Gavita-Pro 1000w 400v (new generation hps)

[whazzup]

On the 1000w Pro fixture, is it possible to orient the ballast straight in line with the reflector, or is it permanently fixed in that L shape?

I ask because I have limited vertical space inside my tents and turning the ballast 90 degrees would save me what looks like about 8-10 inches.

No, that is not possible. The reason why it is vertical is that the cooling ribs are vertical for the air to move upward in order to provide cooling. Cool electronics are happy electronics. It will only save you though just a few inches, you have to take into account the height of the reflector as well.

A full open fixture is not suitable for every room. Best is to have distance and overlapping lights.

@MrGreenweed: if you can buy a system that is built that well and performs that well at 25% less let me know. Just make the calculation: Take a good A-brand 1000W ballast, add a top of the line lamp and a top of the line reflector and tell me that you are 10% cheaper and have the same output. I promise you that you will not be able to find it. Show me a 1000W system that does >2000 micromoles at 100%. We have published Ulbricht sphere measurements of other lamps, because other manufacturers do not publish their ppf ratings so it is hard to compare lamp output. Gavita invited all other manufacturers to publish their micromole output. It is an easy test which can be done by any manufacturer who has an Ulbricht sphere (and any self respecting lamp manufacturer has one). For independent results please read the grow reports and consult your peers who use the lamps.

Again, as I said before, don't take my word for it. Don't believe anything that is published on the Internet, do your own research as well.

This I can promise you: The investment in plasma you earn back within two grow cycles, the investment in a Pro 1000 within one grow cycle (if all other factors such as substrate, nutrients, climate etc are under control).

You can see all the lights burning tomorrow for the second day of the Max Yield indoor gardening show in SF, including the new 41.01 plasma lamp.

 

[Irie_Lion]

Hey Whazzup...can upls tell more about the new plasma lamp?? Thanks

 

[d3cryption]

Hey Whazzup...can upls tell more about the new plasma lamp?? Thanks

yes more info, I want one for xmas.

 

[vwgtiron]

Sunlight Supply

Sunlight Supply

Rumor Chain......
I have it on very good authority from a very large retailer, that sunlight supply will be introducing their own double ended ballast and bulbs in the next 2 weeks. I already have 2 of the remote ballast Gavita Proline 1000w with DE bulbs. But if sunlight supply builds a better reflector or they have a better price point I will get a few more of these. Just thought I would pass on the information.

 

[whazzup]

Yes, Sunlight Supply has made an open reflector based on a double ended Ushio lamp. It is a larger reflector, has no replaceable reflector material, and the Ushio bulb we know very well (it is made in Germany). The Ushio lamp does about 8-10% less than the Philips lamp. So even if the reflector would be as good as the Gavita reflector (which has an efficiency of 96%!) there is 10% less light. Though we make remote ballasts, we always recommend to use complete fixtures as high frequency electronic ballasts can generate electromagnetic interference. It was already shown at the SF trade show. It is nice that you see market leaders follow your example, it is a different product though.

The new plasma lamp Gavita showed at the SF trade show is based on a different spectrum emitter. 98% of the users combine the plasma lamp with HPS. HPS is much more efficient in generating red light, so why should you want to have the plasma generate that when used in combination? the 01 version Gavita brings has less red light, and more light where HPS spectrum stops to provide more additional spectrum, including yellow and green. It is perfectly suitable for short veg periods as well, but for mothers or 100% veg situations we still recommend the 02 emitter version.

Another advantage of the 01 emitter is that it has an even longer life (50.000 hours versus 30.000 hours) and generates a fraction more light.

Another new product (displayeed at the show) is the new plasma reflector Gavita will introduce in September. It is a newly developed dy-cast aluminum reflector housing with a slightly more efficient and wider reflector. There is also a very fine wire mesh included that shields high frequency interference. Though radiation levels from the plasma lamp are in no way dangerous (even compared to a cell phone) in some specific cases the high frequence can cause some intereference. With the new shielded reflector that is dealt with. The new reflector will also become available as a replacement reflector for the current type. Another innovation on this reflector is the glass: Gavita used a slightly thinner, even higher quality glass filter for it.

 

[jayjayfrank]

wow the plasmas look great. so theres two different type of bulbs? 01 and 02? you don't have to buy a different ballast or anything?

 

[vwgtiron]

Hey Thank you very much for the answer whazzup!! I was wondering if they would be competitive. And I know Ushio makes a good bulb. But for 10% more light its Gavita all the way. Just ordered 8 more of the 1000w's. Thanks Whazzup!!

