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Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH)

abirdintheair

abirdintheair

Buteo Jamaicensis
Veteran
re-posting to get help

re-posting to get help

Azeo and simba is it okay if i run something by you guys to get your feedback since its obvious you know these CMH bulbs inside and out? im able to pickup a HD wardrobe that I plan on converting into a dual scrog or scrog/sog cabinet. it measures 72" high by 48" wide and 20" deep. its split directly down the middle by a partition, and it has about a 10" space sectioned off all the way across the top, leaving as is 2 chambers roughly about 60x24x20 inches. I was planning on running 250w HPS bulbs but i dont want to short myself. I currently have a 150w hps inside a cab measuring 36x24x20 being cooled by 50cfm and ive noticed i could have another 150w in the space no problem with the same amout of cooling. with this new box i was originally lookin into get a 190cfm van for dual 250w hps. to the questions... ive seen earlier in this thread it was said that with CMHs they run cooler and your able to have them closer to the plant canopy, do you know how much cooler a 400w CMH runs compared to a 400w HPS? the reason i ask about 400s in that space is b/c htgsupple sells a tent thats 36x30x70 and say a 400w would run in the space along with 250w. if i go dual 400w do you think 340cfm would be enough ventilation thru the box along with computer fans blowing on the bulbs to keep temps manageable? or would i be better of goin with the orginal plan and just switch out a 250w hps for a 250w CMH? sorry its kind of long but thats for the help.
 
G

Guest

gramsci.antonio said:
i just finished my grow. I think the CMH boost too much foliar production.
I'll let ya know with yield and power.
Click to expand...

What about this boost of foliar production under CMH ?

Is it a real problem or not ?
 
MPL

MPL

Member
I have the smaller version of that wardrobe from HD. The 30" wide one. My 400w CMH stays nice and cool in there no problem.

abirdintheair said:
are azeo and simba is it okay if i run something by you guys to get your feedback since its obvious you know these CMH bulbs inside and out. im able to pickup a HD wardrobe that I plan on converting into a dual scrog or scrog/sog cabinet. it measures 72" high by 48" wide and 20" deep. its split directly down the middle by a partition, and it has about a 10" space sectioned off all the way across the top, leaving as is 2 chambers roughly about 60x24x20 inches. I was planning on running 250w HPS bulbs but i dont want to short myself. I currently have a 150w hps inside a cab measuring 36x24x20 being cooled by 50cfm and ive noticed i could have another 150w in the space no problem with the same amout of cooling. with this new box i was originally lookin into get a 190cfm van for dual 250w hps. to the questions... ive seen earlier in this thread it was said that with CMHs they run cooler and your able to have them closer to the plant canopy, do you know how much cooler a 400w CMH runs compared to a 400w HPS? the reason i ask about 400s in that space is b/c htgsupple sells a tent thats 36x30x70 and say a 400w would run in the space along with 250w. if i go dual 400w do you think 340cfm would be enough ventilation thru the box along with computer fans blowing on the bulbs to keep temps manageable? or would i be better of goin with the orginal plan and just switch out a 250w hps for a 250w CMH? sorry its kind of long but thats for the help.
Click to expand...
 
MPL

MPL

Member
I've been messing with my ballast lately and I haven't been able to get it to not fire my 400w CMH again. It failed to ignite it twice in a row the other day, but ever since then it has been working fine.

Is it harder to try and ignite a lamp that has only been off for 15 or 20 minutes than it is to ignite a lamp that has been off for several hours?
 
C

chimei

Member
MPL said:
I've been messing with my ballast lately and I haven't been able to get it to not fire my 400w CMH again. It failed to ignite it twice in a row the other day, but ever since then it has been working fine.

Is it harder to try and ignite a lamp that has only been off for 15 or 20 minutes than it is to ignite a lamp that has been off for several hours?
Click to expand...

With my ballast if I turn off the ballast when it is on and then try to turn it back on anwhere up to say 10 mins, it will not fire the lamp up, the ballast just makes a humming noise over and over again.. Not sure what that is. That noise is not normally present when the thing is operating and the light is lit. I have let it go as long as 70 seconds when making that sound to see if it would fire the lamp. Never has.. This seems to be only with my CMH bulb. If I did the same with my HPS if I recall it would fire right away after waiting a minute or two.

I have a time delay box so if I loose power ever for any ammount of time, 15 minutes has to pass before the power goes back on to the ballast.

If I disconect the power from the timer and plug it back in, 15 mins later the lamp fires right up.
 
G

gramsci.antonio

Active member
Veteran
chimei said:
I have a time delay box so if I loose power ever for any ammount of time, 15 minutes has to pass before the power goes back on to the ballast.

If I disconect the power from the timer and plug it back in, 15 mins later the lamp fires right up.
Click to expand...

can you link it? Or say the exact name?

