Ballasts - what should I look for when picking one?

[noBraveNewWorld]

I understand what their function is - to supply a constant flow of electrical energy to the bulb/led. However, I am having trouble making ends of what to look for when buying a ballast. Apparently, you cannot use certain ballasts with both HPS and MH bulbs, and LEDs seem to have their own ballasts, too. Moreover, there is a difference in the type of ballast - magnetic or electronic.

Also, can I use a ballast like this one to power a 100W HPS bulb?

Please help me understand.

 

[AppliedScience]

I would pick the type of light source you want to use first (HPS/MH/LED/CFL) than look for a ballast to run it.

LEDs and CFLs almost always have power supplies built in. If you go with HID (HPS/MH) electronic ballasts are generally better than magnetics in just about every respect.

 

[OG Tree Grower]

Magnetics are the best imo. Way cheaper and last way longer.

If your building a ballast I always buy the hps one because it can run both hps and mh. Then just put a toggle switch on your igniter , if you wanna run hps you leave the igniter tied in, When you wanna run mh you flip the toggle switch to shut off the igniter and then it runs the mh.

 

[TreehouseJ]

Magnetics for safety.

One of the most embarrassing moments of my life was when the cable guy came to my house and basically told me he knew what I was up to.

It was a big fiasco. Instead of knocking on my door and asking what could be going on, they turned the other cheek for a year and just kept snipping my cable line. I was disturbing "upwards of 600 people" with 1x600w ballast, and even more when I was running 3. Cable guy at my doorstep said VERBATIM "Now don't worry, I'm not coming inside to look around, but other guys are coming in the week so BE SURE to let them in, and since FIOS isn't available for you here yet, I would recommend cancelled your service and going with satellite."

Dude knew so hard. It was very humiliating.

Most Digis are cheaply and unscrupulously manufactured in China. FCC here in the USA don't play, and people will lose their minds if you boot them off the internet.

AM radio interference disappeared after ~10 feet. RFI interference did not.

 

[noBraveNewWorld]

I would pick the type of light source you want to use first (HPS/MH/LED/CFL) than look for a ballast to run it.

LEDs and CFLs almost always have power supplies built in. If you go with HID (HPS/MH) electronic ballasts are generally better than magnetics in just about every respect.

Ok, so can that ballast I linked in my OP run an HPS bulb? It's a ballast used for car lights, apparently.

Magnetics are the best imo. Way cheaper and last way longer.

If your building a ballast I always buy the hps one because it can run both hps and mh. Then just put a toggle switch on your igniter , if you wanna run hps you leave the igniter tied in, When you wanna run mh you flip the toggle switch to shut off the igniter and then it runs the mh.

Is the igniter the only difference in a ballast that can run HPS and one that can run MH?

How can I build a ballast? Are there kits available?

Magnetics for safety.

One of the most embarrassing moments of my life was when the cable guy came to my house and basically told me he knew what I was up to.

It was a big fiasco. Instead of knocking on my door and asking what could be going on, they turned the other cheek for a year and just kept snipping my cable line. I was disturbing "upwards of 600 people" with 1x600w ballast, and even more when I was running 3. Cable guy at my doorstep said VERBATIM "Now don't worry, I'm not coming inside to look around, but other guys are coming in the week so BE SURE to let them in, and since FIOS isn't available for you here yet, I would recommend cancelled your service and going with satellite."

Dude knew so hard. It was very humiliating.

Most Digis are cheaply and unscrupulously manufactured in China. FCC here in the USA don't play, and people will lose their minds if you boot them off the internet.

AM radio interference disappeared after ~10 feet. RFI interference did not.

I didn't fully understand your post. I emboldened the parts that were unclear. Was your 600W ballast magnetic or electronic?

If the electrician knew and didn't say anything, that was a great gesture by him.

 

[TreehouseJ]

I didn't fully understand your post. I emboldened the parts that were unclear. Was your 600W ballast magnetic or electronic?

If the electrician knew and didn't say anything, that was a great gesture by him.

they turned the other cheek for a year and just kept snipping my cable line.

Despite the fact that I was disrupting upwards of 600 people with only 1 600w digital ballast, the field technicians from the cable company apparently didn't want to bother with the hassle of talking to the guy causing that kind of signature interference. They literally kept slicing/snipping/cutting my cable line from the outside. Probably in hopes that I would figure it out on my own.

"since FIOS isn't available for you here yet, I would recommend canceling* your service and going with satellite."


The RFI traveled through my cable line, causing my neighbors internet and television interference. My cable and internet ran just fine, but I guess I was sending much more noise out through the wires than anything else. Fiber Optic cable runs on smaller grids. It allows for much faster internet, but it costs the cable companies $4-5k per household to run the wire, and it's newer technology, so FIOS isn't an option for most people yet. Satellite TV eliminates the need for a cable line in or out.


Most Digis are cheaply and unscrupulously manufactured in China. FCC here in the USA don't play, and people will lose their minds if you boot them off the internet.


This one is a bit self explanatory. We work with a lot of water and electricity. For whatever reason, China gets to cut a lot of corners and make products that aren't quite up to code. Just avoid Chinese everything.

Google "RFI". Household appliances run at 60 cycles per second, digis run at like 100k cycles per second or something crazy like that, causing a "noise" that can disrupt tv, internet, and radio.

My tv, internet, and radio worked fine. My 600+ neighbors', who assumedly mostly had the same provider, did not.

