How to trouble shoot an electronic (digi) ballest

[ManicOrganic]

I got one of the cheap blue (I forget the brand) electronic ballest from ebay. It worked grate for the first grow, then a few weeks into the next one it took a crap. I ohmed out the bulb with my multi meter and it read OL (open lead). Ok so the bulb is bad. Pissed that I only got one grow out of the bulb and the electronic ballest are said to make the bulb last longer, but whatever. I got a new bulb. Just tried it today and the damn thing still will not work!

Dose any one know how a person would go about trouble shooting this beast? I have a quality muti meter, and I'm fairly good at electronic trouble shooting, but I know nothing about how this thing is put together, and I was hopeing someone here might. If you could help me out that would be grate.
A wire diagram would be awsome.

I am hoping it is something simple like a bad capasitor, or something. Do these things even have CAPs? I know that when my girlfriend unpluged it once that the plug shorted and sparked acrossed a metal strip on the grow chamber. That could have shorted a capasitor out?

Any help would be grate

Thanks:MO

 

[george j warner]

find the make and model and email the producer .... obviously there wont be a warranty but you can at least find out whats wrong with it .. and when it comes to light or fans ....NEVER BUY THER CMEMORYEST AND NEVER EVER EVER GET IT SECOND HAND ...... check all the connections "wires" ,fuse in plug, the basic stuff ... sometimes when theres a power cut even if its a second some digital ballasts have a trip system, to stop internal damage .

but my advice would be contact the producer or take it into your local hydro store and ask them ....

sorry i cant be more help

 

[Tomatoesonly]

If these are anything like my lumenaces, then getting into them to do any checking was not possible, at least when I tried. THey are supposed to be resin filled, which I don't see how anybody could ever work on them. They must throw them away when under warranty work.

 

[ManicOrganic]

This is the ballest http://cgi.ebay.com/DIGITAL-ELECTRO...4QQihZ008QQcategoryZ42225QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Same seller and every thing (high tech garden supplies). the ballest has a 2 year warreny, but I don't have any info to prove I got it from them. I have possitive feedback from them, but the action is more than 90 days old so the don't keep the info on ebay, like item number, ect. Any thoughts on what I should do?

On a side not :I opened the thing up just to take a look. It had condensation droplets all over the inside of it. I wiped the case dry, and let it sit open over night. to dry the board. I can't check the start cap because it's permenenly attached to the board, or at least I didn't want to pull on it to find out. but I thing the real problem is all the condensation that built up inside of it. I don't know.

once again any advice would be grate.

thanks:MO

 

[george j warner]

condensation really? hmmmm is the fans still working?

might have shorted out ... did you check the fuse coz thats would blow straight away... and be careful under the case .. ballasts have big ass capacitors inside ,you can still get an electric shock lol ... even if its not plugged in!

lock over the circult board for any blackened areas ... like burn marks , sometimes thing just burn up

 

[george j warner]

email this shop for ideas ... they surply them ..i'll keep looking for digital greenhouse homepage

http://www.htgsupply.com/products.asp?categoryID=3&subcategoryID=96

 

[george j warner]

right ive been everywhere looking for a homepage..canny find one but i did find a little website with digital ballsts as the subject called wait for this .... www.icmag.com lol

heres the link your ballast is in there ... check out the notes ... might not be the problem but worth checking it out

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=45072

have you tryed it in any other socket ?might be over loading the system ... ?

personally i think its the condensation but you got to check everything ...

laterz

 

[george j warner]

oh just realised the website i gave you to contact the shop is the shop that sold it to you .......

just contact them ... if you got a cerial code on the ballast theres a chance you dont need a receat?

 

[george j warner]

yes i no i like replying but if you got it off ebay ..... then paypal and the shop will have your credit card on file ... theres the receat !

 

[ManicOrganic]

Thanks for all the help George.

There is no fan in this thing. It is sealed and then it was glued together along the edge.

I didn't find a fuse any ware on the board. Not to say it's not there, just didn't see one.

I payed with a money order, so no receat there. Hope HGS will still help me out.
peace:MO