normal ballast Vs digital ballast

S

smokeh

Well-Known Member
whats the difference?

ive heard that digi ballasts are good because they save u energy? also ive heard that normal ballasts are loud?

just how loud? i dont want the thing humming so every1 can hear it, or even slightly hear it.

also, ive read that digi ballasts whilst saving energy, run quiet, tend to have more 'out of the box' problems than normal ones.

i dont wanna spend extra money if its not needed. can any1 help me compare them for a 600w.

thanks
 
calicat

calicat

Well-Known Member
smokeh said:
whats the difference?

ive heard that digi ballasts are good because they save u energy? also ive heard that normal ballasts are loud?

just how loud? i dont want the thing humming so every1 can hear it, or even slightly hear it.

also, ive read that digi ballasts whilst saving energy, run quiet, tend to have more 'out of the box' problems than normal ones.

i dont wanna spend extra money if its not needed. can any1 help me compare them for a 600w.

thanks
Click to expand...
They do save a little energy because they are efficient at routing enrgy from your socket into your bulb. They also have fail safe mechanisms when a surge occurs they are not affected by them. They are dead quiet. They do generate alot of heat though. Are extremely light weight.

Magnetic ballasts are loud most have an annoying buzzing noise that eventually comes and goes. They are extremely bulky. They take up too much space not unless you mount it on the wall. Cheaper than digital ballasts.

Your choice man and good luck.
 
2

20$oz

New Member
Digital ballasts are also switchable so you can use both MH and HPS. Digital ballasts also will not interfere with other electronics...i.e. you won't see alot of interference on a close television or you won't hear interference on a close radio...pros and cons for both, but in my book digital wins hands down
 
S

smokeh

Well-Known Member
how loud are the normal ballasts?

my grow is in the shed in my back garden. i dont want it humming through there bcoz by passes will hear it. that loud?

i have a surge protector on the socket where my extension will be plugged in and then the ballast will be plugged into the extension. so that should be safe?

real noob with these ballasts
 
bonz

bonz

Well-Known Member
unless they are in the same room they wont hear nothing.
you can make a regular hps ballast into a switchable one for both mh/hps.
and it`s the digi`s that do the interfeering not the magnetic ones. those have gotten better now though.
 
S

smokeh

Well-Known Member
ah cool, coz im going to get my hps in 15 mins. so think ill stick with a normal ballast then. if they do the trick then thats fine.

its a dual spectrum bulb so i wont be switching from mh to hps or anything. just 1 bulb
 
bonz

bonz

Well-Known Member
if you ever need the wiring diagram on how to do the convertion, just let me know and i`ll post it
 
F

fizzle

Active Member
Digital ballasts die early. The old school ones can run for a decade or longer. I know a few people that have had theirs for 10 years.
 
N

NoDrama

Well-Known Member
maxmax7777 said:
Digital Ballasts and premature bulb failure.
Much has changed and much has been learned about digital ballasts. Frankly, the jury is still out on the digi vs mag ballast debate.
Yes Digital are lighter, yes they are extremely quiet, yes they cost more to purchase, no they do not cost less to run, yes they do produce more usable light for the plants, most modern digital ballasts are shielded now, some still are not, usually the cheaper knock off brands. Magnetic Ballsts are old, tried and true technology with little issues beyond, hot, heavy, inefficient and cheap.

#1 Issue remains, finding bulbs able to run their full life expectancy on digital ballasts.

I have researched this and poured over the forums, the overwhelming amount of reports are of definate premature failure of most bulbs when run on digital ballasts.
Sun Pulse claims to have the only bulbs made specifically for digital ballasts, however, the reports on grower forums are these bulbs fall short when it comes to comparative yeilds in side by side tests with hortilux.
I am hearing possibly now the Digilux bulbs may be better suited for digital ballasts, however more on the ground reports are needed to conclude this thread.
I want to believe digital ballasts are the way of the future, but I will need more confirmation from the industry and grower forums before the final vote. I will try to get back on this as my research pans out.
Oh, and for the record, lumetec ballasts have one of the highest failure rates in the industry. Quantum has one of the best. Phantom, the digital ballast with all the bells and whistles also has a very impressive low return/failure rate. Also note that Phantom has 5 year warrenty and Quantum has 3 year warrenty over lumitecs 2 year warrenty. Around here all these ballasts sell for the same cost $375, so there is little reason to purchase lumitec.
As said, each grower must find their own way, lets keep the spirit of HELPING each other alive. Just share what you have learned. I want to here more on bulb failure rates and compatiblity issues with different bulb brands with digital ballasts brands. :leaf::idea:
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You have spammed this exact same post 14 times over, you are a shill for Phantom. You post is full of misleading unfounded data and claims. All of your posts are the exact same spam.

