DIGITAL OR NOT DIGITAL, THAT IS THE QUESTION....

[~fvk~]

I'll stick with my magnetics until they're phased out. So yeah, long time.

 

[ogatec]

I speak from first hand experience
1. if a shop in your area has a spare Ballast they would swap if there nice..(same deal for some mag core ballasts, and a mag core if pops generaly its the cap or ignitor both fix at home)
and few other issues within that..after that first year forget it. ur going to the mfr.(some stores may do it if u spend $$)

2. EYE willl NOT Warranty any of there lamps used on any of the Digi Ballasts.
the only bulbs from them that warranty-able is there Pulse Start MH Lamps and if only used with a Appropriate rated EBallast IE ANSI RATED or a reputable MHP ballast Either advance or GE
they put the dates on them cause yes they will warranty for full year at the store if you are runing a mag core ballasts..
2- explained if you read my post above and the link to EYE you will quickly see the E ballasts in horti world are no good for lamps..



..

1. its nothing about beeing nice & its not the same policy as a magnetic(send in for repair), its lumatek's policy to switch out returned ballasts with a new one(not a spare one from the shop, brand new in the box). if your shop isnt doing this then i would find a new one..also im looking at the warrenty & its a full 3 yr after that 2 yr pro rated...


2.how would eye know if its been in a e-ballast or not? burnt bulbs look like burnt bulbs, which they(my shop anyway) takes back no questions asked (within warranty period). once again if your shop gives you problems then i would find a new one

lets see ive already replaced 1 bulb & i have a friend who has a bad lumatek ballast that blows bulbs every 6 months or so, i think he has went thru atleast 4 hortis without any return problems.. i think eye would have told the shop to quit exepting returns by now if they were going to give us problems.. i keep telling him to return the ballast thats doing it, but he thinks he will have to wait for repairs..when i correct him on that he's like they take back the bulbs anyway..

my guess is that eye makes enough money with their $115 bulbs that they can afford to replace 3-4 without losing any money..meh

 

[simba]

1. its nothing about beeing nice & its not the same policy as a magnetic(send in for repair), its lumatek's policy to switch out returned ballasts with a new one(not a spare one from the shop, brand new in the box). if your shop isnt doing this then i would find a new one..also im looking at the warrenty & its a full 3 yr after that 2 yr pro rated...

Ya but if store dont have many they wont.. I hit up stores all over the states, here there are Very limited options regarding store locations..( i said lamps have 1 year warranty..) to that it doesn't matter what Lumatek policy is if the store has limited stock they arent forced to switch out..

2.how would eye know if its been in a e-ballast or not? burnt bulbs look like burnt bulbs, which they(my shop anyway) takes back no questions asked (within warranty period). once again if your shop gives you problems then i would find a new one

because lamps fail different on E ballasts from the High hz differently than on mag core.. (i can generaly tell if the lamp has been blown by a Eballast)
EYE and others Lamp Cos are slowly stopping that..

lets see ive already replaced 1 bulb & i have a friend who has a bad lumatek ballast that blows bulbs every 6 months or so, i think he has went thru atleast 4 hortis without any return problems.. i think eye would have told the shop to quit exepting returns by now if they were going to give us problems.. i keep telling him to return the ballast thats doing it, but he thinks he will have to wait for repairs..when i correct him on that he's like they take back the bulbs anyway..

again EYE and others Lamp Cos are slowly stopping that..

my guess is that eye makes enough money with their $115 bulbs that they can afford to replace 3-4 without losing any money..meh

and again EYE and others Lamp Cos are slowly stopping that..
they do but still dont want to throw money away..
Email EYE and ask them if the warranty is good if used on Eballast..

i quote ge again
harmonic content. L.F.S.W. has been long established as a dependable method of ballasting low
Wattage HID lamps with significant industry standards support.
Analysis of lamp data has shown that there are limited operating bands between 1 kHz to 200 kHz
in which an electronic ballast could operate a lamp wattage family without causing unacceptable
arc instability due to Acoustic Resonance. Trend analysis of the A.R. maps show that this range
extends well beyond 200 kHz. When the A.R. structure maps are overlaid there is no consistent
frequency band, which can be identified as a stable location for ballast operation. There are large
variations in the A.R. structure maps between multiple lamp vendors and from lamp type to lamp
type or burn position. A.R. may cause visual annoyance, lamp cycling, shorten lamp life, and in
extreme cases result in arc tube rupture.
Specific matched lamp – ballast high frequency systems can be stable, however they limit the
extent that the individual members can be modified for future improvements. Additionally, there is
no data on the long-term stability of the A.R. maps due to aging of the lamp. Future re-lamping may
also create an unstable system due to changes in lamp arc tube geometry or manufacture.
Lamp performance points to be considered:
Data on Electronic ballast technology has shown that it can greatly improve the lumen
maintenance of HID lamps over traditional EM reactor or CWA ballast systems. However, no data
are available to support improved lamp performance on High Frequency vs. Low Frequency Square
Wave driving waveforms
GE2012-5024 Rev 1
Page 12
Conclusions:
GE recommends operation of its high wattage CMH® and PulseArc® QMH HID lamps on electronic
ballasts that use a Low Frequency Square Wave output such as the UltraMax® HID ballast, GE-MH-
250-400-MAX-208-207 or similar for optimal lamp performance.
3.2.2 High Frequency
GE does not make high frequency HID ballasts due to reasons described in the Low Frequency
Lamp Operation section above. However, high frequency operation is applicable for matched lamp
ballast systems. Caution must be taken when designing these systems for an application to make
sure that the ballast and lamp are compatible to avoid premature lamp failure and safe operation.

 

[ogatec]

im gonna try new bulbs when these are done, do you have a recommendation on what brand might wor best with the lumateks?

 

[Lazyman]

Ushio.

 

[wickedpete66]

I have 2 lumatek 600's and 2 lumatek 400 ballast. the plus side is they are small and light. the downside is they go through bulbs really fast. I have since switched back over to magnetic ballast. way more reliable