Digital ballast weirdness... seen this before?

[PondeLftHndSide]

So I've been running a Digital Greenhouse 600W HPS system for a little over 3 months now. I had to replace my 1000W Sun System because of heat issues, and I'll be darned if I don't actually get better yields on the first run with the 600. It ran flawlessly until Thursday night, when it just refused to light up the bulb. The next day I went to the local grow store and they tested my bulb for me, and it lit right up. The guy even said "damn, that's bright". So I figured it was my ballast. Shit, I bought it online, I'll have to send it back, what am I going to do until then? It's the dead of summer, that 1000 will cook my girls. So I bit the bullet and bought a brand new Lumatek 600W digital ballast from them.

I took it home and plugged it in my system, and turned it on expecting the familiar buzz of HPS ignition. Instead, I got zilch, nothing. With the bulb that lit right up 2 hours before. My next thought was a possible short or open connection in the lamp cord. So I grabbed my multimeter and did a continuity test from the plug end to the lamp socket. All 3 conductors were fine.

Now here's my final theory... I've heard of some brands of bulb not working very well with digital ballasts. My bulb is a GrowBright from HTG (eBay special). When they tested it at the grow shop, they used a standard tap and coil ballast. I did notice the high-pitched whine coming from the bulb that other people have noticed a few weeks before it stopped working. Is it possible that this bulb has been vibrated for too long at a frequency that eventually rendered it inoperable with the high-frequency digital pulse, but would still let it operate with the 60hz tap and coil ballast? If this is the case, there may be nothing wrong with my first ballast and I just need a new bulb.

Any experience?

 

[whodi]

yeah i'm willing to bet it's the boo boo ass grow bright bulb.. seems liek i rememebr readign something on them and digital ballast, dunno why tony would sell those bulbs with his systems cause he's bound to know folks have problems with them. He's a great guy though and will probably give you a free upgrade on a better bulb if you call and ask him.

 

[PondeLftHndSide]

I've got full confidence in their customer service, they've been awesome so far.

 

[NorCalFor20]

order this bulb

http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=53220

 

[whodi]

damn thats expensive .. interestign though.. never heard of hybrid bulbs. kinda lame that the 600 and 1000 watt bulbs are the same price..

 

[PharmaCan]

Have you checked the fuse in your ballast?

PC

 

[OgreSeeker]

Which is exactly why I don't use digital ballasts. You never know what your gonna get or if you'll be one of the many with problems.
Does anyone ever remember so many thread being stated about faulty or funky magnetic ballasts...NOPE.
I hear how much brighter they are, how much cheaper to run etc but how about all the problems associated with them? If it ain't one thing it's another with these digitals. I've personally owned over x50 1000w ballasts in my grow years (all sunlight supply) and the worse problem I ever had was a bad ignitor.
I'll probably get some sh*t from some of the die hard digital guys but I'm telling you now...go back to magnetic and forget about buying the "right" bulb or changing the fuse and all that crap.
Maybe 10 years from now the digital manufacturers will have all these bugs worked out and we'll be able to purchase digital ballasts with the confidence that when we plug them in they will work 100% of the time but until then...steer clear!

 

[PondeLftHndSide]

NorCal - I've been checking out those dual arc bulbs, but I'm a bit wary of them. I really, really like the idea, but they haven't been on the market very long. Plus, 68000 lumens vs. 90000 lumens for a standard 600 HPS is quite the disparity. I'm already planning on adding a 400W halide and a light mover to the 600W HPS once the weather goes below 80 degrees again, so we're on the same page here, spectrum-wise.

Ogre - I'm beginning to lean a little in your direction on these digis. They've definitely got advantages - they're compact, visibly brighter, less noise, less heat, less amperage, no flicker. But the magnetics are dead simple, and they work. And if it goes out I can just replace a part. This digi is basically printed circuits molded in resin, so if it's bad it's going in the mail.

I think I've figured out a compromise - I'm taking the Lumatek back and trading down to a SunSystem ballast. My 600W digital goes back to HTG for repair or replacement. Then I'll have a backup, and this shit will never have to happen again.

