $50+
• 300-500 watt outdoor floodlight(only using the aluminum housing) - about $12
• In-line power switch to turn the light on and off
• 120v AC adapter that has 13.5V DC output(not sure if AC current will work with the HID ballasts)
• various tools and connectors

Just to make things clear I did this in a hurry and just wanted to see if it would work, so this is not meant to look pretty.

First off you need to remove anything from the floodlight housing you wont need. Mine had to prongs on each side that supported the bulb contacts so i just used them to hold my HID bulb in place. After that drill a hole big enough to fit the HID bulb wires through, secure everything good and you are finished with the housing.

For the AC adapter I cut off the piece that was used to power whatever it was that this thing powered. So now you have 2 wires that you need to connect to the HID ballast. I used crimp on connectors that would slide down over the prongs of the ballast and had them wrapped in electrical tape to prevent shorting anything out. Next I wired in my switch for On and Off control(where ever you think is convenient).

So far this has been very simple...and if not then im sorry. You must be doing something wrong lol ;D.

Time for a test run. Plug it in and flip the switch...it may come on. If not you may have the wires backwards. If they flicker and then go off, then you need to leave the switch off and allow the AC adapter to power up a bit. This HID ballasts will not stay on if they do not have enough voltage from the get go. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get them warmed up and stay on, other times they come right on...who knows why?

The last step would be mounting...self-explanitory

Pictures coming soon!

edit: As for the brightness, it is not exactly BRIGHT but it does add quite a bit more than what i had. so i cant complain

 

Very interesting aquarium headlights. If they fall in your tank do you think your fish will freeze and get hit?

 

lol hope not

also another thing i noticed, is that you get the glimmer effect of led's and MH with hardly any heat at all. i will leave them on tomorrow and find out how warm they get through the whole day

 

Thats pretty awesome. +1 lighting is the best type of DYI because of the huge amounts of money it saves. Better get a patent on this before too many people see it.

 

dont they already have some type of Xenon aquarium lighting out? prototype maybe? i thought i read about it somewhere

 

I think I saw that too but I doubt its something using readily available automotive lamps that can be built for as cheap as you did.

 

Just tagging along and wondering if you have updates on your experience. What exactly are you using to power the ballast? There's a guy on reefcentral that did a xenon/LED setup but he's using computer power supplies which don't seem very effecient.

 

pictures? lol

 

i was using an old power supply for an xm radio boom box. i need to get a higher voltage output power supply, somethin around 14-15 volts and make sure it stays cool. the last one stopped working, guess it wasnt made to power something that long and hard. also need a better reflector, that would definitely help with the output level of the light.

 

ya i can post pics if i find a power supply i think will work better. and a reflector