Let's see the electrical Guru's chime in bout compacitors

[sbritt23]

Alright maybe someone can help me out here does anyone know anything about high pressure sodium lights and caps. If so please let me know I'm in the middle of my flounder boat build and have some questions.

 

[Wallijig]

I have never worked with high pressure sodium lights however capacitors store and release DC electricity. Most commonly used as filters in a circuit. They block DC and allow AC to flow threw. Size of capacitor determines which AC frequency passes threw with least amount of effort. Size also determines how much DC they can store and what speed it is released. A battery is a large capacitor.

 

[Wallijig]

After doing some research here's some info I found that may help you see what capacitors do in ballistic for sodium lighting.

https://www.daybrite.com/pdfspecs/TI-51030.pdf

 

[linehand]

What's your question?

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

The most popular use of a capacitor is for stabilizing voltage and power flow.

 

[linehand]

The cap in a hps light is used in the start circuit. Think of a hps starting system like a mechanical points ignition system. Electronic switch acts like points, capacitor is like the condenser, and ballast is like ignition coil, electrodes in tube are like spark plug electrodes, and starting gas acts as the fuel. That is a basic explanation.
Could get deeper but don't think it's necessary. Here is a basic diagram, not the best pic. The 2nd pic is of some hps lights our service crew took down to replace w induction lights.

 

[Jonboat Jerry]

Sounds like you are setting up some flounder lighting for your boat.
I looked into building one and by the time you put all the parts together it is way
over what you could buy one for. ($$$$)
They are complicated to build and require a generator to supply 110v.
I have one on my dock, purchased from sixgun86, a sponsor on this site.

Underwater lighting is perfect and there is very little glare above water.
You can also search for frog gigging on this site for a few ideas. Jerry

 

[sbritt23]

Im a commercial gigger so that means im on the water everynight i use to be a huge fan of underwater lights they are great but too much upkeep with builbs breaking globes and everything else i always have ran a honda generator so that means no sound hardly with 2 500 and 2 300 watt halo work lights. Time to upgrade cause i have many charters this up coming season so with the hps lights it will be 4 times the ammount of light. The old setup generated around 16-1800 lumens where as my 4 150 watt hps lights will be a total of 60,000 lumnens. The hps lights even above water does not create the glare traditional lights create cause of the color of the light has something to do with the energy color that the light puts off with the mercury and particals in the water. Something like that or thats what i read. I usually get between 80-100 lbs of fish when i go which is roughly 35-50 fish. So even with the head ach and price on the lights if it helps me pick up 3-5 extra fish a night its worth it and if it helps my clients see fish, its def work it

 

[sbritt23]

Alright dont be picking on the diagram but this is the only way i could put it to make any sense to my self and maybe youll it might just confuse youll even more

Alright from my lights i will run the pos and neg back to the PVC junction box i will secure the caps and wire them inside the box. After that i will be coming out the box and wiring 2 lights to one plug on one side and the same on the other side. So i will have 2 extension cords running from the generator. 1 per each set of lights i will prob. install switches for each lite also in the pvc junction box. So tell me if this will work guys