Hps magnetic over digital ballast opinions

[Valentino92zg]

Hi to all, I'm interested in quality and experience with digital dimmable ballasts, I've been reading about digital ballasts and heard that they are prune to fails,magnetic are more stable with less possible problems. Is that true?

I would like to hear your experiences.


P.s. Im on magnetic right now but interested in upgrading to digital ones maybe.

 

[Silverfox125]

I’d stick with the magnetic and upgrade to a nice LED when you’re ready. But that’s just me. Everybody has their own opinions based off past experience.

good luck

positive vibes

 

[Emilya Green]

Hi... hands down, digital is better. They are much more efficient, and much quieter electrically. Buy a good quality digital ballast and they are just as reliable as the old magnetic ones with nothing really in there that can go wrong. Also, a good digital ballast, like my 3 lumatek's, will fine tune itself to your light, compensating for its age and particular needs to be most efficient.

 

[Valentino92zg]

I’d stick with the magnetic and upgrade to a nice LED when you’re ready. But that’s just me. Everybody has their own opinions based off past experience.

good luck

positive vibes

I'm still not quiet convinced into leds except those that cost freaking too much heh. Like ones with cree chips or samsung ones.

 

[Valentino92zg]

Hi... hands down, digital is better. They are much more efficient, and much quieter electrically. Buy a good quality digital ballast and they are just as reliable as the old magnetic ones with nothing really in there that can go wrong. Also, a good digital ballast, like my 3 lumatek's, will fine tune itself to your light, compensating for its age and particular needs to be most efficient.

So you got them for some time now? I've been looking into lumatek too,600 w but I will be using them for 150w bulb for now. Thats their lowest setting as I remember.

Sorry I've been looking at this one

 

[Emilya Green]

I'm still not quiet convinced into leds except those that cost freaking too much heh. Like ones with cree chips or samsung ones.

I was a tough sell too... but now I am big into LED having tried them for a few grows. My homebrew CREE rig is so far the best light I have ever used, and I can't wait to try out the new NextLight Mega that I won from this forum... it is going to be a screamer! Their claims that it will outperform a double ended 1000w HID, is believable. ... and at a 600w draw.

 

[Silverfox125]

I'm still not quiet convinced into leds except those that cost freaking too much heh. Like ones with cree chips or samsung ones.

I understand. Check out Dutchman’s grow. It’s hard to argue with 2g/watt

 

[Emilya Green]

So you got them for some time now? I've been looking into lumatek too,600 w but I will be using them for 150w bulb for now. Thats their lowest setting as I remember.

Sorry I've been looking at this one

Mine are older than that one now, but same sort of thing. Mine had 2 lower settings and one super lumen setting that supercharged an HPS a bit more.
I am a ham radio operator, and magnetic ballasts made my location totally radio unfriendly... I could not hear anything over the constant electrical noise coming from the grow room. Lumetik silenced all of that... I can barely tell when they are on.

 

[Valentino92zg]

Mine are older than that one now, but same sort of thing. Mine had 2 lower settings and one super lumen setting that supercharged an HPS a bit more.
I am a ham radio operator, and magnetic ballasts made my location totally radio unfriendly... I could not hear anything over the constant electrical noise coming from the grow room. Lumetik silenced all of that... I can barely tell when they are on.

I get it,I hate taking pics of plant with magnetic one hehe, so in general those digital of better quality ( not chinese) are good? What you think of this omega brand? Or is it the best to buy lumatek.

 

[Emilya Green]

I have no personal experience with anything other than my lumateks and the warehouse magnetic that I got hold of early on to experiment with. I have always heard that Omega was a good brand though.

 

[Valentino92zg]

I have no personal experience with anything other than my lumateks and the warehouse magnetic that I got hold of early on to experiment with. I have always heard that Omega was a good brand though.

Thanks thats good enough lol. I just need to find one with 150w option.

 

[Weaselcracker]

I’ve got a few Lumatek ballasts. I’ve had them for 5 or 6 years. I used some ancient magnetic ballasts for years before that. The really old kind with wires and parts dangling everywhere that used to give me a bad shock when I touched the wrong spot. They were used for many years before I got them, and they still work now, though I’ve retired them.

