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Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH)

M

Medenyx

New member
rives said:
That's interesting, I've never seen that ballast before. Has anyone seen one in the flesh? The product leaflet is dated January 31, 2013. The spec on the voltage has dropped from 277v to 240v - is that a European-market version one by any chance? It seems odd that Philips would cut out the U.S. commercial-lighting segment that uses 277.

I don't think that I've never seen a Philips ballast that didn't have the "Advance" name on it also.
Click to expand...

No "advance" !?! :bump:
...
Maybe this has to do with reduced Voltage? :drum:

(BTW, I an living in the area of European "market" :tiphat: )
 
F

Fonzarelli

Member
Why couldn't these lamps be used on a Galaxy E-Ballast? They are like 24,000 hz or something right? That's high frequency! I don't see what's so special about the Phillips E-ballasts. Someone should just give it a try.
 
whazzup

whazzup

Member
Veteran
Generally when a ballast is big and heavy it's a low frequency ballast. The advantage of high frequency ballasts is that the coils are much smaller (less weight, less copper, less bulky). The Philips ballast is quite bulky.

Advance is a subsidiary of Philips.
 
M

MrRobbyRob

New member
So forgive me, as electronics are not my forte, but I should be able to purchase a socket adapter to go on my current reflector to run the 315 agro, right? Provided I have the proper ballast? (sure don't want to pay retail on those greenbeam reflectors!)
 
rives

rives

Inveterate Tinkerer
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
MrRobbyRob said:
So forgive me, as electronics are not my forte, but I should be able to purchase a socket adapter to go on my current reflector to run the 315 agro, right? Provided I have the proper ballast? (sure don't want to pay retail on those greenbeam reflectors!)
Click to expand...

I don't know what the cost or minimum order on the attached adapter is, but here you are. You can also change out the socket assembly completely rather than using an adapter.

http://lighting.mitronix.com/item/a...13b?&plpver=10&origin=keyword&filter=&by=prod

http://lighting.mitronix.com/item/a...ver=10&categid=100&prodid=1013&origin=keyword
 
soursmoker

soursmoker

East Coast, All Day!
Veteran
Ok I know it is frowned upon to come in asking questions when you could get most the answers by reading the thread but I just can't right now. So let me just make sure I got this all right....


so advancedtechlighting always has carried the the 400w HPS Retro Whites, no they are being discountinued and sold until they run out of stock, correct? these utilize HPS ballasts...

the replacement is the 315w CDM Allstart which uses a MH ballast?

So from the experts, which is better, which is perferred?

I currently have a 150w HPS for flowering and 2x55w PL-Ls for vegging.

I am looking to upgrade my lighting soon, and everytime I look at HPS, I remember you can get the same light for less money and less heat by getting CMH's...

so should I go for the 400w Retro White and buy a HPS ballast? get the 315w CDM allstarts and buy a MH ballast? what is the max sq ft you can flower under one of these? 3x3?

what do you guys think? Also where is reccomended place to get the equipment? do you order the bulbs and ballasts off different sites?

And lastly, does anyone have experience with this setup?

Seems like a decent deal, but the equipment could be shit...

Sorry for all the questions.
 
GreenThumb14

GreenThumb14

Member
soursmoker said:
Ok I know it is frowned upon to come in asking questions when you could get most the answers by reading the thread but I just can't right now. So let me just make sure I got this all right....


so advancedtechlighting always has carried the the 400w HPS Retro Whites, no they are being discountinued and sold until they run out of stock, correct? these utilize HPS ballasts...

the replacement is the 315w CDM Allstart which uses a MH ballast?

So from the experts, which is better, which is perferred?

I currently have a 150w HPS for flowering and 2x55w PL-Ls for vegging.

I am looking to upgrade my lighting soon, and everytime I look at HPS, I remember you can get the same light for less money and less heat by getting CMH's...

so should I go for the 400w Retro White and buy a HPS ballast? get the 315w CDM allstarts and buy a MH ballast? what is the max sq ft you can flower under one of these? 3x3?

what do you guys think? Also where is reccomended place to get the equipment? do you order the bulbs and ballasts off different sites?

And lastly, does anyone have experience with this setup?

Seems like a decent deal, but the equipment could be shit...

Sorry for all the questions.
Click to expand...


Things I can tell you is that the HTG Supply kit uses the GE bulb, which I would stay away with. I personally would only use the Philips CMH (CDM) bulbs.

My setup is 2 3x3 spaces, one space is lit by a 250w retro white and a 150w allstart cmh (which can be fired from a magnetic or electronic ballast) and the other 3x3 is lit by a 330w allstart conversion bulb, which is designed for pulse or probe start MH mag ballasts. The total bulb/ballast power draw on that is 400w.

