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tell me about digital ballasts

C

Cheeb

My hydrofarm xtrasun ballast run much cooler than my digital ones.
Are you referring to the heat created..or just simply putting your hand on the case and judging that way.

sealed electronic ballasts SEEM to run hotter as they use their casing as a heat sink to release their heat. They should be creating less heat in the room even while they feel hotter to the touch.

__

I've got 12 Lumatek 600w 240v units and cant say enough good things about them. Never gave me a problem..and the 240v units are tiny and barely even get warm to the touch.

__

For anyone interested in Lumateks..the dimmable units just hit the market with the ability to turn them up to 110% (super lumens they are calling it).

I'm not sure if they (lumatek) are making the right call here..just seems like a component prone to failure on an otherwise perfect ballast. The plus is that the newer lumateks are dual voltage whereas the older units are not.

THE BIG QUESTION in my mind is when is EYE Hortilux and other lamp manufacturers going to stop honoring a warranty on their bulbs due to hard use from electronic ballasts and now these new features to overdrive the bulb.


peace
cheeb
 

Lazyman

Overkill is under-rated.
Veteran
I've got 5 of the Quantum digis, my local shop said to stay away from Lumatek, they get 10 of em back for every 1 quantum they get back. Mine stay nice and cool. I also measured the output of them against my old sun system ballasts, they are exactly 10% brighter (lumens at the same distance from bulb.) THis applies to both HPS and MH lighting.
 

solarz

Member
I've got 5 of the Quantum digis, my local shop said to stay away from Lumatek, they get 10 of em back for every 1 quantum they get back. Mine stay nice and cool. I also measured the output of them against my old sun system ballasts, they are exactly 10% brighter (lumens at the same distance from bulb.) THis applies to both HPS and MH lighting.

Thats odd that you say that about your quantums. Do you have the dimmible switching orange quantum ballasts? I have that one (600W) and that fucker is definitely hotter than any other ballast i've ever used/seen. They also have a loud ass hum to them. I actually got talked into gettin it b/c of the 5yr warranty that they come with.

The way i look at is this, i had to take down my ballasts (both the htg ballast and the quantum) b/c my fan went out, so i had to move the light to another spot while i worked on the fan. Both of these ballasts were running for the same amount of time...actually the quantum kicks on 10 mins after the htg. Now i went to pick the ballasts up to move them, and i started with the HTG ballast. Picked it up bare handed, and carried it across the room to its temp location. I went next for the quantum...and i immediately dropped that bitch b/c it was scorching fucking hot. I had to grab a damn towel just to handle it. So that is why/how i came to my conclusion, that those dimmible quantums run hot as shit! This is just my observation, and maybe i just got a shitty ballast or something, but it DOES RUN HOTTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE I'VE EVER USED!

solarz
 

bdomina

Member
THE BIG QUESTION in my mind is when is EYE Hortilux and other lamp manufacturers going to stop honoring a warranty on their bulbs due to hard use from electronic ballasts and now these new features to overdrive the bulb.


peace
cheeb


there was an article in this months high times in regards to a "new" lighting system. but there was a blurb in it about bulb manufacturers admitting to a lack in communication with ballast companies. kinda interesting. if that happens i see plasma lighting right around the corner. but what do i know.. :joint:
 

Lazyman

Overkill is under-rated.
Veteran
Thats odd that you say that about your quantums. Do you have the dimmible switching orange quantum ballasts? I have that one (600W) and that fucker is definitely hotter than any other ballast i've ever used/seen. They also have a loud ass hum to them. I actually got talked into gettin it b/c of the 5yr warranty that they come with.

The way i look at is this, i had to take down my ballasts (both the htg ballast and the quantum) b/c my fan went out, so i had to move the light to another spot while i worked on the fan. Both of these ballasts were running for the same amount of time...actually the quantum kicks on 10 mins after the htg. Now i went to pick the ballasts up to move them, and i started with the HTG ballast. Picked it up bare handed, and carried it across the room to its temp location. I went next for the quantum...and i immediately dropped that bitch b/c it was scorching fucking hot. I had to grab a damn towel just to handle it. So that is why/how i came to my conclusion, that those dimmible quantums run hot as shit! This is just my observation, and maybe i just got a shitty ballast or something, but it DOES RUN HOTTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE I'VE EVER USED!

solarz

Yeah that's wild, mine are easily cool enough to touch (1000w 240V) and run cooler than my 3 analog ballasts. If yours is too hot to touch you DEFINTIELY have a bad one!

