Phantom Digital Ballasts

Hey all,
Just joined here after a VERY long break after Overgrow went down.I used to go by "The Kid" if anyone remembers.

Been in the Hydro game since the beginning,my own custom made Aeroflo all the way for me with some cool modifications over the GH models.
Currently White Widow(for 6+years) and Great White Shark just lovin it in the oxy rich bubbled up system.

So I figured Id start off with a little input on my experience so far with the Phantom ballasts from Hydrofarm since theres not a whole lot of info on them.

Recently I purchased two Lumatek 1000's and like some other people I ran into bulb compatibility problems with the metal halide Hortilux Blue bulbs. I called Lumatek directly and they said to try the Ushio Hi Lux Grow MH conversion bulb and it should work fine so I picked them up screwed em in and the same thing happened,5 seconds on and putzed out. Hmmmmm.....WTF! Oh well!
I will not get another Lumatek until I hear no more about high end bulb compatibility problems.

So anyway I ended up getting them warrantied out and on the recommendation from my local shop I got the Phantom ballasts from Hydrofarm.

Two weeks running and I gotta say so far Im pretty impressed!

A description from Hydrofarm........

Hydrofarm's Phantom Digital Ballast arrives on the market as the most rigorously tested ballast in the industry. The Phantom features silent operation, lightweight design, multiple placement options and the maximum lumen output around. We listened to your needs and learned. Now you can reap the benefit with this durable, premium digital ballast.

Tri-mode, push-button dimmable feature gives you the light you need in your specific growing situation.
Hot re-strike programming protects the lamp in the event of a power outage
Tested for compatibility with most brands of high intensity grow lamps
Dual resettable breakers - protects lamp and household circuits
Only ballast on the market designed for vertical operation for coolest running and optimum grow space
Drives the highest light output for maximum plant growth
Universal reflector adaptor and 8 ft heavy duty cord included
Unlike magnetic ballast, Phantom runs completely silent
Patented lock & seal BAREF lamp cord installed
Internal RF protection
Triple surface aluminum fins - most efficient cooling in its class
Internal Resin coating protects components for long life



So the main thing for me was to run my Hortilux Blue bulbs and the Phantom did just that no problem.Ran the Ushio HiLux Gro no prob too.
I like the dual breaker feature.Safety #1 for me.Ive had a couple close calls in my day.
Vertical mounting on the wall is pretty sweet also.
They seem to run about the same heat as the Lumateks but still a bit less than mag ballasts.

FYI- Using a metal halide Hortilux Blue bulb I plugged the Phantom into the Killawatt meter and the reading was a pretty tight 1000 watts with only a +- 10watts.

The only thing lacking(to some)is a super lumen switch but I think I'll live.So like I said two weeks in and all is well but if anything funky happens I'll post again.
Ooops on the posting this in the Hydro section,didnt notice the equipment section til later.

Grow on!
Herb (AKA The Kid)

thanks for the 411, been thinking about picking one of these up vs. the lumatek dimmable. I ran a 400w lumatek (super lumens switch) with a hortilux blue and super HPS for 2 cycles each and have not had a problem with either

Mostly the 1000w

Mostly the 1000w

Hey Go-z,
Yeah the issue has mostly been with the 1000w Lumateks and from what I understand its a 50/50 chance.There wasnt so much of an issue with HPS just the Metal Halide Hortilux Blues.
If you like your Hort Blue and you ever go with a 1000W then get the Phantom.
Ive been thru the 1K Lumatek nightmare!
Doin a trim right now of my Widow done under the two 1K Phantoms and its great!
Any bulb no problem I love it! :yay:

Gro on!
Herb

Thanks for the info Herb! Im deciding on what dimmable to go for this very minute. My question, if you ever read this again, is how are they for hps? Im planning to switch from 4000w, to six dimmables and running either (6) 600's constantly or (3x3) 1000's flip flopped.

Im leaning towards the phantoms I believe, but if anyone can speak otherwise please let me know your opinion as well

You're on the right track!

You're on the right track!

Hackk said:

Thanks for the info Herb! Im deciding on what dimmable to go for this very minute. My question, if you ever read this again, is how are they for hps? Im planning to switch from 4000w, to six dimmables and running either (6) 600's constantly or (3x3) 1000's flip flopped.

Im leaning towards the phantoms I believe, but if anyone can speak otherwise please let me know your opinion as well

Click to expand...

Hackk,
Well just think about it,its Hydrofarm,tried and true man.Also if theres a problem they're so big of a company it would be easy to get service.
Im not saying Hydrofarm has the best products ever.Im just saying that with these Phantom ballasts so far they seem to have REALLY done it right!

