Digital Ballasts: best vs cheap, is there a good middle ground?

[St. Phatty]

I think the RFI threat may be a bit overstated.

I think the vast majority of people who use digital ballasts never have a problem.

Maybe take a poll?

I agree.

It is something to be aware of. But generally I wouldn't worry about it. There are plenty of other things to worry about, like nutrient tanks cracking and leaking ($15K mold anybody ?)


Still make a good magazine article though !

"EMI, Ballast comparisons, using storage scopes and antennas and spectrum analyzers to measure emissions from a test site".

 

[seshboss]

i love the dimable ballasts

 

[Gardening Angel]

Hey everyone,

I got a 1000w lumatek ballast and bulb at the start of the year,
Built in rf etc stays quite cool for a 1000w piece of mind with the built in shields.

Bought the new 600w 400v lumatek ballast and bulb at the start of the week I can see a difference in the brightness next to my other 600w

Thanks
GA

 

[growingcrazy]

I would just suggest jumping up to a Gavita ballast. If you are looking to drop 240 on a lumatek just spend a little bit more for a much better ballast. The only reason I really see not going with the Gavita is if you only have 120 volts at your spot. They really are that much better. I don't know if its just a better ballast, or the fact that you are running such a high quality lamp with the Phillips EL 400v, but they work quite well together.

I run 2 600 Gavita prolines, and I just keep a spare bulb around because most places don't stock them yet.

Also, my opinion on RFI... I have my wireless router in my flower room, 8 feet away are 2 Gavitas and a Solistek ballast running with no issues. If the cable is made correctly and you don't have it doing anything crazy in terms of how its wrapped/tied, then there will be non interference. A correctly functioning product shouldn't have any is what I am trying to say..

Satori got me rambling..sorry!

Peace
GC

 

[evertking]

I have had this lumatek for awhile now and no problems what so ever.

 

[Red Fang]

thanks for mentioning the gavita, which made me do a search for them. I am usually horrible at finding what I am looking for with a search, but not this time! It allowed me to find this link:
http://www.gavita-holland.com/index.php/home/item/about-electromagnetic-interference.html
They are low on solutions but whoever provided those links thanks again, as that should be what I need. I hear though that most here now seem to think it is not a big deal. Please keep the feedback coming, as many may be helped by this!
Thanks to everyone for the input!

 

[Red Fang]

I can't however find anyone who carries it (Gavita) in New England. How much more are they than Lumateks? I do have cable internet, but I've had problems with it even before getting the digital ballast (well, with the wireless connection, which may just be the router). Maybe a little moreso now but maybe not, not sure. The ballast is well away from the phone or cable lines. But if you (growingcrazy) have no problems in that situation, I seem to have little to worry about. thanks!

 

[rives]

I think that it is pretty difficult to extrapolate the results from people who "are pretty sure" that they don't have a problem.

In my experience, RFI problems are usually the result of a combination of things. If you have a well-designed and implemented ground system, you can get away with a poorly designed piece of equipment a little easier. If you have a shitty ground system, you may have problems even with a very well-designed piece of equipment. And, it can change - I once worked on a very specialized piece of industrial equipment that had been trouble-free for years and then started having problems that appeared to be from RF. It turned out that the equipment's dedicated ground rod had lost it's effectiveness because of drought. Letting a garden hose run on the ground rod for a few hours cleared up the problem.

 

[the gnome]

anyone kno what band the popo use?

 

[evertking]

If you are worried about your security forget the RFI and thermal imaging. Don't tell a single person what you are doing, control odors and never throw anything grow related in your regular ttrash.

Preach the good word! Don't tell a mothafuker!

 

[RonSmooth]

anyone kno what band the popo use?

For their radio communication? Why?

 

[Morcheeba*]

if security is an issue...dont use digital ballasts...they ALL give off rf interference....expect a visit from the cable company...

i bought a solis tek to prevent any interference but i still had issues........today, so i guess ill go to a magnetic since im not in a med state.


peace

 

[Asslover]

if security is an issue...dont use digital ballasts...they ALL give off rf interference....expect a visit from the cable company...

I guess myself and my partners are just lucky 'cause we all run several thousand watts worth of digi's in residential areas, for YEARS, and NEVER have issues. And that's with the cheap HTG Digital Greenhouse brand...

 

[Morcheeba*]

I guess myself and my partners are just lucky 'cause we all run several thousand watts worth of digi's in residential areas, for YEARS, and NEVER have issues. And that's with the cheap HTG Digital Greenhouse brand...

i dont get it either but from a bit of research im finding that em/rfi is complex and i think a magnetic ballast is my rout forward b/c the cable guys have been all over my hood for a while and pin pointed my place the feedback was originating from.

maybe its my place and old wiring or maybe its something else but i shut my 600w ballast off when they were testing and the feedback immediately stopped and my 400w in veg was still on so its not worth chancing it.

an AM radio can be used to find out if there is and em/rfi occurring from your grow.....a low tech way if ya got an am radio still.

EDIT: http://www.w0qe.com/RF_Interference/grow_light_electronic_ballasts.html
good info and interesting test results done in 2010.


peace

 

[Red Fang]

AL, yes I have one of those and that is my only digital light at the moment. Do I have to plug in the radio in where the light is or in the same house? I don't get very good reception of any kind in the basement, where even very few FM stations come in. Anyway, not that worried but if I can make the situation safer, I'm all for it. And don't need new ballasts so will hold off for now.

 

[The Meadows]

A spectrum analyzer could help this thread out. I have an RF Explorer but it stopped working a couple years ago. For a bit over $100 it can tell you not only the frequency being generated but its strength too.

 

[Euphoriaholic]

I had several Quantum digital ballasts with the Hortilux bulbs installed. It was causing RFI and disabled my TV and radio.

I tried to live without the Tv and the radio, until my next door neighbor told me about his wireless modem going out for half the day every day.

My neighbor was pissed at the crappy cable provider and was planning to raise hell with them. That was the day I swapped back to the magnetic ballasts.

BTW, my buddy told me using a bulb built for digital ballast will eliminate the RFI.
However, the box on the Hortilux bulb says compatible with digital ballasts.

 

[prune]

I have had this lumatek for awhile now and no problems what so ever.

I've been with Lumetek since they became available, and was always pleased with the quality and reliability. They cost a little more, but the value combined with their strong warranty made them worth it!

However, now Lumetek warranty coverage has pretty much become completely worthless with suppliers saying that they are getting nowhere with claims. Kinda ruined the brand for me...

 

[Ickis]

I am looking at Xtrasun Dimmable 1000 that can go all the way down to 400 and save buying more lamps.

I see people making this mistake all the time. I have Lumeteks and Phantoms. The newest ones are Phantoms. They are excellent.

However, whatever the wattage of you ballast is that is the wattage of the bulb you must use. You can not have a 1000w dimmable ballast and dim it to 400w and use a 400w bulb. It has to be a 1000w bulb. The reason is that whenever the ballast first turns on it turns on at 1000w for 10-15 minutes and then goes down to the selected dimmed wattage.

Now there might be new ones that are different but most every one I have researched run the way I described.

Also I don't have any problems with RF interference.

 

[ambertrich]

Ickis, not sure about any other brands newer models but I have a Galaxy 1000W dimmable. With it you can run 1000w bulbs and dim to 600 and 400, you can run a 600w bulb and dim to 400 or run a 400w bulb at 400. I've done all these scenarios with no problems.