Digital Ballast query

[The Devil]

After any info regarding a new light ballast i am going to purchase. I currently have a 400w MH setup in the closet that i have been using for the goannas over the last ten yrs.I am also running a small compact setup which consists of 2 Exoterra 10.0s & Exoterra 2.0s for higher light output. I'd like to add a second setup in the closet on top of whats there. So my research has come up with me buying a Next Gen Digital Ballast 400w with a Powerplant Super HPS 400w globe. Is this the best setup for a 6ft x3ft robe? Or should i go the 600w HPS & forget the original MH i have been using. Anyone been using these products? Or recommend anything better? I have decided i am just going to fill the closet completely & then give it a rest till i need more meds.. Also i have started my seeds 12days ago & they are about 4inches high with 4 sets of leaves, is this about right??

[The Hash Nibbler]

Hey The Devil,

Check out the New Lumatek Digital ballasts, they are sweet, a standard ballast cycles at 50 cycles a second, this thing cycles at 28,800 cycles a second. It's pretty swanky =)

6ft x 3ft is about the same size as my cupboard, i would stick with the 400w if you have ANY problems with Temp's in it. 600w are nice but just be careful of the extra heat. Use the new digital ballast and get one HPS bulb for Flowering and a MH bulb

( Conversion type that runs on HPS ballast unless the new digital runs both types) for vegging. 4" + 4 sets of leaves is fine for 12 days from sprouting. Hope a bit of my garble helps. Laters GH72

Edited June 19, 2010 by Grasshopper72

[The Devil]

Thanks Grasshopper, I have looked at the Lumatek, but i am a marketers dream, & the Next Gen seems to come up trumps & the price is higher also (buy shit you get shit. not saying that the Lumatek is shit, just that it is cheaper). Are there better ballasts than the Next Gen? Have people used these? What are your thoughts in comparison with other brands that you have used? Is this light globe the way to go? I will be changing from veg to flowering different globes as it seems to be the general opinion, but what are the best of the best globes to use?? this is a hobby to me, i don't care about money..

[TD.]

Lumatek digital ballasts are the Roles Royce of digital ballast technology....

[Cyclone]

Ok, here we go.

Firstly, a 400w in that space is suffice.

If your looking at getting heaps of premo weed,

which by the sounds of it you are by wanting to cram as much into the space as possible.

 

You'll get the same amount of weed off 3 plants in that space as you will from 30.

Mainly due to the grow space being so restrictive.

Now, onto my point. If your after a big yield getting a bigger light is important, however,

there are some factors involved in using big lights in small spaces.

Firstly, more watts is more heat, more heat means the light hangs further away from the tops of the plants before it burns them, severely stunting growth and bud production.

Well we want the light closer for two reasons, the leaves get more direct light, and you have more grow space.

So, in conclusion, if you want to put a 600 in there, you will NEED to buy a cool tube. a cylindrical glass tube with a steal end. The light fits inside and it is then connected to your ventilation fan and hopefully a filter, sucking out all hot smelly air.

 

Now onto Digital ballasts.

Personally have never used a magnetic ballast before so I may be a little bias.

But I think Digital ballasts are the way of the future.

The only reason any product brakes in this world is because it is either mechanical or electrical, sure

you can break a glass, but a glass cant break itself.

My point being, magnetic ballasts are both electrical and mechanical, opening up many more opportunities for things to go wrong, like burning down your house...

Digital ballasts are far more power efficient saving you the extra price of the ballast after a couple grows...

 

I use both a Lumatek 400 and 600 ballast.

You were asking about bulbs before, personally I use a Philips Son T Agro,

A special cultivation HPS lamp which has an abnormally high blue spectrum.

(A blue spectrum being mainly what MH uses)

So it can be used very nicely for both growth and head.

 

I personally haven't seen any better or decent alternative to a Lumatek available here in Aus.

If you want to buy a MH bulb as well, I would suggest Sylvania.

They seem to be the premium option available. But, I'm not too sure, don't use them hehe.

 

If your going to buy a 600 ballast, I would just buy a nice HPS bulb, not a Son T.

get the cool tube and other goodies.

Then get your current 400 ballast, get a nice MH bulb.

Then piss off those other lights you have.

Run this 400 in the new little box you were speaking of,

and then you can just use your main wardrobe as a flower room.

Hopefully turning it over every 8-10 weeks.

 

The best part is, as you cut down your girls,

and put your new ones in from the veg room.

You can convert your veg room into a dry room

 

Cyclone -

[nitram]

Hi The Devil (TD) go 400 if you add a coolie get a 600.

 

Gh digi ballast

 

SOME E-Ballasts have small centrifugal fan for cooling. Beware moving parts my Granny and Grandpa used to tell me.

 

On looking for a 400w E-Ballast I went for a Lumatek as for their rep and warranty.

 

they cane good on the warranty which when you think about it they protected their rep.

 

Lumatek Digital ballasts

[pisspotgrower]

You'll get the same amount of weed off 3 plants in that space as you will from 30.

Mainly due to the grow space being so restrictive.

Now, onto my point. If your after a big yield getting a bigger light is important, however,

there are some factors involved in using big lights in small spaces.

Firstly, more watts is more heat, more heat means the light hangs further away from the tops of the plants before it burns them, severely stunting growth and bud production.

Well we want the light closer for two reasons, the leaves get more direct light, and you have more grow space.

So, in conclusion, if you want to put a 600 in there, you will NEED to buy a cool tube. a cylindrical glass tube with a steal end. The light fits inside and it is then connected to your ventilation fan and hopefully a filter, sucking out all hot smelly air.

 

Only gona get same amount of 3 plants as ya would off 30 is by adding about 3 weeks veg time bugger that.

 

Should have no smelly air coming outa ya cool tube duct as should be on its on air not from the room at all...Cool tubes should be ducted from fresh air outside the grow area and exhausted the same way. U will need an exhaust fan with a carbon filter separate from ur cooltube setup......u can run it half assed by doing it the other way but ya get out what ya put in.

[chubby]

hello The Devil,

 

i have roughly the same size cabinet i run a 600 in a (cooltube summertime only) on a lightmover that works ok.

 

i personally think that 2 x 400 with good ventilation would be much better, but the cost of running 2 lights in the 1 space.

 

Have a look at the Cannaversity grow room calculater.

 

cheers Chubby

[pisspotgrower]

hello The Devil,

 

i have roughly the same size cabinet i run a 600 in a (cooltube summertime only) on a lightmover that works ok.

 

i personally think that 2 x 400 with good ventilation would be much better, but the cost of running 2 lights in the 1 space.

 

Have a look at the Cannaversity grow room calculater.

 

cheers Chubby

 

Cooltubes rock 100% but in regards to the 2 lights in 1 space. 600 watts or 2 400 watts, difference there is only 200 watts which would equal to about 20 busx a month so if thats only thing stoppin ya go for it But sayin that ill take the 600 over the 400 any days just cause the intensity is so much more

[chubby]

Cooltubes rock 100% but in regards to the 2 lights in 1 space. 600 watts or 2 400 watts, difference there is only 200 watts which would equal to about 20 busx a month so if thats only thing stoppin ya go for it But sayin that ill take the 600 over the 400 any days just cause the intensity is so much more

 

 

Hey ppg,

 

when i said the cost running 2 lights in the same space i mean that id rather have 2 smaller setups,

run different stains with diff flowering cycles.

 

rather than trying to stretch a 600 over that area which ive been doing for years.

 

so thats what i'll be doing when a bit more financial, divide my cabinet into halve & whack a 400 in each side.

 

as i said check out the growroom calculater.

 

cheers Chubby