Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH)

[Deft]

I like CMH a lot, it makes a HPS ballast do more and for CHEEP. That said I do like HPS more for flower but not much more, HPS is almost as good IMO but thats with only two grows with cmh so far.

CMH is a great thing to get if you already have a HPS ballast or want one light that does it all.

 

[CTSV]

Casey Jonesay 39 CMH

Casey Jonesay 39 CMH

CMH definitely does it all. Here is a Power House 4 days into flower, vegged up under 400 watts of CMH, flowering under 1600 watts of CMH.

 

[onegreenday]

you can't go wrong with a CMH even for a back up bulb in case the HPS kicks or needs changing. Can't possibly hurt and a little experimenting is fun.

You can side by side your HPS and discover if light spectrum changes the smoke.
Good fun there.

and keep the old HPS for backup to CMH.

 

[CTSV]

 

[Richard Gozinya]

CTSV, man those pics a few posts up are outstanding, that Pine tar looks to good to smoke. Great pics and nice set up. I'm going to order a 400 watt bulb and replace the HPS i have. Yours and the rest are having really nice results. Thanks for sharing.

 

[CTSV]

Good choice Rich.

 

[Sojourner]

This thread has convinced me to make the switch to CMH, but I have a couple questions. First, what is the best place to buy a 400 watt cmh bulb? Is http://advancedtechlighting.com/ still pretty much the only place?
Second, what makes a magnetic ballast good or not? I am looking at these: http://www.1000bulbs.com/400-Watt-High-Pressure-Sodium/ , but I'm not sure if it's worth the savings or not. I'd appreciate any recommendations for a ballast. My budget is around $150-200. I'd like to be able to pick up both the ballast and bulb for around that, but I am willing to go a little over. I already have a maxwing reflector and the mogul socket.

Thanks

 

[hoosierdaddy]

atl is the place to get the bulb. I think they have ballast as well.
I got my ballast kit at HTG Supply for $55. It has a mogel socket with it, and you will need a decent sized box to hold it, cords, grips, etc...
http://www.htgsupply.com/products.asp?categoryID=3&subcategoryID=95&typeID=49

 

[Sojourner]

atl is the place to get the bulb. I think they have ballast as well.
I got my ballast kit at HTG Supply for $55. It has a mogel socket with it, and you will need a decent sized box to hold it, cords, grips, etc...
http://www.htgsupply.com/products.asp?categoryID=3&subcategoryID=95&typeID=49

Hmm, thanks for the info. I'm looking at a few other ballasts at HTG supply. The agrostar 400watt hps http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=49047 looks pretty decent to me. I've wired CFL light fixtures before, but I'm not sure about my ability to wire up a ballast and everything. I worry I'd mess something up. I think I'm just gonna swing for the agrostar, or some other pre-assembled ballast.

 

[Cuffs]

Any update cmh 600 or 1000 watt model yet?

 

[CTSV]

Any update cmh 600 or 1000 watt model yet?

IMO, it's not going to happen.

 

[Pinball Wizard]

400 watt is the favorite size for industrial users. That's where the money is.

 

[Azeotrope]

I just picked up a MetroLight brand electronic ballast 150w that runs at 120-140hz square wave form output. Perfect and manufacture approved for the CMH bulbs in that wattage. I think I will have to go to the supply house and pick up a little 150watter for the veg cabinet. Currently running a psmh 4k in there on a very high frequency ARO electronic ballast. The neat thing about the Metrolight is that it has been manufacture approved/tested on PSMH, CMH and HPS (100v arc tube S56) bulbs so it gives some options for playing.

I will probably put the high frequency ARO in the flower cab with a 14k 150w bulb for the last 3weeks of flower. The last 10-14days I think I will run the CMH for 10 hrs and the 14k for 20hrs to re-test a theory that the high blue and long hrs at the end will pump up the resin even more. So the 14k would come on 5hrs before the cmh and off 5hrs after.

 

[Mackawber]

I'm Impressed / Happy With CMH

I'm Impressed / Happy With CMH

I'm pretty happy with what the 400 watt CMH bulb will do. My problem now is controlling humidity so next run will be with a good dehumidifier and not the piece of shit I'm using now.

Day 50 with probably another 15 days to go on a run of white Russian / White Satin in 3 gallon buckets. The light penetration is pretty good. I have a 600 watt HPS but I'm not going to use it.

The buds are starting their swelling now, getting fat. Gave them their last feed--2 tablespoons of blackstrap mollasses / 2 tablespoons of earth juice bloom/ 1 tablespoon liquid karma/1tablespoon of pulverized dolomitic lime (pH control) ---mixed it up 3 days in advance into 3 gallons of distilled, served shaken, not stirred.