But since it's Sunday and they're closed, my poor girls will have to subsist on a measly 66W of fluorescent light until Monday. They're like "why is it so cloudy, Daddy?" My Thunk is not happy with this at all. All the rest of the girls are taking it in stride, but my Thunk is generally droopy and "I don't feel good". Why couldn't this have all happened one day earlier in the week cycle?

As an aside, I can't help but compare my Thunk to a beautiful Thai girl... she's so slim and elegant and petite. Very sexy. I swear my Blue Sonja stud is like "grrr, just a little longer and I'm gonna write my f'in' name all over those little virgin pistils with my hot pollen".

 

[SpacedCWBY]

order this bulb

http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=53220

Dig around on alibaba.com and find his supplier. From the looks of most of his things, he's buying from China and renaming it his own brand. If you dop $150 on a bulb I'm gonna come through your router and smack you!!! lol, j/k, but don't piss away a bunch of money buying over priced 1000x markup bulbs. I bought a box of 6 hps bulbs from china - same place he's getting his stuff - for $50.00. That's including shipping and the shipping costs more than the bulbs. They are still working fine. Still on the original bulbs and have 4 on spare.

Like those ridiculous UFO lights - $599??? Fucking please. They got the same exact thing on alibaba - probably get them for less than $100 each on there.

 

[Gottagrow]

I don't think its the bulb, even if its an ebay special. The problem that the Lumateks are having ( I have one and going through the same thing) is that some bulbs require higher start voltage. I talked to Lumatek and they sent me an adapter which boosts the voltage for start. Well I still only got 1 start out of mine and sent my bulb back but it tested out fine. So what I would do is if you are willing to buy another bulb is to take your ballast with you and test the bulb at the hydro shop (start it a few times to make sure). This seems a little extreme but better then having to fry your babies.

 

[NorCalFor20]

Dig around on alibaba.com and find his supplier. From the looks of most of his things, he's buying from China and renaming it his own brand. If you dop $150 on a bulb I'm gonna come through your router and smack you!!! lol, j/k, but don't piss away a bunch of money buying over priced 1000x markup bulbs. I bought a box of 6 hps bulbs from china - same place he's getting his stuff - for $50.00. That's including shipping and the shipping costs more than the bulbs. They are still working fine. Still on the original bulbs and have 4 on spare.

Like those ridiculous UFO lights - $599??? Fucking please. They got the same exact thing on alibaba - probably get them for less than $100 each on there.

I though alibaba.com you had to order so many of something just to get a decent price?

Lol UFO lights, i dont agree with everything they sell but i got my 400w ballast and reflector from them and have had no problems with it so far.

seems like the dual arc bulb would be a good choice though. Lumens don't mean shit btw.

 

[PondeLftHndSide]

A New Wrinkle...

A New Wrinkle...

So I took the new Lumatek and my assumed dead Digital Greenhouse ballast to the grow shop where I bought the Lumatek. I explained the whole situation, everything I'd tried and shared the theories about the high frequency vibrations rendering the bulb inoperable. So he took my Digital Greenhouse ballast and plugged a new Agrosun bulb into a socket... and it fired right up! So I returned the Lumatek, bought the Agrosun, and it's burning away in my flowering room once again.

So in summary: The Digital Greenhouse ballast is fine. The GrowBright bulb won't light at high frequency, but it works great at 60hz. I'm going to smoke a bowl of Power Plant and put my feet up now.

 

[OgreSeeker]

Glad to hear that your back on track. How much did you have to pay for that setup?

 

[PondeLftHndSide]

Digital Greenhouse system - $199
Lumatek ballast - $265 (refunded)
Agrosun bulb - $99.95
Bowl of homegrown Power Plant - priceless.

 

[SpacedCWBY]

I though alibaba.com you had to order so many of something just to get a decent price?

Some suppliers, yes. Most are willing to work with you though on 1 or 2 items. They will bitch about shipping a bit, but will do it. Like I said, The bulbs were cheaper than the shipping, but it worked out MUCH cheaper overall.


Glad to hear you worked out your situation Pond - that Power Plant sounds yummy. I'm all dried up now. Humidity is preventing me from getting going again until fall. I'll have to do an extra big couple runs over the winter to keep me smokin' next summer. Back to brick bullshit for a few months and I can't even find that! I've alienated myself!!! errr...

