• Here is a link to the full explanation: https://rollitup.org/t/welcome-back-did-you-try-turning-it-off-and-on-again.1104810/

What you didn't think you needed to know about ballasts

fridayfishfry

fridayfishfry

Well-Known Member
Here is a link to everything you didn't know you wanted to know about ballasts. It's only a page and a good read
http://www.acuitybrandslighting.com/library/ll/documents/specsheets/td-100.pdf
Good info on THD... i knew something was up

Here is another link about matching the right ballast to the right bulb (never something i thought i would have to think too hard about)
http://www.kolmart.com/HID-ANSI-Code-Guide_b_3.html
If anyone knows about ANST (not ANSI) standards it would be a helpful post
 
vostok

vostok

Well-Known Member
Never a good idea to tinker with such dangerous gear, fault ...? get it fixed by a pro, as theres only a few things that can go wrong, but those few are serious dangerous ...!
 
fridayfishfry

fridayfishfry

Well-Known Member
bulbs
example using 400 watt metal halide (m59)

m59/o means it can go in an open fixture (the kind we want)
m59/e means it has to go in an enclosed fixture
m59/s means it has to go in an enclosed fixture unless it's vertical

i talked to a bulb company and they said cooling the bulb doesn't do it any good, fyi
 
fridayfishfry

fridayfishfry

Well-Known Member
FlyLikeAnEagle said:
Last week someone from the cable company came knocking on my door and said 'I don't know what you got going on in there but whatever it is its causing interference for our customers for 2 blocks all around you'. I told him I don't even have cable and he said the interference is strong enough that its reaching the box in the neighbors yard and the lines on the pole and its a violation of FCC rules.

All I was running at the time were 2 1000 watt Lumateks. These ballasts were only 2 years old and purchased after Lumatek claimed they fixed the problem with RF interference. So after he left I checked things out on my own. I went in my car and tuned it to the strongest AM station and it was nothing but static. I drove away from my house and it wasnt for at least a half a block until the static went away. Went back to the house and turned off the ballasts, got back in my car and no static whatsoever. After researching online this is a common problem with these POS ballasts.

Then I came across a ham radio website that talked about grow ballasts (Lumatek specifically) and how these ballasts can interfere with a ham radio from over 1000 feet away. Very interesting read http://www.arrl.org/grow-light-rfi

Nothing like advertising to the world you're growing.

So now I get the pleasure of having to go out and buy 2 ballasts to replace these things. Not sure if I trust any digital ballast at this point but one things is sure, fuck Lumatek.
Click to expand...

RF Interference
 
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