Lumatek has the Exact same 5 year Warranty as Phantom, exactly the same. BEST IN THE BUSINESS!!

Lumateks have the same failure rate as other Quality Digital Ballasts do, there is just more of them since they are the market leader and have been for quite some time and have been on the market for much much longer therefore there are a lot more lumatek out there that are years and years older than the newest Phantom that have only been on the market for a few years. Its kind of like saying you see alot more 1995 Chevys in the shop than the 2010 Ford models and therefore coming to the conclusion that Chevy is not as reliable a vehicle as the Ford.

I reported you for Spam.
 
M

maxmax7777

Member
No sir, not spam, and not the exact same, I am trying to pin down issues of bulb/ballast incompatabilities and have modified my warrenty information after consulting with the digital manufactrers. i have also sent inquiries to each of the major brands asking thier recommendations as to bulbs, thanks for your input brother, but I am no shill.
 
S

swiftisaac

Member
Go digital for sure. A ballast is a ballast but digital are fairly loud its very annoying and since technology is going digital it probably would be safer considering magnetics ballast are on their way out. Both types of ballast pull the same energy but the digital are smaller quieter and probably slightly more efficient but that difference is minimal.
 
N

NoDrama

Well-Known Member
maxmax7777 said:
No sir, not spam, and not the exact same, I am trying to pin down issues of bulb/ballast incompatabilities and have modified my warrenty information after consulting with the digital manufactrers. i have also sent inquiries to each of the major brands asking thier recommendations as to bulbs, thanks for your input brother, but I am no shill.
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Yes you are, you are trying to push your product by making false claims and outright lies about other products that are easily provable as such. Why do you think your posts keep being deleted?
 
ledgrowing

ledgrowing

Well-Known Member
lumatek dimmable is the only way togo my 600w set to super lumens is brighter in lux on my light meter burning a 1000w bulb as my old 1000 mag ballast
 
W

wowzerz

Well-Known Member
Has anyone mentiuoned the fact that some digital ballasts are dimmable? To me that hands down is the reason I am using them, and will continue to. Makes things soooo much easier. Use less power when they are small. If you hava HOT days in the summer (like I do) and temps get iout of hand you can easily just cut the power back to them. They have been a godsend for me.
 
thecoolman

thecoolman

New Member
What a joke there is almost no difference in lumen output between digital and magnetic. In fact after a month or so the magnetic is brighter because of bulb degradation by digitals.
 
V

VanishingToaster

Active Member
calicat said:
They do save a little energy because they are efficient at routing enrgy from your socket into your bulb. They also have fail safe mechanisms when a surge occurs they are not affected by them. They are dead quiet. They do generate alot of heat though. Are extremely light weight.

Magnetic ballasts are loud most have an annoying buzzing noise that eventually comes and goes. They are extremely bulky. They take up too much space not unless you mount it on the wall. Cheaper than digital ballasts.

Your choice man and good luck.
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digital ballast produce NO heat. i bought a magnetic ballast and it shot my room up by 12'c.

the main reason i bought a digital a week after buying a magnetic was purely down the amount of fires i'd heard about because of the heat issue and how hot magnetics run. the magnetic was also quite loud and will attract attention if ur on a stealth grow
 
V

VanishingToaster

Active Member
thecoolman said:
What a joke there is almost no difference in lumen output between digital and magnetic. In fact after a month or so the magnetic is brighter because of bulb degradation by digitals.
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there is more bulb degradation in magnetic ballasts as they tend not to have a soft start option which improves the lifespan of your bulb. by gradually increasing the power from ballast to bulb gradually over 5 mins its not shocking ur bulb with however many watts all at once.

i wish people would learn the facts before they post incorrect information as your bad info could cost someone thousands
 
jondamon

jondamon

Well-Known Member
People COME ON WAKE UP. You've re-opened a nearly 4 year old thread about digi vs mag ballasts.







J
 
HydroDawg421

HydroDawg421

Well-Known Member
fizzle said:
Digital ballasts die early. The old school ones can run for a decade or longer. I know a few people that have had theirs for 10 years.
Click to expand...

My digital ballast comes with a 5yr warranty. I hope it dies every 6 months for the next 5 years!!!
 
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