That being said, the 315w agro bulb would be a better bet than the 400w retro white - IMO. It's a more efficient bulb, so you get more lumens per watt and a slightly better spectrum. Retro Whites are being phased out (in my belief) because they are old tech.

What you need to power the 315w bulb, I'm not sure. More experienced folks here will help you out with that.

I don't know much about AdvancedTech lighting other than what I read but I personally wouldn't buy anything from them. So far I've bought most of my bulbs from 1000bulbs.com. Personally, I find the cheapest and closest vendor to buy from. Call the vendor and double check the bulb is in stock because these CDM bulbs are not always readily available.
 
soursmoker

soursmoker

East Coast, All Day!
Veteran
GreenThumb14 said:
Things I can tell you is that the HTG Supply kit uses the GE bulb, which I would stay away with. I personally would only use the Philips CMH (CDM) bulbs.

My setup is 2 3x3 spaces, one space is lit by a 250w retro white and a 150w allstart cmh (which can be fired from a magnetic or electronic ballast) and the other 3x3 is lit by a 330w allstart conversion bulb, which is designed for pulse or probe start MH mag ballasts. The total bulb/ballast power draw on that is 400w.

That being said, the 315w agro bulb would be a better bet than the 400w retro white - IMO. It's a more efficient bulb, so you get more lumens per watt and a slightly better spectrum. Retro Whites are being phased out (in my belief) because they are old tech.

What you need to power the 315w bulb, I'm not sure. More experienced folks here will help you out with that.

I don't know much about AdvancedTech lighting other than what I read but I personally wouldn't buy anything from them. So far I've bought most of my bulbs from 1000bulbs.com. Personally, I find the cheapest and closest vendor to buy from. Call the vendor and double check the bulb is in stock because these CDM bulbs are not always readily available.
Click to expand...


thanks yeah I was thinking about not getting the HTG after reading a bit...

Advancedtechlighting has great info but I've heard mixed reviews on customer service.

Thanks for all the info, I think I would rather go with the 315 CDM allstarts for the reasons you stated.

Advancedtechlighting says that they "Use Ansi Ballasts M59/O M165/O M128/O M135/O M155/O M172/O"


So which of those ballasts would be the best option and where would you reccomend purchasing the ballast from?

Thanks again!

Anyone welcome to answer these questions!
 
U

unthing

i have mh/hps mag ballast that fires cmh fine. i would be able to use it with allstart with matching wattage i think? if they come to europe.
 
F

Fonzarelli

Member
I just purchased the 860w Allstart to run a SPD on the spectrum since no one seems to have one for some strange coincidence. I also had to buy a special EX socket and MH 1000w ballast. Sure costs a lot just to find out the damn spectrum. I'm sure I will be using it however as it is a CMH right?
 
rives

rives

Inveterate Tinkerer
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
SourSmoker, I think that you are getting two different Philips lines mixed up, but perhaps not - they are overlapping so much that it is getting hard to keep track of. I haven't seen a 315w CDM AllStart - there is a 330w CDM AllStart, and a new mogul base version of the 315w CDM Elite. The AllStarts are compatible with various magnetic ballasts, but from what I've been able to put together, the only 315w lamps are the MasterColor CDM Elite line, and they all require electronic ballasts. The following link is to a brochure that has a table at the bottom that delineates the differences.

http://www.lighting.philips.com/pwc...rColor-CDM-Elite-Mogul-Base-Lamp-Brochure.pdf
 
Greenheart

Greenheart

Active member
Veteran
Fonzarelli said:
I just purchased the 860w Allstart to run a SPD on the spectrum since no one seems to have one for some strange coincidence. I also had to buy a special EX socket and MH 1000w ballast. Sure costs a lot just to find out the damn spectrum. I'm sure I will be using it however as it is a CMH right?
Click to expand...
I am curious about the micromol output. I strongly considered one when replacing my 1k bulb this year. I played it safe and stuck with what I knew until I saw more photosynthetic photon flux (ppf) information.
 
soursmoker

soursmoker

East Coast, All Day!
Veteran
rives said:
SourSmoker, I think that you are getting two different Philips lines mixed up, but perhaps not - they are overlapping so much that it is getting hard to keep track of. I haven't seen a 315w CDM AllStart - there is a 330w CDM AllStart, and a new mogul base version of the 315w CDM Elite. The AllStarts are compatible with various magnetic ballasts, but from what I've been able to put together, the only 315w lamps are the MasterColor CDM Elite line, and they all require electronic ballasts. The following link is to a brochure that has a table at the bottom that delineates the differences.

http://www.lighting.philips.com/pwc...rColor-CDM-Elite-Mogul-Base-Lamp-Brochure.pdf
Click to expand...

Ok this makes a bit more sense now...

With this being said, what is the perferred or "best" option here?

Do you guys perfer the bulbs that run on magnetic ballasts or electronic ballasts?

has any conclusion been made yet what the optimal setup is for CMH?
 
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