BTW< I noticed at the indoor gardening expo in SF yesterday, Lumatek is now advertising an EIGHT year warranty on their ballasts! Not bad!
 

simba

Sleeping Dragon
Just FIY
Eye has just released this.
NO to E/D Ballasts.
4 pages of why not basically.
http://www.eyehortilux.com/EYELU600.pdf
they say lamps have less output vs mag core.
t h e l e a d e r i n hi g h P e r f o r m a n c e l i g h t
presented by on technology
Ballast testing underway at EYE Lighting’s test lab in Mentor, Ohio.
Which is the Right
Choice for Your
HID Horticultural
Application?
The latest trend in plant growth lighting
is the use of electronic ballasts. Most
likely, you have seen ads, maybe tried a
ballast yourself, or at least know someone
who has tried them. As with anything
new, and especially anything electronic,
there can be some confusion about what
you are buying and using. Therefore, if
you would like to learn more about the
ballast choices, then read on because we
intend to set the record straight in easy to
understand terms.
First, let’s get some terms defined and
understood as it will help to sort through
the ballast options later on. The best place
to begin is what we mean by the term
“ballast”.
In the lighting industry, the term ballast
is given to devices that regulate electric
current and supply starting voltage to the
light source (lamps). The most popular
lamp types in the plant growth industry are:
high pressure sodium, metal halide, and
fluorescent. These lamps differ greatly from
the incandescent lamps you have at home.
Incandescent lamps by nature are ‘selfballasted’
as they regulate the current in the
filament as they generate light and heat. Not
so with lamp types that create light in a vapor
arc – specifically, high pressure sodium
and metal halide. The vapor arc cannot
regulate current and in order to run properly
must have a regulating device – the ballast.
Ballasts can be “traditional”, sometimes
called magnetic, or core and coil, because
they typically resemble a spool of wire
wrapped around a set of steel sheets (the
core). Most traditional ballasts also use
a capacitor (metal or plastic canister-like
object) as part of the regulating system.
Traditional ballasts are generally heavy
due to the metal used, but are very well
designed, tested, and regulated for use
in commercial applications. Just think of
how many ballasts line all of our roadways
across North America. These traditional
ballasts are built to last! The good news
is the horticulture industry benefits from
the larger commercial market in that these
traditional ballasts are not only rugged,
they are certified by UL and often CSA to
meet electrical safety and fire protection
standards. They have also stood the test of
time from years of experience in lighting
applications around the globe. Ballasts
are designed to meet standards set by the
American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) so that lamp and ballast operate
correctly together. This is done by matching
up the ANSI standard numbers, such as
M47 for 1000 watt metal halide, and S106
for 600 watt high pressure sodium lamp
and ballast. This makes it simple for lamp
and ballast companies to deliver a system
that works together and is reliable.
Ballasts can also be electronic, or digital
electronic. These are the newcomers to this
industry, often in sleek and easy to handle
cases. Electronic ballasts regulate current
to the lamp not by means of wire wrapped
around steel sheets, but more so by means
of semiconductor devices like transistors
and microchips. Looking inside an
electronic ballast, you would see one or
more circuit boards, similar to a computer,
you would also see some can-like
devices that are capacitors and you might
see some wires wrapped around a dull
gray doughnut-shaped device. Electronic
ballasts share their current regulating
task right along with traditional ballasts
in that they too use capacitors and wire
wound magnetic transformers, but one
key difference is the electronic ballasts
usually operate at much higher frequency.
Whereas traditional metal ballasts operate
at 60 hertz (normal household operating
frequency for electricity in the US and
Canada), electronic ballasts (for horticultural
applications) take that 60 hertz
power and raise the frequency to typically
20,000 hertz or more. As this is done,
component size can be made smaller and