 

[whazzup]

@frank: the driver is identical for both systems, it is just a different emitter. The 01 color looks to the eye a bit more greenish and might llook a bit more intense than the 02 emitter because your eyes are more sensitive to that color. Eyes are always a bad reference for PAR

@vwgtiron: Sunlight Supply is one of Gavita's two major distributors. They are also a major manufacturer of reflectors of course. It is only logical that when they see a successful product they want an alternative by their own brand as well. It is one of their few open reflectors, I do believe they have seen the light too

Ushio lamps are not bad at all, neither are Hortilux. When a lamp is significantly cheaper it miight still be a good budget option, the Ushio Double Ended performs about as well as or maybe slightly better than the Hortilux 1000W HPS. The double endeds however have been specifically developed for high frequency balllasts, philips at an extremely high frequency.

Did you ever wonder why they use high frequency btw? It is very simple, look at a picture taken under 60 hz HPS. Yoou see dark stripes in the image. That is because around each zero crossing of the electrical system the arc extinguishes shortly. With high frequency signals the alteration is so fast that the arc no longer extinguishes. A square wave could do the same but generates a lot of mechanical stress to a high power lamp and in many cases makes the lamp resonate.

 

[stagehand099]

whazzup always brings his guns to this knife-fight....I dig science, not snake oil. I will start adding Pro 1000's as I replace equipment cause I am sold on the technology. The Chinese will knock it off soon, I'm sure, but you always get what you pay for. I've thought Gavita to be a major innovator ever since I saw their 600w bulb with a reflector built in 10 years ago. Never tried it, but thought it was a cool idea........

stagehand

 

[whazzup]

well I fortunately don't need guns and it is not a fight. I hate fighting. Live and let live. Ushio and Hortilux are well respected brands, I am not fighting with them at all. on contrary. Sometimes I may disagree with other suppliers but hey, wouldn't it be dull if we all had the same products?

 

[ItGrowsHerb]

Ive been keeping an eye out for the SE 1000 watt with Pro ballast. It would be a direct swap out for my setup, just change bulb and ballast and thats it. I am using a Magnum aircooled hood with a generic 1000 HPS and a Sunlight Supply ballast from a decade ago.

The SE bulb is due anytime isnt it? Is there a distributor that stocks it yet?

 

[whazzup]

No unfortunately not, but both will when they are available. Sometimes it takes a bit before articles are on stock. It's no use for us making them if our distributors don't stock them.

 

[ItGrowsHerb]

Oh yes?! Well I will keep my fingers crossed. Maybe I can write a distributor and see if they will have you gentlemen make a run of SE stuff. It is a good upgrade for existing systems. Thanks for the update.

 

[whazzup]

They will, trust me

 

[vwgtiron]

Hey whazzup,
Currently I have a staduim setup for my veg room. Its about 40 Plants on 3 shelfs on either side of the room. The room is about 7ft wide. I have PLL's that hang over the tops of the shelfing units 2x55w. Three on each side. Then down the middle of the room I run a 600w MH on w 4 foot light rail. The 600w MH hangs about 6 feet off the floor. I was wondering if I could replace the 600w MH with the 300LEP and see the same or better vegging results. I am getting tired of buying 80$ MH bulbs every 3 months.

 

[vwgtiron]

When the prices come down 50% and you show independent testing that these are so much better then basic systems, let me know.

I have quite a few of these now and can tell you for a fact they do what they say. However I am using the remote ballast setup. There has been some stutters with the ballasts, but the plants are very happy. As far as cost goes, these are already competitive. The bulb alone is 160, the hood 125 and the ballast I got for around 350. I run flippers so I ordered 2 bulbs, 2 hoods one ballast-870 with tax in Maine. Bulbs should be good for 2 years. On flippers maybe longer as I flip in the same room, so the bulbs are only on for 6 hours a day. AFter one year of use the bulb is supposed to have as much or more output than a hortilux eye.

 

[whazzup]

correction: as a new Eye Hortilux . We do not recommend or support the use of flippers though. It's not that the ballast can not operate 24 hours a day but it can damage the output circuitry.

I can not say anything useful about your setup as it is a complex one, I would try to make that less complicated for the best results. Also I don't know what you veg there, cuttings? Small plants pre-grow? I would recommend the LEP for a square meter (~3.5x3.5')

 

[j78z]

what about using a 120 volt to 240 volt converter. Ive seen them online at a very reasonable price. Will they work for these 240volt ballasts or will they damage them ?

 

[rives]

We do not recommend or support the use of flippers though. It's not that the ballast can not operate 24 hours a day but it can damage the output circuitry.

How about if the flip-flop does a cold flip? Power the ballast down, flip the lamp output relay, and power the ballast back up? It seems that this would be transparent to the ballast, and could easily be done with a micro-controller.

 

[whazzup]

That depends on the converter. You have types that combine two phases to one 240V phase/phase connection, they are mostly suitable. Electronic converters are mostly not suitable because they do not support a high inrush or don't have a sinus output, transformers can be used but you lose some efficency of course. Best is to make a phase/phase connection (or have it done for you by an electrician!!).