Tent with 400watt cool air reflector

[Skunkworkz]

I don't even know if those particular bulbs are still available, since it has been more than 17 years since I bought one. My Lumatek has a setting beyond its "400" one that will drive a bulb at greater than 400 watts. I'd like to have one of those old 430-watt bulbs (in new condition, of course), so I could see if it would live at the Lumatek's maximum wattage setting.

The "430w" bulbs you bought, were HPS "conversion" bulbs that ran on MH-specific ballasts. (There's both MH>HPS & HPS>MH conversions still available.) You can still buy them, and they'll run on e-ballasts easily. On "turbo" mode an e-ballast overclocks by 10% so a 430w bulb would be run @ 440w in overclock mode & I'd think that it'd be no issue.

 

[TorturedSoul]

The "430w" bulbs you bought, were HPS "conversion" bulbs that ran on MH-specific ballasts. (There's both MH>HPS & HPS>MH conversions still available.) You can still buy them, and they'll run on e-ballasts easily. On "turbo" mode an e-ballast overclocks by 10% so a 430w bulb would be run @ 440w in overclock mode & I'd think that it'd be no issue.

No, they weren't conversion bulbs. I've seen/used such things before. Typically, they consumed 400 watts and produced something like 360 watts' worth of light. There are two types, one works on a MH ballast and is a high pressure bulb, the other works on an HPS ballast and is a metal halide bulb.

The bulbs I referred to were high pressure sodium bulbs, they ran off of a HPS ballast, and they consumed 430 watts. When you fired one up, you immediately got hit with a (reasonably) bright blue light. Then the rest of the bulb fired and the "HPS light color" came on, got brighter, brighter, and brighter until it was at full output. They were being driven by 430-watt HPS ballasts, old-school C&C (core & coil, aka "magnetic") ones that weighed more than Jethro's lunch box.

I don't see much mention of conversion bulbs these days, since electronic ballasts (and switchable C&C ballasts) are capable of powering both HPS and MH bulbs (separately, of course). But they're still out there.

I just did a quick web search and Phillips still makes one. Might be the same, might be a different generation/version: "Philips 430W Son Agro C-430 Grow Light Bulb HPS," 901560 (I think that is the manufacturer's number).

So does Eye Hortilux, which I was unaware of: "Eye Hortilux Super HPS Enhanced 430W," 901565. Hmm... Those SKU numbers are remarkably similar, aren't they? Different manufacturers ("manufacturers," lol? Maybe one company actually makes both?) and different sellers (both are hydroponics stores).

430-watt C&C ballasts are still available, although they are not real common (they never were). Mine were branded Hydrofarm, and expensive. Even the "kits" are expensive now.

 

[Skunkworkz]

The son agro bulbs are what you're talking about, I'm pretty sure. And I have a pile of Stealth brand 1000w HPS' magnetic ballasts sitting in storage if ever you're feeling nostalgic & want to run some (or build yourself a coffee table) & want to pay freight let me know & I'll ship you some. .

 

[TorturedSoul]

Yeah, pay freight, lol. Be cheaper to rent a truck and pick them up, methinks.

If those 1kW ballasts were 430s, I'd probably take you up on the offer (for ONE of them, lol - let someone else finance the UPS board members' vacations).

I fear that old C&C ballasts are probably only slightly more likely to sell than old 4:3 televisions.