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Thread: Install mirror ball in place of ceiling lamp

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    Install mirror ball in place of ceiling lamp

    I'm trying to mount a mirror ball in a room. I'd rather not drill or screw into the existing ceiling though to mount the motor. There is a ceiling lamp that I could remove and mount it there. Is there a motor that can be connected to the wires in the ceiling going to the existing lamp? And is there a motor that could be attached to an existing ceiling light mount? Or are there any DIY instructions? I would imagine this would be a pretty common thing people would want to do so they wouldn’t have to drill ups their ceiling, and they could control the ball from their light switch.
    Thanks

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    Quote Originally Posted by elektrobank View Post
    Is there a motor that can be connected to the wires in the ceiling going to the existing lamp? And is there a motor that could be attached to an existing ceiling light mount?
    Yes do a search for a "mirror ball motor", these aren't specifically designed to be mounting to an standard octagon box but I don't see why they couldn't be.

    Paul O'Brien
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    Is the wiring the same, where I would just strip the plug off and connect the wire directly to the power for the light?

    Quote Originally Posted by conanski View Post
    Yes do a search for a "mirror ball motor", these aren't specifically designed to be mounting to an standard octagon box but I don't see why they couldn't be.


  4. #4
    Greetings,

    Please don't take this the wrong way, but if you're asking such questions on an internet forum, it's probably safest for all involved if you employ a qualified electrician to fit it for you.

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    Quote Originally Posted by elektrobank View Post
    Is the wiring the same, where I would just strip the plug off and connect the wire directly to the power for the light?
    Yes it's that simple, but as suggested this advice assumes you have sufficient knowledge to safely complete the work, if you don't please do bring in some outside help.
    Paul O'Brien
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    Quote Originally Posted by conanski View Post
    Yes it's that simple, but as suggested this advice assumes you have sufficient knowledge to safely complete the work, if you don't please do bring in some outside help.
    Yes, thanks. I will surely do more research, and have done a lot of electrical work like this, I just wanted to know if others have done this, as it seems like a common enough thing that I was surprised there wasn't more info on the internet about doing it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by elektrobank View Post
    Yes, thanks. I will surely do more research, and have done a lot of electrical work like this, I just wanted to know if others have done this, as it seems like a common enough thing that I was surprised there wasn't more info on the internet about doing it.
    Replacing ceiling light fixtures with mirror balls is common?

    I've never seen, nor heard of anyone considering it until your thread.

    If you are so inclined to do so then just replace the current fixture with an outlet, that way you don't have to butcher the cord on the motor. Mount the motor to the side of the outlet and plug it in. That way a year or so down the road when you decide it wasn't all that you thought it would be, it will be easy to reverse...

  9. #9
    I've once been involved in a renovation of a venue where we dismantled a disco ball with a motor.. actually it was a half disco ball but still (edit : I got it for myself, it was in storage all these years but inspired by this thread I just installed it in my studio/living room)

    The motor usually is attached to the ceiling with screws and a hook (which we didn't notice at first).. at least around here the ceiling lamp hooks are all very similar, ie. the flat type which goes through the base of the fixture and is attached to the ceiling with a S-screw. The disco ball is then hung to the motor hook (there are different types of motors I think, mains powered and 12-24V+ ones with a wall wart)

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    Quote Originally Posted by elektrobank View Post
    I'm trying to mount a mirror ball in a room. I'd rather not drill or screw into the existing ceiling though to mount the motor. There is a ceiling lamp that I could remove and mount it there. Is there a motor that can be connected to the wires in the ceiling going to the existing lamp? And is there a motor that could be attached to an existing ceiling light mount? Or are there any DIY instructions? I would imagine this would be a pretty common thing people would want to do so they wouldn’t have to drill ups their ceiling, and they could control the ball from their light switch.
    Thanks
    I've done this multiple times to attach them to ceiling grid and truss.

    Mount the disco ball motor to a piece of wood *firmly*, like 3/8 thick by 5 x 8-ish". Now screw in eyebolts to the wood in the corners. Use the eyebolts to attach to cables and adjust the length of the eyebolts to keep the wood level because the motors don't like being run at weird angles under load. Good way to strip the gears.

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