I got the digital ballasts because I wanted to be able to dim bulbs. I also wanted to be able to switch between HPS and MH. I had one lumatec ballast burn out a couple years ago and replaced it with some other no-name Chinese ballast. Otherwise they’ve been fine. They should last at least several years. Unlike the magnetic ballasts they’re not really repairable as the inside is all glued together with a thick plastic coating and you can’t access any working parts.

Dimmed bulbs aren’t as efficient. So for example if you have a 600w ballast and dim a 600 W bulb down to 300 watts, you will still be paying for 300 W of power but you won’t be getting 50% of the light, if you know what I mean.

For taking photos with the magnetic ballasts you can avoid that striped effect by using UV sunglasses as a camera filter.

HPS grows great bud. Better than most of the lighting out there. The difference between my Q board LEDs and the HPS isn’t worth paying big bucks for at all, IMO. Don’t feel pressured to switch if you don’t feel like paying for overpriced LEDs. It’s mostly a sort of herd effect caused by a zillion LED companies pushing their marketing. Those prices will continue to come down.

 

[Valentino92zg]

I’ve got a few Lumatek ballasts. I’ve had them for 5 or 6 years. I used some ancient magnetic ballasts for years before that. The really old kind with wires and parts dangling everywhere that used to give me a bad shock when I touched the wrong spot. They were used for many years before I got them, and they still work now, though I’ve retired them.

I got the digital ballasts because I wanted to be able to dim bulbs. I also wanted to be able to switch between HPS and MH. I had one lumatec ballast burn out a couple years ago and replaced it with some other no-name Chinese ballast. Otherwise they’ve been fine. They should last at least several years. Unlike the magnetic ballasts they’re not really repairable as the inside is all glued together with a thick plastic coating and you can’t access any working parts.

Dimmed bulbs aren’t as efficient. So for example if you have a 600w ballast and dim a 600 W bulb down to 300 watts, you will still be paying for 300 W of power but you won’t be getting 50% of the light, if you know what I mean.

For taking photos with the magnetic ballasts you can avoid that striped effect by using UV sunglasses a s a camera filter.

HPS grows great bud. Better than most of the lighting out there. The difference between my Q board LEDs and the HPS isn’t worth paying big bucks for at all. Don’t feel pressured to switch if you don’t feel like paying for overpriced LEDs. It’s mostly a sort of herd effect caused by a zillion LED companies pushing their marketing. Those prices will continue to come down.

Thanks for info on your experience and advice on Uv sunglasses and also on Led info heh. I'll be sticking to hps for now thats for sure.

 

[HigherTheHigh]

I ran a that omega ballast or it may of been the lummi I'm sure there the same, I seem you mention your not convinced on buying leds over hps, from someone like me that's took 2 years to convert trust me the sooner you do the better in loads of positives, less heat, power, big bulb prices.

I'm sure a qb board would be perfect in there and I'm sure there is lots of growers in here who run them, hps is a right heartache at times if your summer's are not like ours.

 

[Valentino92zg]

I ran a that omega ballast or it may of been the lummi I'm sure there the same, I seem you mention your not convinced on buying leds over hps, from someone like me that's took 2 years to convert trust me the sooner you do the better in loads of positives, less heat, power, big bulb prices.

I'm sure a qb board would be perfect in there and I'm sure there is lots of growers in here who run them, hps is a right heartache at times if your summer's are not like ours.

Yea thats what Im afraid when summer comes, cause temps are sometimes at 35 even 38 °C

 

[Weaselcracker]

If you struggle with heat a lot then that is the main selling point of LED- less heat. Not that the heat of HID isn't usually solved easily enough with proper ventilation. But if you’re going to have to put much money and effort into it then that money may be better spent on something that runs cooler. But definitely go for the best quality LEDs if that’s the route you’re going.

For myself, I like heat. It’s January. It’s cold. If I wasn’t getting the heat from my bulbs I would have to be paying for something else to provide it.

 

[HigherTheHigh]

If your worried about losing out on yield I really wouldn't worry as a lot of growers are getting more grams per watts with Led compared to HPS.

I'm sure once you try it a few times though you will then see what works for you.