generally lighter, so electronic ballasts
enjoy a lightweight package compared to
traditional metal ballasts. Current regulation
for electronic ballasts may also be
?
done with a microchip control,
which is another difference
it has with traditional metal
ballasts. Because high wattage
(above 250 watts) electronic
ballasts are not yet found
widespread in the commercial
industry, many of them
today may not be UL or CSA
listed for safety, and there is
(to date) no ANSI standards
for high frequency electronic
ballasts. This can make matching
lamp and ballast more of
a challenge. Another aspect
of electronic ballasts can be
something known as EMI/RFI,
that is electromagnetic interference
and radio frequency
interference. Electronic devices
that operate at frequencies
like the electronic ballasts
must meet regulations set
forth by the FCC to keep such
interference levels below set maximums.
When the regulations are not met you can
get issues like – snow or lines on your
TV, hum coming through radios, possibly
even interference with cell phones or WiFi
devices. A good example of this would
be to look at the label on your computer
power supply, or on your microwave oven.
You will likely see some labeling stating
the device complies with FCC regulations.
Horticulture ballasts at this time may not
all have such labeling or compliance.
SIDe-bY-SIDe
CompARISon:
Now that we have discussed
each ballast type, Let’s review
some side-by-side comparisons
of traditional and electronic
ballasts in a popular horticulture
application – 600 watt high
pressure sodium.
The traditional ballast for the
600 watt HPS lamp has the
ANSI designation of S106 that
identifies it as a ballast match
with all S106 designed lamps.
The several brands of traditional
S106 ballasts evaluated
by EYE all carried the UL/CSA
labeling for meeting the related
electrical and fire protection
standards. Since they operate at
60 hertz, there is no FCC EMI/
RFI compliance labeling needed.
These traditional S106 ballasts
are designed for the commercial lighting
industry where ballast life expectancy is 10
years or more for all components (including
capacitors).
Traditional ballasts have a power consumption
of around 90 watts making
on technology
Competitive lamp and ballast life testing under controlled
conditions at EYE Lighting’s Mentor, Ohio facility.
TeRmS DefIneD:
Acoustic Resonance: A term applied
to an unstable arc condition
of HID lamps when operated at
high frequencies. Ultrasonic sound
waves build up in the lamp arc
tube and cause the light producing
arc to flicker and swirl. Such operation
could lead to short lamp life.
ANSI: American National Standards
Institute is an organization that
sets standards for certain products.
Among other things they set
standards for metal halide and high
pressure sodium lamps and ballasts
so that there is a compatible match
between lamps and ballasts. This is
important for proper lamp operation
and to date there is no ANSI standards
for HID electronic ballasts.
EMI/RFI: Electromagnetic
Interference and Radio Frequency
Interference are terms used to
describe unwanted electrical energies
or signals that “interfere” with
the proper operation of items such
as TV’s, computers, cell phones,
radios. It is often called ‘noise’,
‘hum’, or ‘snow’ when it shows
up interfering with normal use of
electrical devices.
FCC: Federal Communications
Commission – among other duties
in the United States, the FCC
sets limits on how much EMI and
RFI that electrical devices can
generate. In this way a device
such as a ballast will not interfere
with the operation of radios, TV’s,
etc. All electrical devices that can
generate EMI and RFI are supposed
to comply with appropriate
FCC regulations.
Hertz: This is the term used to
define the frequency of electric
power and radio waves. Electric
power operating at 60 hertz
means that the power has gone
through 60 complete cycles in
one second.
HID: High Intensity Discharge –
this is the term used to describe
lamp types such as metal halide
and high pressure sodium lamps.
They are called high intensity
because these lamps produce
large amounts of light in a very
small package.
Power Factor: The measurement
of how well an electric load
(motor, light, appliance) matches
a pure resistive load. It is not the
same as efficiency. Most HID
lighting ballasts have a power
factors at .90 or better. Incandescent
