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How to turn a hardwired florescent fixture into a direct plugin?


I want to make two strip lights for photography. I have found this: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stor...
but I need them to be portable, so I need to be able to plug them into a socket. Can I take the hardwired fixture and wire it up to a three-prong cable?

Thanks,
Art

The ballast has only 2 wires coming off it, one is black and white, and the other I don't remember what color. How do I know which one to connect to what?

Do I connect the ground from the plug anywhere to the frame since there's no ground wire coming from the balast?

Here is a USA answer. Ignore if not in the USA.

Yes you can. I would recommend just buying a fixture with a cord and plug connection. But you can make your own if you insist. You will need a cord connector/strain relief for the 1/2" knockout in the fixture. And a heavy duty cord and plug. Not a small fixture wire. And certainly not romex. And wire nuts. Connect black to black and white to white. If the wires in the cord set are not colored, the black connects to the left blade of the plug when looking directly at it with the round pin on the bottom. Connect the green cord wire to a screw inside the fixture. It is important to have a good ground connection with a portable metal fixture. Make sure your connections are tight. Be aware that the lamp connector pins and sockets at the ends of the fixture, for a typical 4 foot lamp, run at around 550 open circuit volts. Be careful with the fixture.

The lights are able to be made in to portable lights but you would probably be better off with plastic fittings which are lighter.The only problem with these fittings are that if you put a length of three core flex on to them you will have to make sure that the flex can not be pulled out or that there is not too much strain on the connections.You can buy cord grips for the flex that fit on to the light fitting the wiring up is easy, the brown wire goes to the one marked "L" The blue to "N"the green and yellow to the earth connection same at the plug you can link both up to one plug ,use a 3 amp fuse and at least 1.0mm flex 1.5 would be better.

Put a plug on the end. Three wire romax, connect the wires. Black to black and white to white, ground to ground. Connect the three wires in the male plug. easy as pie.

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