It has been a while, but the light bulb is finally here. I also acquired an electronic ballast that I may need to make the bulb work. Unfortunately, the smallest available goes up to 22 volts, and may be too high for the bulb to work. However, if it does work, that would be great.
Now I am considering whether I need a quartz sleeve to protect the light bulb, or if it will be fine in contact with the water. I believe that it will be fine in contact with the water, and may skip this step.
I'm considering using empty Gatorade bottles for this experiment, since the lamp is too wide to fit in narrower mouthed bottles. I may need to develop something to keep the electrical part of the device from getting wet. I am considering buying electrical tape for this, as well as using popsicle sticks to support and balance the bulb on the bottle. Additionally, I need to purchase some 5 volt wiring to make connections and a voltmeter as a safety consideration. I should be able to complete these tasks within the next month or two.
I will post pictures of all of the parts once I'm ready to start building.
Following creation of the device and basic power testing on the XOs, I will be looking for a local University to work with to obtain necessary permitting for sample collection and testing.