I've been looking for something similar, but found none. I've asked tons of electrician, but they keep on telling me that this is impossible to find!
 
MPL

MPL

Member
That is exactly what mine did, noise and all. Link for the time delay box? I need one.



chimei said:
With my ballast if I turn off the ballast when it is on and then try to turn it back on anwhere up to say 10 mins, it will not fire the lamp up, the ballast just makes a humming noise over and over again.. Not sure what that is. That noise is not normally present when the thing is operating and the light is lit. I have let it go as long as 70 seconds when making that sound to see if it would fire the lamp. Never has.. This seems to be only with my CMH bulb. If I did the same with my HPS if I recall it would fire right away after waiting a minute or two.

I have a time delay box so if I loose power ever for any ammount of time, 15 minutes has to pass before the power goes back on to the ballast.

If I disconect the power from the timer and plug it back in, 15 mins later the lamp fires right up.
Click to expand...
 
J

JackOneill

Member
the reason it does this is because it is not good for hid lights to be turned off an on they usually need a cool down period of at least 30-60 minutes usually before you can operate them normally again otherwise you get the buzz sound and it doesn't ignite the bulb and is probably bad for the components of your ballast. So don't turn lights off and on if you can help it. Give it some cool down time, it will thank you.
 
vindiesel

vindiesel

Active member
Veteran
my double ended MH lights on my fish tank due this. they are NOT meant to be switched off and on. it's normal IMO. i've been dealing w/ this w/ my tank for 6 years, everytime i shut off manually for whatever reason, they will not relite right away.
 
MPL

MPL

Member
Ok, gotcha, so it isn't the length of the cord, but the fact it didn't have a chance to cool down properly.

Thanks for the advice!
 
M

Microwido

chimei said:
With my ballast if I turn off the ballast when it is on and then try to turn it back on anwhere up to say 10 mins, it will not fire the lamp up, the ballast just makes a humming noise over and over again.. .
Click to expand...

That humming noise that repeats up down over and over again is when the ignitor cannot ignite the bulb. The CMH bulb doesn't fire ez when its hot.
 
G

Guest

Maybe someone could open a thread about CMH and ballasts and electricity, and here we can talk only about CMH and plants ?

Because if you look for informations about CMH and plants here, you first have to sort among all the discussions about ballasts and electricity, it is a little boring...

I think that it would be simpler for everyone, what do you think about that ?
 
Last edited:
F

floppy

Member
i have to agree with you, i have asked a question & had no reply, im very disappointed about this, as i know one then the "knolagable" guys talking about these CMH has said he dont know why the micro forum aint flooding with this new CMH.

as im just starting out, i was planning on using CMH in my micro grow, but no one advised me on what/where i could get the bulb & ballast.

so looks like im going to have to go the envirolite/cfl route.

shame, as these do sound like the new/best thing.
 
simba

simba

Sleeping Dragon
ya we will lem.. soon..
sorry all i have been away from the forum for a minute.. ill be back today.. to reply..
 
S

Stoned Cold

Member
floppy said:
i have to agree with you, i have asked a question & had no reply, im very disappointed about this, as i know one then the "knolagable" guys talking about these CMH has said he dont know why the micro forum aint flooding with this new CMH.

as im just starting out, i was planning on using CMH in my micro grow, but no one advised me on what/where i could get the bulb & ballast.

so looks like im going to have to go the envirolite/cfl route.

shame, as these do sound like the new/best thing.
Click to expand...

If your original question was where to get the bulb/ballast, than it was already answered. Look around a bit. :nono:
 
G

greenisgold

Member
I posted this question/problem but not in this thread: Just bought a new 400 watt hps ignitor from venture. Took old ignitor out which only has 2 wires X1 and X2. The old ignitor has a bolt on it which attaches to the ballast casing, the new one does not. New one has X1, X2 (which I attached to X1 and X2 in ballast) and X3, is the X3 the ground?
I did not attach X3 to anything as of yet and when I fired the CMH bulb nothing happened. Not sure what to do??
Thanks
P.S. This is a switchable ballast.
Does cmh work in a switchable ballast? If so how do I wire new ignitor so it works? Not sure where I attach X3 since old ignitor only had X1 and X2 coming out of it?
Thanks
 
simba

simba

Sleeping Dragon
Green, Dont turn on again,,
X3 must be connected to X3 on the ballast core....
editing.. but posting that for safety..
 
H

hurricane

Member
F

floppy

Member
Stoned Cold said:
If your original question was where to get the bulb/ballast, than it was already answered. Look around a bit. :nono:
Click to expand...


i dont mean to sound rude, that was my question, & it wasnt answered, im in the uk, advancedtechlighting isnt.

are there other brands/makers of these CMH bulbs?
im guessing the MH ballast has to be a pulse start ballast?

oh, someone PM`d me, but i can not read it, due to under 50 posts.
 
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