digital ballast or remote Ballast?

does it really makes a difference in quality of the light if i use a 400w digital ballast or REMOTE 400 watt HPS BALLAST? i know the digital ballast reduces less heat and runs quite but not sure about the quality of light.

I'm pretty sure magnetic, and digital ballast will put out the same quality of light, they just use a different means of sparking the blub, digital (other then the good qualities you mentioned) is supposed to be smotther and better for the life of a bulb I believe.

A remote ballast can be digital or magnetic.

Remote just means it is mounted outside the grow room.

Damn it man... don't come round here trying to steal my thunder. ME!

Damnit Man, you just said it could be either, but didn't say why, you could have left many people more confused than they already are.

I was very confused... I thought a remot ballast was one outside the room... but I assumed he was confused and was talking about magnetic vs digital... I'm still confused
there I go again making an ass outa u n me

Pretty much all 'real' lights are remote.

You get the ballast, and a cord set with a socket.

or

a ballast and cord set and hood/cool tube.

The ballast in either can me magnetic/inductive or a digital/electronic.

The digis will claim HUGE energy savings over the magnetics. But that on ballast vs ballast Not system vs system.

A magnetic 400W HPS will pull 450W from the wall. The digi 'savings' are on that extra 50W that the ballast sucks up. The bulb still draws what it does with either ballast.

The other marketing hype (aka:BS) is bulb life. "You will get more lumens over the life span" Well most of us change bulbs after a couple grows anyways. So that extra life is pointless.

Now on the good don digis, they are quieter, and cooler running.

Good on magnetics, if it fails, I can fix it in 30 minutes, and get parts almost anywhere.


digis were kinda sketchy and price for a while. Now they are running great and strong.

LOL remote just means theres a long fucking cord between the bulb/hood and the actual ballast. So that it can be placed outside the grow room so as not to contribute to the heat in the grow chamber.

Tkfui you were right, you interpreted what this asdf101 was actually asking, he just had his terminology wrong.

I think what asdf101 was actually trying to ask was...Whats the difference between a digital ballast and a magnetic ballast? and tkfui answered to the best of his ability.

there are a few more differences. Digital is smaller, makes almost no discernable noise, less heat, more efficiency, easier on the bulb. Most of them can also run Metal Halide lights and are multi tap ( runs on 120 or 240). They cost more.

Magnetic ballasts are dirt cheap and work for a long period, they are also stupid simple. Most will not run a MH light unless it specifically states so. Most are multi tap also.

Also left out Digis can have a longer cord to the bulb.

Now I have heard, but haven't confirmed, that a magnetic *can* run an MH if you remove/bypass the igniter.

thanks guys tckfui was right i wanted to know the difference between megnetic and digital ballast which i figured from the above posts that it doesn't have much diference in the intensity of light they just are different in terms of heat factor, sound and consumtion of more power. bigbudballs said it straight, so as nodrama. sorry for the confusion in the term.

thanks again.