Indoor Ballasts and Bulbs

[texasboy26]

Trying to improve my lighting.
I have a 400 watt HPS (no brand names)
Im trying to put together a 150/250/400 dimmable ballast system. (kits are still way too expensive). I can get another nameless dimmable HPS for 100 bucks though I am being told that I should be getting a Lumatak, Galaxy, Nextgen or Amazons Phantom.

Anyone have any dope about Ballasts? Especially personal experiences.

Bulbs are another story. Im being told Im an absolute Nube (which I am) when it comes to lights. That there have been tremendous advances in color temps, coverage and lumens. Apparently, a Bulb is not just a Bulb.

Does anyone know anything about HPS Bulbs?
Especially Brand Names. Has anyone out there had any real experiences with these modern technological wonders?

 

[JM]

Galaxy,

yes galaxy:

http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/accessory/lights3.shtml

i have a 400... been great for over a year... not a single issue.... with turbo mode (extra 10% light) and switchable... worth every penny..

hps bulbs... some i know.... not a lot... get a good one... hortilux makes good ones... i saw a comparison grow once between hortilux and some off brand.... maybe phillips?

hortilux blew them away.... my next bulb for hps (soon to be replaced) will be a hortilux

 

[agito]

if you have a 400w hps i doubt your yield would improve much going digi i would urge you to invest in a decent hood first

 

[JM]

yeah good point... whats the reason for the upgrade?

 

[texasboy26]

Not an Upgrade

I have 2 tents 1 HPS/MH and too many cfls. I like the HPS much better. I will have 2 tents, 2 hps lights.

 

[Muddy]

I had good luck with a CAP NextGen digital ballast. 400/600 watt switchable. Hortilux makes about the best bulbs but they are more expensive. They have one with an expanded blue spectrum that can be used start to finish with autos. No need to switch for veg and bloom.

 

[texasboy26]

I love using Philips HPS-Retro CMH 400w bulbs. They run on a HPS mag-coil ballast. I prefer mag-coil over digital as they don't wear out bulbs as fast & I can replace any parts that may wear out. I know digital has probably come a long way but my firsthand experience hasn't been good.

Thanks Buddha man for the personal bulb info

The way ballasts are going seems to be dimmable/switchable digital and it seems to be a good idea

 

[agito]

Not to doubt you thai but I thought digi's were less harsh on bulbs as there not that big start up bang compared to coil but i do beleive coil ballast may wear out slower compared to didgi's ballasts

 

[gtron]

digi vs mag?

I have a friend that refuses to use a digi ballast. He lives in a city that has started using "smart meters" to measure electricity. His claim is that everything digital has a chip in it that can read by the meter. So there is a record of all the newer digital electrical devices in your home & how much power they use.
Anyone know if that is true?

 

[AutoMan]

My first few years of growing was with coil ballast...400 & 1000w...those ballast were so heavy but very easy and inexpensive to repair if anything went bad (cap & ignitor)....went to lumitek digi last year.....a friend runs my 400w now with great success.......a whole lot less heat to deal with...but can't say which is better in the long run...when winter finally hits and maintains some cold temps, I'll be hooking up my 1000 watter coil for the heat output in addition to a huge bonus of energy to help the babes get as lush as possible.
Never heard anything about any 'chips' in electronic items but I'm sure there's somebody kinda keeping track of useage...ya elec bill always has your useage tallied from at least a year back... I personally survey my useage and make sure I'm not spiking attention.....
Bulbs....i've mostly used some off brands....hps only....only blew one out with a coil but it was after a power outage so can't really blame the coil...