help on lights pleas

ok i ended up getting 2 light fixtures from a grage sale(homegrown high intensity discharge grow light/high pressure sodium) they have all diferent amounts of wattage marked on the sticker thats on the box. the box plugs in the wall with a normale 3 prong plug and another cord is hooked up to a light socket with a big dome around it. now on that sticker the 400 watt mark is colored in and on the other one someone marked in black marker 400watt MH. is anybody famillure with theese typs of lights and if so whats the best way to use them.

It sounds like you have:

1. 400 watt High Pressure Sodium ballast; that requires a 400 watt HPS bulb.
2. 400 watt Metal Halide ballast; that requires a 400 watt MH bulb.

Both are excellent for growing indoors...about 3-5 flowering female plants, per light.

used electrical equipment is risky...BEWARE

thanks man both units are the same but when it says mh/hps dose that mean it will power 2 diiferemnt typ light bulbs

only... IF they are switchable ballasts? (many are)...if not switchable...different rules, apply

ps...you need to read though this indoor lighting forum...and get up to speed about HID lighting information...IMO.

do you know if the ballasts are digital or magnetic?

I'm running a 400w MH std High-Bay setup(magnetic/expensive ballst), been doing just fine. I believe the std bulb for my unit is a MH400/C/U. I think the 'C' is for commercial, and the 'U' is for universal mounting,ie Vertical or horizontal. You do get better lumen output in vertical(base up) position though. The bulb is a 3700K yellowish/orange.

Check this out for progess.. 35 days flowering tonight, these pic are a few days old.. and I've used the same bulb/ballst from seed til now.

http://boards.cannabis.com/closet-ca...-thoughts.html

Good luck dude

if there is a manufacture sticker on the unit with a model# then you can google it and find out exactly what you have and what bulbs to run in it. As DP said many of todays ballasts are switchable (either manual switch or auto) and can run either bulb type which is really handy :) easy way to tell magnetic from electronic type ballasts would be weight. the magnetic type weigh a considerable amout to the point of dont drop it on your toes and the electronic are very light in comparison. I'll stay away from tech stats as I dont want to add to the confusion. look for that label and google it :jointsmile:

yes the box is very heavy and the manufacture date says 1998 but i cant find the the numbers i need to google all it says is high intensity discharge grow light/high pressure sodiumn and one one of them somebody wrote in black marker Mh 400 watt. if you can use 2 typs of bulbs then i think who ever had them before used one for MH and the other a hps that would make sense wouldint it.
i no what ill do ill take some pics of the units and besides you all need to see my 1 outdoor plant in my back yard shes looking good i think im still a newbie

ok heres some pics of the units i got hopefully you can tell if there magnetic or if i can use one kind of bulb in one and the other ikind of bulb in the other or maby your just famullier with these units and can give me hints on them

60Hz makes them magnetic. Look like industrial ballasts?...anyways, I would test them in a safe location...first. They don't look to be switchable?...HPS bulb goes in the HPS ballast...MH in the other one...I think?...wish I could see the labels better.