lamps can have a high
power factor of 1.0 but a lower
efficiency of only about 6%.
UL/CSA: Underwriters Laboratory
and Canadian Standards
Association are both entities that
help develop safety standards for
products and also test products
to meet those standards. Electrical
devices such as ballasts are
only a part of what they test and
certify for safety.
t h e l e a d e r i n hi g h P e r f o r m a n c e l i g h t
presented by them 85% energy efficient (85% of the
electric power goes into the lamp and 15%
is lost in the ballast itself). This makes the
total power consumed by the traditional
600 watt lamp and ballast system to be
about 690 watts. All lamps operated on the
traditional ballasts showed stable operation
with no flicker.
The electronic ballasts as evaluated were
not designated with a particular ANSI
lamp/ballast designation and did not have
UL/CSA labeling. All were clearly marked
for supply voltage ratings (120 or 240
volts) and did have power cord hookups
for the lamp socket. All lamps tested did
start on the various electronic ballasts, but
some exhibited a swirling effect of the arc
known as acoustic resonance. Because
the electronic ballasts operate at very
high frequency they can cause unstable
conditions inside the lamp that can actually
make the electric arc swirl or dance during
starting. This may be seen as light coming
from the fixture moving or flickering,
but if the lamp were to be viewed with
welders glass (very dark tinted glass) the
electrically charged vapor in the lamp
would been seen moving around. Acoustic
resonance is hard on lamps and may cause
premature failures due to the excessive
vibrations. Electronic ballast users may
need to replace lamps more frequently
over time as this condition will eventually
weaken all brands of lamps — some
sooner than others depending on the
construction of the lamp and the actual
level of acoustic resonance generated by
the ballast. Ballast designers know about
acoustic resonance and can design to
eliminate it for a specific lamp; but it may
be hard to eliminate in all brands of lamps
without careful compatibility evaluations.
Ballast efficiencies for tested electronic
ballasts were very close to that of traditional
metal ballasts. They consumed
about 50 to 70 watts each and ran the
lamps at roughly their rated 600 watts.
This makes the total power consumed by
the electronic 600 watt lamp and ballast
system to be about 640-670 watts.
Light outputs from lamps tested on both
traditional and electronic 600 watt ballasts
tended to be about the same. There was
no dramatic increase or decrease in light
output from any of the ballasts choices;
however, all lamps tested on electronic
ballasts had advanced sodium loss and
reduced lumens.
[See table on the following page for a more detailed
summary of the findings.]
Photometric measurements of all HID products ensures highest quality for the customer.
EYE Lighting International’s Test and
Measurement Laboratory, located at our
facility in Mentor, OH is accredited to ISO/
IEC 17025 as part of the National Voluntary
Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP)
under the aegis of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) within the
program for Energy Efficient Lighting Products.
Our Lab Code is 200783-0. The scope
of our original accreditation in 2007 included
testing of Electrical, Photometric, and Life
Performance Characteristics of HID Lamps.
The standards applied include IES LM-47,
IES LM-51 and ANSI C78.389. These test
and measurement procedures apply to all HID
lamp types, including Mercury Vapor, High
Pressure Sodium, Quartz Metal Halide and
Ceramic Metal Halide products. In 2008, the
scope of our accreditation will be expanded
to incorporate Colorimetric characteristics of
HID Lamps and the addition of Fluorescent
and Incandescent Lamps for the test
and measurement of each characteristic
as well.
EYE Lighting International Test and Measurement
Laboratory is one of only 16 such
Laboratories accredited by NVLAP for Energy
Efficient Lighting Products to the ISO/IEC
17025 Standard in the United States, and
one of only 24 such accredited laboratories
globally. EYE Lighting International is the only
HID lamp manufacturer in the United States
that has an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited Test
and Measurement Laboratory situated at the
same location as its HID Product Development
