DIY : Flip-Flop

okay, first let me explain what a Flip-Flop does. a Flop allows power from the ballast to be routed to two bulbs alternately. the ballast is on 24/0. while one bulb is lit, the other is not, and power on/off at the coil switches the power between the two bulbs. this can be beneficial in several applications.

if wanting to upgrade, a flop cuts costs of buying additional ballasts. it effectively cuts the amount of needed ballasts in half. still gotta buy the bulbs and sockets/cord assembly (and hoods if that is your route) and have two seperate bloom areas.
it also cuts down on needed electrical load. to run 2k @ 110v, a grower would need two 20a 110 circuits. flopping one 1k would only utilize one 20a 110.

during veg, a flop can be used to switch between two bulbs in the same space. this increases lit floorspace, much like a light mover, but by electronic means instead of mechanical.

in bloom, it can be used to switch power between two different flower rooms, saving time and expenses. in standard grows, the ballast is set to cycle on/off about every 12hrs. that means that 1/2 of every day in bloom, the ballast is not being utilized (as well as the gardener). imo, this is wasted time and resources.

what it doesnt do: it doesnt produce double your yield. it produces the same yield, in half the time. you are still paying for the additional 12hrs of electricity while the ballast is running on 24/0 compared to 12/12 on/off. you just get to the finish line twice as fast.

by running 24/0 other additional costs may accrue, like cooling. having to cool a 1k bloom cab during the day can add up. the grower would have to compare this to running 2k at night. it may or may not be cost effective or practical.

two seperate bloom areas are needed. some dont have this ability. also, w/ alternating bloom areas, there isnt 12hrs of dead time for the gardener to rest. work can always be done, and often has to be. some will not have or want this extra time to devote to their garden.

ex: a grower is using a 1k over a 4'x4' and getting 1lb every 60days. by flopping that 1k, the grower is now averaging 1lb every 30days in a split 4'x8' area. he consumes the same amount of power and uses the same amount of space as the grower next door who is burning 2k on 12/12 (depending on electric plan, some time of use plans give discounted rates for off peak hours which could either help or hurt either grower depending on watts running and the schedule of lights, etc.) and they receive the same avg yield.

hope this makes clear what advantages and disadvantages a Flip-Flop may have. next we get all the supplies and start wiring her up. stay tuned... and frosty,

-iDub

list of supplies

for this tutorial we will be building a 2 ballast flip-flop. it will be flipping between 4 bulbs, 2 in each room. the wiring is the same for 1 or 10 ballasts. each ballast needs its own relay. 2 ballasts = 2 relays.

the items you will need:

Square power box - $20
(2) single gang outlet boxes - $2ea
(2) outlets - $2ea (i chose 20a outlets, 15a should be adequate)
#10 24 x 1-1/4" screws, nuts, & washers - $5
(3) 1/2" box saddle clamp connectors - $1ea
(2) 1/2" box/box connectors - $1ea
wire connectors - $10 (get the u-ring connectors instead of the o-ring ones and thank me later)
wire - $20 (i used 12awg wire for the hot in/out, 14awg should be sufficient. i used 14/2 for the coil.)
20a extension cord - $3
zipties - $3
(2) outlet covers - $1ea
(2) 30a dpdt relay - $20ea online. (shop around, someplaces are charging in excess of $60)
(4) bowls of Durban Poison - free

total = <$100.

now, about the relays. the only type i trust to flip the 5kv spikes and loads of a 1k ballast are the ones pictured here. R04-11A30-120. i do not recommend the smaller, enclosed relays, even for a 600w or 400w. safety first.

a little note about the wire. buying 12/3 or 14/3 wire and stripping it down into individual wires can save you a little coin. i went with 12/3 for power and 14/2 for the coil/timer.

now that we have all the parts we can begin putting it together.

-iDub

first, place your relay(s) in your box and mark where the mounting holes are to go:


now would be a good time to strip and measure the needed lengths of wire while the relays are in there, or just attach an ample amount and cut later.

drill tap holes first, then drill the mounting holes of the proper size:


then, take the relay(s) out and put the power box aside, we wont need it right now. now it is time to wire up your relays.

i started w/ the power out wires first. crimp the bare end of your wire to the u-connectors, and securely tighten. make sure you give them all a tug test.


NOTE the wire colors. it is very important to keep the wires organized and the +/neutral flowing to the same sides of the outlets. DO NOT mix the wires up. take your time, check and recheck. in the picture, the two red wires will go to one bulb, the two black to another.

if we were to run them in the box, they would end up looking like this. labelling which is off the left and right post may be helpful.


if you notice in the second pic, i already popped out a 1/2" knockout and ran my power-in wires thru a saddle clamp. these are the hot wires coming from the ballast. you have many different ways to connect to the ballast; splicing, adapter cords, outlets, etc. its up to you.



this is what it would look like if you connected the hot-in wires. they are the black & white wires w/ YELLOW connectors, coming from the top.

only 2 wires left to do on the relays at this point. these control the coil and go to your timer. when the timer is powered on, the coil activates a magnet, which pulls down the contacts, and sends power thru that set of leads to your 2nd bulb. this is the white & black wires w/ the BLUE connectors and what it would look like.



now the relay(s) should be all wired up and ready to attach. onto the next step: outlets.

