CptRFBurton
New member
i'm running one 600, and a 600/400 dual spectrum, all Lumatek distributed by Humboldt wholesale through local grow store. The problem: i bought these six months ago when i started growing again, then i bought and subsequently returned, a number of pH testers which all gave unstable readings, and finally ended up with Bluelab's Truncheon which sorta gave repeatable pH results, but only in my veg/mother room which runs on t5's. I couldn't get good pH readings in the flower room no matter what.
During a change-out, when both lights were off, i tried a pH reading just for the hell of it, and holy shit the meter worked flawlessly - locking on in 5 seconds, when it usually reads all over the scale. I turned the lights on, and the readings flipped out. Turned the light off again, and the readings stabilized. Through experimenting with different combinations of ballasts running, i determined that one 600 fills the room with interference, one 600 interferes with about half the room, and the 400 only interferes inside a radius of 2'.
The potential for this RF interefence problem had occurred to me back when i was having all the pH meter problems. I talked with the distributor, and was told "we've sold 3000 of these, and you're the only one who's complained...". The grow store told me i was imagining this, and to "stop drinking so much espresso". So for 6 months i've been using the colorimetric pH dropper business on the two 40 gal. flower systems with predictably shitty results (0.7 gram/watt). I got the local store employee to stop by my grow to witness the interference for himself, then had him call the distributor, and was told i could swap the ballasts (when they get stock in). My questions:
1. The two 600's have no ground wire in the lamp cord, the 400 watter does have a ground wire. Does that mean the 600s' cords are unshielded?
2. Anyone else have this experience?
Just remember - when someone tells you "...you're the only one who's..." that's doesn't mean you are wrong.
During a change-out, when both lights were off, i tried a pH reading just for the hell of it, and holy shit the meter worked flawlessly - locking on in 5 seconds, when it usually reads all over the scale. I turned the lights on, and the readings flipped out. Turned the light off again, and the readings stabilized. Through experimenting with different combinations of ballasts running, i determined that one 600 fills the room with interference, one 600 interferes with about half the room, and the 400 only interferes inside a radius of 2'.
The potential for this RF interefence problem had occurred to me back when i was having all the pH meter problems. I talked with the distributor, and was told "we've sold 3000 of these, and you're the only one who's complained...". The grow store told me i was imagining this, and to "stop drinking so much espresso". So for 6 months i've been using the colorimetric pH dropper business on the two 40 gal. flower systems with predictably shitty results (0.7 gram/watt). I got the local store employee to stop by my grow to witness the interference for himself, then had him call the distributor, and was told i could swap the ballasts (when they get stock in). My questions:
1. The two 600's have no ground wire in the lamp cord, the 400 watter does have a ground wire. Does that mean the 600s' cords are unshielded?
2. Anyone else have this experience?
Just remember - when someone tells you "...you're the only one who's..." that's doesn't mean you are wrong.
