I observed something interesting this week...

Way back in the late 1930's, when commercially viable discharge lighting came on the market, the magnetic ballast produced flicker at twice the mains frequency. Over the years, different mechanisms were used to mitigate the effect (lead-lag, distribution over three phases) until the electronic ballasts came on the market in the later years of last century. The high frequency made for virtually flicker free operation.

Now, cue in the advent of LED lights, the cheap hardware store ones have very annoying visible flicker. This week, I paid a visit to the electrical supplier. All their fluorescent troffers have been switched over to LED edge lit panels. I walked in and there was no apparent flicker. When I was waiting for service at the counter, I spotted one of those retro-style fans, that have metal blades and a metal enclosure. It was running and the blades had that slow movement appearance that is usually a tell-tale sign of flicker. I was kind of surprised that the LED panels produced flicker akin to magnetically ballasted fluorescent.

I suppose you could find a pulse rated mogul to medium reducer (they exist, just a bit harder to find) and then pair it with a ED17 3000K CMH lamp. The would be the simplest way.

Unfortunately, no...these are 4000K, 90% + CRI...they're actually really nice lamps. The high CRI doesn't have that annoying blue content when compared to cheap QMH lamps.

I would really like one of those if it was available in 3000K. Did they ever make mogul base ceramic metal halide lamps in 3000K?

I am looking to convert an AEL series 315 to run 150w G12 base CMH lamps with an electronic ballast. It should be pretty easy to mount the ballast on the power pad and rewire everything, but how should I go about making a CDM-T lamp compatible with the existing (FCO) optical assembly? Should I make a bracket that extends the lampholder out or maybe at an angle?

Any help will be appreciated.

Swapping the ballast would be rather easy...the lamp, not so much. How about making it easier on yourself and get a Philips MasterColor CDM150/U/PS/4K CMH lamp? These have an E39 mogul base. I've used these with standard magnetic ballasts that run M102 lamps...no issues. Also compatible eHID ballasts.

... maybe. I'm thinking about it. The car meet (cars and coffee) will take place at Austin Landing in Dayton Ohio on Saturday, May 25th. I may or may not be taking the Genesis for the first time, since this would be the first car meet I've ever gone to, and since I'd have to be a little more comfortable with the roads before I take that car. Same with my motorcycle, which I won't be taking anyways, since the rear brake needs to be replaced.
If I do change my mind and decide to go with the Genesis, if anyone on here is going to this cars and coffee, there is a chance you may see me there.
Even if I don't go to this cars and coffee, they have cars and coffee once every month... I'd attend the one in June instead.

Even though i haven't lived during communism in Romania i still like collecting old lighting and electrical stuff from that period.

Huh, that's very interesting and odd. I'll try and see what happens, when i remove the capacitor from my 80w MV ballast.

It shouldn't have affected how hot the ballast got, but I can assure you it did. We needed a fan pointing at the fixture before adding PFC, but not afterwards. I don't recall the exact temperature figures, but it was significant.

Your low power factor is not directly metered. However, if "everyone" has a low power factor, the transmission cost of the electricity will go up. Because, as Rommie said, although the low power factor is not registered as power used, it does impact the current running through the conductors in the grid, in the transformers and in your home. Eventually that gets factored into everyone's power bill, so it's always best to compensate loads with a bad power factor.

We used to have a tanning bed with 10x 100w fluorescents, with conventional 230v choke ballasts, and no compensation capacitors. Although 1000w (4,3 ampere) is easily handled (at our 230v mains here) by any bog standard appliance cable, the cable on the tanning bed got seriously warm and soft. This was because the power factor of the choke ballast and lamp is together 0,53. that makes it look as if there was 8 ampere flowing through the cable.

It likely was a 3x 0,75mm² cable, which would be fine for 1000w appliances, but woefully insufficient for 8 ampere, or loads that 'look like 2000w'.  But i do not remember what cable was on it, sadly. 2000w heaters often run on 1,5mm² cords and not heat up, so they likely seriously miscalculated the load on the cord.

The appropriate capacitor for the 100w ballasts here is 8µF, and an 80µF mains rated capacitor would've added significantly to the cost, so likely left out for that reason.

There should be no effect on how hot a ballast gets, it does not influence the current running through the ballast if it's just a compensation capacitor parallel to the mains connection.