 

[OG Tree Grower]

Hps ballast will run both hps and mh. Mh ballast won't run hps properly and does not come with an ignitor. Yes you can buy raw 1000w hps ballasts pretty cheap. If you wanna buy a kit just buy a switchable ballast that comes with everything you need already wired in a pretty case

 

[TreehouseJ]

Hps ballast will run both hps and mh.

Without modification? Intrigued. I've only done a quick 30 sec search, but I am reading here not to run mh bulbs in a magnetic hps ballast.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=243453

Edit* I read 5 more posts down. lol. I don't think I'll ever know the extent of my own short-sightedness..

Easy way would be to install a switch inline with the ignitor on your HPS ballast. You could also do similar with MH ballast if you wanted to make it HPS, by adding an ignitor and installing the switch. The switch is not necessary either way but makes it easier when switching back an forth from MH-HPS and HPS-MH.

Hope this helps and answers your question

So.. install a switch inline with the ignitor on your HPS ballast. Because MH don't need the ignitor and using it will work but could cause a fire? Obviously more reading to do.

 

[OG Tree Grower]

No you don't have to modify anything , I've been doing it for years with many different brands of ballasts. Just disconnect the ignitor

Rives is a real electrician maybe he can elaborate on what he meant by "standard" if you pm him.

 

[TreehouseJ]

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=1840024&postcount=12

Capacitors are different.
22mf for MH and 55 mf for HPS

Seems like it would work, but you could potentially run into problems. I've been studying for awhile to pull my electrical license, but all of this is still Japanese to me. I don't know sh*t.

 

[AppliedScience]

What model of ballast were you running TreehouseJ?

 

[TreehouseJ]

What model of ballast were you running TreehouseJ?

Ipower. Half of the ebay digis listed are ipower. I wouldn't compare all digis using the lowest common denominator, if security and stealth weren't of the utmost importance. Unless you have the necessary equipment to verify that you aren't disturbing your neighbors (not an am radio), or you live in a med/rec state, it seems the comparison is warranted. China is notorious for cutting corners with stuff like this, and to the best of my knowledge, they manufacture 99% of all digis these days.

Chinese equipment in the grow leaves me sleepin' like..

 

[Dankwolf]

Magnetic hps . they work, they last, they are cheap . $120 for 1000 watt in oregon and you can get the parts almost any where .

 

[moses wellfleet]

Here is an article from a hydro store discussing magnetic vs. digital

http://www.growell.co.uk/blog/2014/08/digital-ballasts-vs-magnetic-ballasts

 

[moses wellfleet]

Ipower. Half of the ebay digis listed are ipower. I wouldn't compare all digis using the lowest common denominator, if security and stealth weren't of the utmost importance. Unless you have the necessary equipment to verify that you aren't disturbing your neighbors (not an am radio), or you live in a med/rec state, it seems the comparison is warranted. China is notorious for cutting corners with stuff like this, and to the best of my knowledge, they manufacture 99% of all digis these days.

Chinese equipment in the grow leaves me sleepin' like..
View Image

Inspector Closeau, wasn't there a Chinese guy always trying to attack him in his house?

 

[TreehouseJ]

Inspector Closeau, wasn't there a Chinese guy always trying to attack him in his house?

I was hoping somebody would get the reference, lol.

 

[moses wellfleet]

Lol love those Pink Panther movies, Peter Sellers was a comic genius!

I saw somewhere there are US made ballasts using US parts. Pro ballast I think the name is!

I have to agree about the Chinese junk, avoid it if you can!

Edit: US made digitals that is!

 

[Vanilla Phoenix]

I run a 1000w digital quantum and love it. It's dimmable, runs really cool, and has a built in hot start delay if power flashes like you get in a storm. Hell, if you were to buy a hot start delay, most are almost half the price of the quantum!

 

[Lrus007]

get a mag HPS ballast.
no switch is needed. i been running MH
bulbs with a HPS ballast with no problems
over 5 years now. then get a mag ballast because
i have one from the 1970's that will still fire up np.
get a 1000 watt HPS because oddly you can run
a smaller bulb and it works fine. i have a friend using
600 and 400 watt bulbs with no problems with a 1000
watt ballast. hope this helps
Lrus007

 

[Del_9_THC]

My suggestion would be to first know/ find out what kind of space you will b able to grow in.

This will help to determine how hot the space will get, how much/little light you will need, ventilation, and so on.

I would NOT recommend any electrical diy unless you have solid electrical skills and/or certification. No point putting your own life or that of others one the line for some cheap dope! (Follow manufacturer's instructions....not "my mate's cousin zeke did Y for 7 years and ....")

Electronic or dimmable digital ballasts will allow to run both hps and mh bulbs and allow some range of choice in wattage. For example, a 600w dimmable digital ballast might able to run at 660w, 600w, 400w, and 300 or 250w...something like that. Digital ballasts tend to run cooler than magnetic ballasts, something to consider when deciding where to place ballasts.

Magnetic ballasts are super inexpensive, but generally aren't dimmable, nor should they be used to run both types of bulbs.

Note: The cheapest seeming option is not always the best option nor is it always the cheapest option in the long run. If you want to start off small for you first few grows, but then think you might want to go bigger, then I think a dimmable,ballast may be the way to go.

Also, do consider the RF interference. If the ballasts are crap or your cable from ballast to the light is too long or your house wiring is shit, etc, then you may be advertising that here is a grow...

Lots to consider......read up, ask about stuff at grow shop or,from buddies who grow....Find out if ballasts have UCL or other certification....oy...it can give you a headache