 

[G33k Speak]

Which is exactly why I don't use digital ballasts. You never know what your gonna get or if you'll be one of the many with problems.
Does anyone ever remember so many thread being stated about faulty or funky magnetic ballasts...NOPE.
I hear how much brighter they are, how much cheaper to run etc but how about all the problems associated with them? If it ain't one thing it's another with these digitals. I've personally owned over x50 1000w ballasts in my grow years (all sunlight supply) and the worse problem I ever had was a bad ignitor.
I'll probably get some sh*t from some of the die hard digital guys but I'm telling you now...go back to magnetic and forget about buying the "right" bulb or changing the fuse and all that crap.
Maybe 10 years from now the digital manufacturers will have all these bugs worked out and we'll be able to purchase digital ballasts with the confidence that when we plug them in they will work 100% of the time but until then...steer clear!

qutoe for the win.

i finally gave up on the lumatek piece of shit 600w....

interference with the TV

wouldn't reliably light agrosun bulbs. they offered me an adapter- and I thought- "so you sold it and didn't test if first or fucking what"???
who the fvck put's an adapter on a ballast???
or anyother piece of DIGITAL equipment for that matter??

the digital ballast should handle that chore of reading and regulating the start up voltage.

 

[SweetNightmare]

Purple lumatek is FTW me n clown no problems with our eye hortilux super hps and has built in RF shield.

 

[DIGITALHIPPY]

every bulb, every time, the crappy 'lumi' buzzes, but not much.

ive brought my MH 1K sun systems 1 to my shop a few times to fix variouse things.... irony...and my 600W HF C&C was a shity-box, so loud, and so hot, set fire to my carpet, and the wireing inside kept kept needing to be fixed.

i had a few 'bad bulb's on my 1K thought that didnt happen on C&C OgreSeeker?

ill give it to HF though there 'powerhouse' sure is.

you guys should be buying quantum digi ballasts though... they dont have 'the right bulb' its mh/hps and has a dimming feature, 75% and 50%
http://www.quantumhort.com/

 

[PondeLftHndSide]

I will say that when it's functional and working I like the quality of the light that the digi throws better than that of a tap 'n cahl (sic) type. There's none of that hollow 60Hz vibe that office buildings and grocery stores have - it's a really bright, sunny feeling light. I like being in there a little better without the classroom buzz to the light, and who knows, maybe the plants like it better too... or maybe they could care less. But I like it better. Maybe I'm a guinea pig, like the people who bought the first iPhones or Wii's. But the road of the pioneer is often fraught with peril. In this case early bulb failure. But when that bulb is firing, I get zero noise, waaaaay less heat, lower amperage and that nice sunny feeling. Plants respond well to music, why not also to the absence of highly annoying 60 cycle hum? I'm one of those weirdos who thinks that environmental conditions can possibly subtly affect the quality of the high. Again, maybe not. There are pros, there are cons. Either way, I love to grow.

 

[toohighmf]

quantum

quantum

I have diamond 1k's from the ice age and they still run w a new cap and ignitor. I also just got 1000w switchable/convertible Quantums and am about to go electronic for the first time. I'm not a fan of features like dimming as I can always raise or lower my lights or plants but some don't have the verticle space. I'm not a fan of 2 fans either, but these ballasts are significantly cooler than the lumateks I fondled.. Just had an elbow replacement and I cant play up in the attic where I usually put my ballasts to keep the heat down, but a 9lb, I can mount right to the wall pretty easily and not worry about the heat in the room. I got 8 of em free of charge to test and report. well... not free. I have to post my grow here, and a few other forums, but I have faith these will last throughout the warranty. so far less than 10 have been faulty of 4000... Thats better than any coil ballast I ever bought. I have Sun systems, Hydrofarms, hydroteks, Diamonds, and the Sun systems have lasted through everything. some are 10+ years old without any replacement parts. however, I just had a hydrofarm sg grow HPS transformer blow in 8 months... not very happy about that. the quantums are built by the same factory that makes some of the best consumer electronics in the world. that gives me some confidence. + they look like something out of Pimp My Ride! orange with chrome accents! "wish they were plain white" but hey for the nominal price of posting up here, Can't beat the price. oh yeah, got me a horti-control 4 ballast flip to test too. gonna run em jorge style where every other hood is on 2 hours. I'm thinking less is more... we'll see