Group, HID Product Development Pilot
Laboratory and HID Manufacturing facility.
Accreditation to the ISO/IEC standard is prerequisite
to being authorized to perform tests
on and apply the Energy Star rating to qualifying
lighting products as well as to obtaining certification
as a UL or CSA Test Facility.
Remember that electronic ballast and
lamp technology is always changing and
will continue to improve over time. There
have been significant improvements in the
most recent ballast versions now being
sold from the earlier versions of two years
ago. Many early designed electronic ballasts
failed to perform right out of the box
at our testing facility in Mentor, Ohio.*
Currently, we experienced zero ballast
failure out of dozens of ballasts tested for
this article. Therefore, it is important to
recognize that early lamp failures, more
commonly associated with these early
ballast versions, seem to have leveled
off among the industry. Our tests indicate
that no one lamp ballast combination
was better or worse on these newer
ballast versions tested.
In summary, our tests showed that the
current electronic ballasts seem to operate
lamps about the same as traditional
magnetic ballasts. Energy efficiencies and
light output are basically equal between
the types with only the expected variation
you would find in any group of samples.
No flicker was detected on traditional ballasts
running at 60 hertz, but was detected
in lamps running on electronic ballasts.
Be advised that some of the acoustic resonance
created by electronic ballasts can
lead to early lamp or ballast failure.
Protect yourself... certifications such
as UL, and CSA are there for electrical
devices to ensure safety and prevent fires.
It is advisable to use only equipment that
meets these certifications. Also remember
that high frequency electronic equipment
should comply with appropriate FCC
regulations so as not to cause interference
with other devices such as TV, cell phone,
and computers. No matter what your
choice, make sure you have proper wiring,
breaker or fuse sizes for the equipment
you are running.
In the future, we anticipate many of the
electronic ballasts being used for horticulture
will comply with ANSI standards
(as those standards are currently being
developed) just as traditional ballasts
currently meet ANSI specifications. In the
meantime, look for EYE HORTILUX
to continue to provide ongoing publications
and additional high-quality
products for the horticulture industry
utilizing the scientific data gathered
from these on-going tests.
t h e l e a d e r i n hi g h P e r f o r m a n c e l i g h t
presented by on technology
A Bright Future… ?
A SIDe-bY-SIDe CompARISon of
TRADITIonAl mAgneTIC bAllAST VS. eleCTRonIC bAllAST
* Please see side-bar on previous page for more information on EYE’s ISO accredited Test and Measurement Laboratory.
TradiTional ElEcTronic
MagnETic
(adVancE, S106)
Major Brand
a
Major Brand
B
Major Brand
c
EnErgy coST PEr
MonTh* $45.90 $41.18 $43.88 $43.88
inPuT PowEr (laMP
and BallaST waTTS
conSuMEd)
680 watts
+/- 15 watts
610 watts
+/- 20 watts
650 watts
+/- 30 watts
650 watts
+/- 10 watts
laMP PowEr 600 watts
+/- 20 watts
560watts
+/- 20 watts
600 watts
+/- 30 watts
600 watts
+/- 10 watts
SySTEM EfficiEncy
(laMP PowEr diVidEd
By ToTal PowEr)
88-91% 90-94% 90-94% 90-94%
BallaST waTTS 70-90 watts 40-60 watts 45-65 watts 45-55 watts
SySTEM PowEr
facTor** .92 - .99 .87 - .94 .89 - .94 .95 - .97
luMEn ouTPuT on
TradiTional VS.
ElEcTronic BallaST
100% 91% 100% 100%
BallaST wEighT 25 lbs. 7 lbs. 9 lbs. 10 lbs.
caSE TEMPEraTurE
(80° f air TEMP) 130° F 115° F 140° F 158° F
* Based on 450 hours operation a month and $0.15/kwhr electricity cost.
** Power Factor does not influence system efficiency, please reference the “terms defined” box for more information.
This table summarizes the results of testing dozens of popular brand name ballasts. Supply volts were held constant under lab conditions.
Your results may vary based on voltage irregularities at your outlet.
 
Last edited:

D Rock

HERBAL RELEAF PLANT A SEED START A WE
Veteran
I've got a 250 watt Galaxy balast and couldnt be happier. I like it much better than the old magnetic balast it use to buzz alot and got hot. The Digi makes no noise and is very little heat. The digi also fires MH/ HPS.
 
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