Need help with diy MH

Ok im trying to make a ballast for a MH lights

so far what i got is just a arc in a tube

I am running 2100VAC at 100ma at 60hz and I have tryed rectifieding it to dc with a rectifier and a cap but i just got a different color arc.

I was looking at a HM ballast and and the one i saw was running a 555timer and dual mosfets and it was running dc that was pulsed from a 400vdc .24uf cap but i don't know the Hz it was pulsed at.

Dose anyone know frequency MH run at ?

 

Im using a ballasted Microwave oven transformer as a power supply.

 

Tagging along for this one.

 

Ok hears how things are so far now i got a microwave oven transformer as a power supply and i have it ballasted with a 500watt light bulb on the hot wire leading to the primary winding of the transformer and the neutral wire just goes to the transformer other side of the primary winding. Now the secondary winding of the transformer is core grounded so it only has hot and ground so i have the hot hook to the rectifing diode that came with the microwaves voltage doubler circuit and then it gos to a 005u/10KVAC capacitor and then ground. Hooked to the cap i got a 2500vdc 4amp mosfet and powering the mosfet i got 9volt battery with a little transistor and a head phone cord so i can pulg it in to my computer and make different frequency's for the cap to discharge in to the MH bulb

Its pretty much the same circuit as a solid state Tesla coil.

Im getting pretty close to get it to fire up bright. All im getting now is a little arc and a hot bulb.

 

are you thinking of building one ?

 

dose anyone know what frequency MH's run at ?

 

I know a lot about reefs and reefing equipment, but you are speaking another language to me.

 

magnetics are 60hz I think but electrics are faster

 

How long dose it take to get bright cause i have not ran it for more then 2mins cause of the mosfets heating up and popping/burning

 

my old magnetic 2 minutes, it was probably proper spectrum(based on my eyes) at 10 mins

my new electronic one 10-15 seconds, proper spectrum at 1-2 minutes.


personally I would just buy one what is it around 100-200 dollars depending on wattage.