Hydrofarm states they're more compatible with almost every type of bulb out there.This is important to me because I like to run 1000w MH Hortilux Blue bulbs which Lumatek seems to have issues with.
I will never forgive Lumatek for this because I got a twisted and demented crop due to my bulbs not firing properly with my Lumas.

Your HPS should do great with the Phantoms!Get the Hort HPS.Awesome bulb!

I personally dont flip flop in bloom but I DO like the 1000w dimmables because of the versatility.The Phantoms let you dim a 1000w down to a 750w or a 600w.Thats great when vegging.
Any way you go you should be happy with them.

If you do get them and your happy dig up this post and let me know.
Good Luck

Grow on!
Herb

will do! thanks

I picked up a Phantom Digital locally for $275. It is hanging on the wall now. Ultra silent, doesn't get very warm, and the dimmable feature is great. Definitely worth the money, though i know i got it on a deal from the store owner, i would still pay over $300 for it. I feel a whole lot safer knowing that I will have that digital 1000w running in my house while i am not there instead of a magnetic.

how do these compare to say the quantums? im looking at getting 3x 600 watt units and i can get the quantums for 180.00 shipped versus these at over 35 dollars more per ballast

on another note i found these hydrofarm units for about 215.00 shipped using ebay and 8% bing cashbackgl

I saw one of these in a hydro store, nice sleek black design, sturdy contruction, they look pretty legit, all reviews so far have been good, definitely worth a try.


quantums have treated me well over the past year, but i have 600's not 1000's so cannot directly comment. good luck guys ill be buying a few of these soon i hope

turbo what bulbs do you run? heard some issues with hortilux and digis

I just bought a new 600w, the one in my mother room crapped out, and when i went to the grow shop looking for a regular lume

i saw one of these and had to ask about it, it looks badass, with the buttons and shit haha

and i guess there real efficient too and the 5 year warranty was cool but what sealed it is i got it for $30 less then a lumatek, i got it for $170

after about 2 weeks i got no complaints

I like the Phantom because it prevents hot re-strike. Lumatek is better than magnetics in this regard but from lumatek.co.uk:

Hot Re-strike
It is VERY important that the lamp is given adequate time to cool down before it is reignited. You should allow a hot lamp to cool for 20-30 minutes before you try to re-strike it. Hot re-strikes cause premature lamp failure and lumen output degradation. Additionally, the lamp should never be turned off before the lamp reaches full intensity.

I seem to recall older Lumatek advertising saying they would prevent hot re-strikes.
Anyway, I bought a pair of $80 15 minute on-delay timers for my Lumateks just to be safe.

Hi, I was wondering which Lumatek ballast you were using, cause I also heard about how some bulbs weren't compatible with them but found that to be not true. I run Hortilux Super Blue which is a 1000w bulb w/ 600w hps and 400w mh in 1 bulb and have had no problems at all, contrary to what I read. I'm going to switch to different brand of dual arcs soon, cause of Hortilux's recent strongarm style pricing policy change for July 1st 2010(they're now telling stores how much they have to sell them for or take away there supply), I can no longer obtain the bulbs I like to use at a reasonable price, so I'm going to try a different brand w/ my adjustable 1000w Lumatek ballast. does anyone use a brand like Solarmax? how does this brand compare to Hortilux?

I have had elux, lumatek, and a Phantom 600. The Lumatek is the only one to ever have problems. It blew the fuse and plastic cover off, lol.

joedub: I have 600W Lumateks, previous version (non-dimmable). For HPS bulbs I have Agrosun (Hydrofarm). Those 600s are problematic with Hortilux HPS. For a replacement, I might try the new Lumatek HPS lamp. Either that or Ushio.
Update: heard some surprisingly negative results with Lumatek lamps.

Horti's are not for digital ballasts! The Phantom needs a new kind of bulb that opperates at a higher frequency than older hps models.

You need to use a halide bulb for flower (I know it sounds crazy but it is a new technology) made by Sunpulse.....

http://www.sunpulselamps.com/

entrails said:

Horti's are not for digital ballasts! The Phantom needs a new kind of bulb that opperates at a higher frequency than older hps models.

You need to use a halide bulb for flower (I know it sounds crazy but it is a new technology) made by Sunpulse.....

http://www.sunpulselamps.com/

Click to expand...

I've been hearing this more and more lately... Do you have any links to profiles or people/threads using these sunpulse MH lamps?

bump...any more recent experience with phantom digi ballasts? I'm finally thinking about making the switch to digi ballasts temporarily before swapping the room over to DE