-iDub

outlets

take your outlet boxes and pop out one 1/2" knockout. remember that they should be on opposite sides for each outlet box. i accidentally popped both out on the same side, too much Durban.



here is a pic of the connector we will use to attach the outlet boxes to the power box with:



pop out the matching 1/2" knockout on the power box and attach the connector:



now attach the outlet box to the connector and fasten tightly:



now you can place your wired up relays in the box and run some wires. run one pair to one outlet, the other pair to the other:



...and strip and crimp on your connectors. make sure to keep this ORGANIZED. positive to positive, neutral to neutral. if you must label one side w/ electrical tape, go ahead:



now, we have to do a little preparation to the outlets to get them to work correctly. on the side of each outlet is a jumper, that allows both plugs to be powered from one lead, like on a standard wall outlet. we want each plug to act independently, so we are going to snip the jumper. remember both sides:



now you can run and attach the proper wire to each side of the outlet. this is where all that organization pays off. keep to the same sides:



the bare copper wire is your ground. you can go ahead and attach this to you outlet's ground screw and run it as well:



then stash the wires into the outlet box and screw down your outlet securely:



we are almost done! top the durban w/ some kief, cuz the hard part is over. next up is the coil.

-iDub

finishing up

now that the power-out is wired to the outlets, all that is left is the power-in, the coil, and the grounds. attach your power-in wires to the hot wires from the ballast. i used an adapter cord that plugs into the ballast's cord:





the bare copper is the ground. a coated green color wire would be preferable.

now, onto wiring the coil. this is what controls which room, or set of bulbs, is lit. it is the leads w/ the BLUE connectors in the picture above. this goes to the timer.
first, cut off the female end of the extension cord, and strip the wires. then pop out your last 1/2" knockout, attach a saddle clamp, and run the stripped wire into your power box.

now connect the black wire(s) from the relays to the black from the ext. cord and the white(s) to the white. the green is ground:



now just run and secure all of your grounds, and put on all your box and outlet covers, cuz your done and ready to get some sleep, because now you will be taking care of ladies 24hrs a day. lucky you.





what i would do differently:

i would buy some proper wire crimpers. using long nosed and slip joint pliers left my hands hurting.

all comments and questions are welcome. if anyone notices any improper wiring certainly post up and let me know. i am not an electrician, just a hobbyist, and completely human, so i do make mistakes. thanks for your time. hope this helps. peace.

stay frosty,

-iDub

Looks real good man. Excellent documentation and presentation.!

nit-pik critiques:

crimp on connections are not meant to be used on solid wire, only stranded.

you could of, and I would of omited the yellow wire nut conections on the timer wire/coil wire. Just run the pig tail of the extension cord all the way to the coil terminals. the fewer the connections, the better.

those outlets are not rated for, nor approved for the voltage of the ballast output(between 400-500 volts on 1000 watt ballast). also the fewer the connections, especially plug-in connections, the better.

also, is that ground buss bar isolated from the square power box? I can't see if it is bonded, as it should be. I reckon it is grounded through the outlet tabs, but I would still get rid of those plastic stand-offs and screw the buss bar directly to the power box.



Having said that, i would still use that flip-flop in my grow room.


Good growing

thanyou Quantrill for your constructive criticism. it is certainly welcome.

the bus bar is indeed grounded thru an inlet. i was initially looking at the plastic debating whether to lose it or not. think i will go ahead and detach the plastic and attach the bar directly to the box as you suggest this weekend during chores.

i am running 600s thru this flop currently and has been working correctly for the last week. i might periodically stop in and give an update. i will probably check for deposits on the relay leads after some continual use as well.

a note about the digi Phantom ballasts: they are programmed to prevent a hot strike. when flipping, they may detect this as a power outage, and go into standby mode. this is to protect the bulb. the bulb will light 10-15minutes later. i dont necessarily mind this. just good to know.

i havent had this occur w/ my Nextgen or mag ballasts. still must test my 750w lumas.

thankyou again, and hope this can be useful. stay frosty,

-iDub

the bus bar is grounded, but is the square power box?

Thats why I suggested mounting the buss bar directly to the square power box.

ah, yes. sorry misunderstanding. yes, the power box is grounded from the back.

-iDub

i was thinking of doing this to switch from hps to m/h for a portion of the flower cycle...but i have never seen it done so i cant say it improves end result enough to make it worth wild