Automatic ballast adjuster based on temperature?

Hi guys,

I want to make an arduino based device that flicks my ballast intensity up or down depending on the temperature reading.

the device would also control “sunrise” and “sunset” (not as precisely as an led led controllers but using the increments on the ballast, set time interval on each steps until full blast) including the basic light scheduler.

Do you think it’s a great idea? Why until today there isn’t a device like this? It’s not over complicated.

Benefits:
-controlled temperature by adjusting light intensity
-controlled day and night with phase in and out
-probably ballasts could “live” longer as being properly switched on and off instead of cutting out with a controller
-safety, if something happens within your controlled environment the light would automatically switch off
-intensity controlled precisely will result in more stable temps and possibly bigger yield also it can gain extra by pushing the intensity for higher when temps allow it

I’m a little autistic so please tell me if it’s an absolutely stupid idea before I spend my hardly earned money on some stupid things

There's controllers available that do what you're suggesting, sun set and rise functions and it'll switch off or dim at a pre set temp, I have one tbh I don't use it, it's only collecting dust.

zooolcsi said:

Hi guys,

I want to make an arduino based device that flicks my ballast intensity up or down depending on the temperature reading.

the device would also control “sunrise” and “sunset” (not as precisely as an led led controllers but using the increments on the ballast, set time interval on each steps until full blast) including the basic light scheduler.

Do you think it’s a great idea? Why until today there isn’t a device like this? It’s not over complicated.

Benefits:
-controlled temperature by adjusting light intensity
-controlled day and night with phase in and out
-probably ballasts could “live” longer as being properly switched on and off instead of cutting out with a controller
-safety, if something happens within your controlled environment the light would automatically switch off
-intensity controlled precisely will result in more stable temps and possibly bigger yield also it can gain extra by pushing the intensity for higher when temps allow it

I’m a little autistic so please tell me if it’s an absolutely stupid idea before I spend my hardly earned money on some stupid things

Click to expand...

There are systems available that do such things for LED lights.

I absolutely do not recommend this for HID lighting, because the technology requires constant wattage for best longevity. In fact, I can't think of a worse scenario for MH lighting or CMH; it might not strike at all.

Thank you for the inputs.

I ordered the parts, had a good convo with ChatGPT

it only cost me 10£ in material.

yes I do know there are light controllers and they are next level when it comes to led fixtures.

my device would be an attachment for the knob on your actual old school ballast. So no wiring, won’t change anything but imitate you’re standing next to your ballast all the time and if temps go out of control it adjusts the knob on the ballast.

I’m not saying it will be a dragons den top 1 item
I think hobby growers who can’t afford to put a proper ac unit in there space would appreciate it.

based on my previous experience, I have monitored my temps and regardless I tried to move more air it went beyond the ideal temp time to time when the outside weather was really good.
I wish I’d have had a device that just decreased my ballast setting to 400w for the time being instead of ruining and burning my tops.
I will design the model in 3d and show you some sketch pictures.

I’d like to receive comments regards where it can go wrong so I can come up with solution or be convinced it’s a shit idea

zooolcsi said:

Thank you for the inputs.

I ordered the parts, had a good convo with ChatGPT

it only cost me 10£ in material.

yes I do know there are light controllers and they are next level when it comes to led fixtures.

my device would be an attachment for the knob on your actual old school ballast. So no wiring, won’t change anything but imitate you’re standing next to your ballast all the time and if temps go out of control it adjusts the knob on the ballast.

I’m not saying it will be a dragons den top 1 item
I think hobby growers who can’t afford to put a proper ac unit in there space would appreciate it.

based on my previous experience, I have monitored my temps and regardless I tried to move more air it went beyond the ideal temp time to time when the outside weather was really good.
I wish I’d have had a device that just decreased my ballast setting to 400w for the time being instead of ruining and burning my tops.
I will design the model in 3d and show you some sketch pictures.

I’d like to receive comments regards where it can go wrong so I can come up with solution or be convinced it’s a shit idea

Click to expand...

What you don't know is that high intensity discharge lamps need a specific wattage to operate at their best efficiency. Lowering the wattage below the rating of the bulb does two things; first, it negatively impacts spectrum while the efficiency, or PPfD/Watt, falls rapidly. Second, as if that wasn't bad enough, the materials in such lamps will degrade much more quickly, substantially shortening the lifespan of the bulb. This is especially true on startup; without sufficient wattage, they can't strike and they'll just cook the output could, ruining both lamp and ballast.

I ran all the HID lamps back in the day, including some that people haven't heard of, such as "energy saver" 860W CDM. I'm here to tell you that dimming them, especially in the way you suggest, is a bad idea.

If you want lamps you can do, get LED; running those at partial wattage does not appreciably affect spectrum, the lamps get MORE efficient and they'll last longer. Use the right tool for the job.

zooolcsi said:

Thank you for the inputs.

I ordered the parts, had a good convo with ChatGPT

it only cost me 10£ in material.

yes I do know there are light controllers and they are next level when it comes to led fixtures.

my device would be an attachment for the knob on your actual old school ballast. So no wiring, won’t change anything but imitate you’re standing next to your ballast all the time and if temps go out of control it adjusts the knob on the ballast.

I’m not saying it will be a dragons den top 1 item
I think hobby growers who can’t afford to put a proper ac unit in there space would appreciate it.

based on my previous experience, I have monitored my temps and regardless I tried to move more air it went beyond the ideal temp time to time when the outside weather was really good.
I wish I’d have had a device that just decreased my ballast setting to 400w for the time being instead of ruining and burning my tops.
I will design the model in 3d and show you some sketch pictures.

I’d like to receive comments regards where it can go wrong so I can come up with solution or be convinced it’s a shit idea

Click to expand...

Be somewhat careful re the answer you get from chathpt: its not trained to give answers that are true, its trained to give answers that are acceptable to the user. My dad does a lot of research on old relatives and forefathers of the family. I curiously asked about a name to be given the fantasticly interesting answer that he was the foreign minister of our country over a 15 year period. I was delighted, until i actually checked (as easy to find as wikipedia) and it was all a lie...
Especially do not ask any electronics questions, i tried to get some answer about currents over connections in parallel, i got about 10 different wrong answers before i got something close to right. If you got details on how your ballast works then fine, but its unlikely your solution is going to be general, unless you have a real digital input control interface or an actual robohand turning the dial: each new ballast may have very different spec in their dimmer dial and releasing a product that supposably mods electric ballast may be a liability issue; or even worse: the angry grower whos house you just burnt down comes after you in order to exact retribution.
This is also why this would be easier with led since the 3 in 1 led dimming system is generalized over many different led drivers.