I'm getting good penetration with the CMH light and good primary bud size so I'm not going to bother bringing out the 600 watt HPS...





Most of the fans are still pretty green and pointing up showing vigor, strenght and overfeeding!



Day 50 primary bud shot. Need to do a close up at harvest.

 

[Pinball Wizard]

Day 50 with probably another 15 days to go on a run of white Russian / White Satin in 3 gallon buckets. The light penetration is pretty good. I have a 600 watt HPS but I'm not going to use it.

my gawd, man .. you should have used both...and seen the face of god.....

 

[rasputen]

WoW ! Great thread.

I am still back at page 20 in reading.....but I want to share some info.

Back at OG I got turned on to these wonderfull CMH 400W lights and rather than be skeptical , I just ordered 2 of them.

This was in March 2004 and CMH lights were way so new!!
I ordered and recieved 2 Philips 400W/Verticle lamps and neither would fire on my S51 ballasts.

I did a thread at the time , and the lamps that did not fire looked like this:
Not in circuit: Dud1

In circuit: Dud2

In circuit: Dud3


Notice the EXTREME darkness around the ends of Dud1 !!!!
I think I bought the first bulbs from (edit 1000)Bulbs dot Com but not positive.
Anyway I went through the rigImaroll of email exchanges with the rep and after inventing a story about having a softball field (was noiding big time)
and having complaints about the "yeller" light.

Anyway, the rep finally sent me the replacement bulbs and they looked like THIS:


Notice the darkended ends ! The old bulbs had the dark over 90% of the lamp,
the new ones were great and fired up first time.



Now the only problem was: in 2004 the only CMH bulbs Philips made in 400W were Base UP/Verticle rated !!!! I took the chance and burned them in Horozontal SuperSun AC hoods w/tempered glass.
Long story short: I grew two years + with those V style bulbs and all they did was reduce in output gradually just like any other HID.

The moral of this story is : CMH bulbs absoluty ROCK!!! I have used them 12/12 exclusively for over 4 years and it is almost like indoor Hawaii (It is alledged that any MJ grown outdoors in Hawaii morphs into super dank !!!).
The Newer H versions seem brighter, but thats all I buy now so I can't compare the V to H.

Now I'll be the first to admit that I tend to hyperbolize a "bit".... but the truth is there for those that seek it.

I don't post much.... but some may rember my OG dayz when I did some strange electrical experiments with measuring the EC of a growing plant with a meter and also the EC of the dirt. Just playing around. Also had a thread called "Cut a Hole in my Wall : Secret Garden" that was very popular.

Anyway, I just sayin'......Just get 1 400W CMH and try it in an S51 ballast and that will show you a whole new world.

Internode spacing like MH only better, Chrystal production like the SUN,
And dank sweet stone and flavors that can be coaxed out with the correct other factors (organic nutes ...ect)

Summation = CMH ROCKS and so cheap every "kid" on EVERY block should be using them!!!!!

*<8O)>----rasputen

 

[duddits]

How many grows (70 day cycles) should I expect before replacing my 400 CMH?

 

[Azeotrope]

Rasputen -
Much respect for sticking it out. I have been using the 400w and 250w from just months after their initial release. Now, I have not had any fail short of a couple of yrs burning in the wrong position, but do not deny that some have had a little struggle with ignition and the like. I tried to get folks on board back in my OG days. I do not post as often as I used to, but would like everyone to know that the sun can't be beat! All we can do is our best to imitate it's production. Nice looking set-up there.

Good growing to ya!!

 

[hoosierdaddy]

I think he said two years with the V in the H position.
BTW...I am almost 110% positive that the V and H position bulbs are the exact same item, save for maybe some labeling. The bulb run in the H position is going to see somewhat lesser life than same conditions in V.

rasp, if I were not already convinced of the superiority of the CMH over anything else available, I would definitely have been persuaded by your short but sweet testimonial.
Many would have thrown in the towel with the first bit of bad luck, such as you had.
For what it's worth, the bulb I bought had no discolorations on the interior. (shrug)
Nice write-up.

 

[Azeotrope]

hoosier - just read your SWC toob thread the other day. Many K+ for being so creative and skilled at using the creativity you exude!!!

I think his first two recieved would not fire. But, he stuck it out.

There are some slight differences in the charge in the arc tube and in the support structure for the arc tube. If you look around you will find a lot of halides that are color and output rated differently for position. Say 4k H and 3,700 Vert. But, as far as our purposes are concerned the noticable difference would most likely be ease of strike(start up) and lifespan.