digital ballast, worth it?

hey guys i plan on starting a grow in a couple months once i have some spare money for my set up, i plan on using a 250w hps just for 2-3 plants so i can have a nice little personal stash for me and my friends,

but i my question is this, i know that digital ballasts are better then regular magnetic ones but are they worth the extra money, so all of u guys that have digital ballasts and have used both which do u like better do do you think it was worth the extra buck,

if its worth the extra money i plan on getting a digi, i would also like to know if u guys have any good sites with good prices for a 250w digi ballast i have looked on ebay and a few other places but the best price i could find is 150 b4 shipping compared to 105 shipped for a regular ballast that includes the light and reflector,

so whats do u guys think, i will gladly take any advice on the situation,


peace out tJm

I bought a digital ballast so that I could just swap bulbs into it when stages changed. Seems like a cost effective way to do it. THe problem is you want to have plants in veg stage ready to put under the flowering light as soon as you rotate out the harvested plants....a cycle if you will. Furthermore clones would use a third light

In other words if you use three lights: one for clones, one for vegetative growth and one for flowering you will save time and from what I understand you can harvest every 6 weeks like this.

I use the ballast and a 400w hps in a hydrohut, then I do vegetative growth in a closet with a 80w Fluorescent....and above that another 80w fluroescent for clones.

That way as soon as there is room in the hydrohut for more i rotate them in, clone more..move old clones into veg stage and around & around we go :):thumbsup:

ok good to know u like the digi, i plan on just vegging and flowering under the hps, i will take clones and keep a mother off a plant i like and keep them in the bottom of the cab im gonna get,


peace out tJm

I guess what I was saying was that unless you plan on using only one lamp and having more time between harvests a digital is the way to go.

I was saying I wasted money spending extra to get digital, when I ended up not needing one due to discovering the understanding of perpetual harvests.

Perpetual harvest is when you rotate in clones, veg growth and harvests as closely together as possible...u cant do that with one light...which kinda of IMO defeats the purpose of having a digital

I have a 400 watt digital ballast and a 1,000 watt magnetic ballast. I would have bought a digital ballast for the 1,000 watt unit, but they were either very new at that time, or they were only available in 240v versions (which doesn't work for me). The biggest advantages of digital ballasts are: they have few if any moving parts so there's less to break down over time; they are basically absolutely quiet, no hum; they generate less heat than magnetic ballasts (always a factor); they consume less energy for the same amount of light generated; they strobe their light at much higher frequencies than magnetic ballasts which the plants seem to like better. (Could be wrong about the latter, but that's what it looks like to me.)

So, all-in-all, yes, I do think they are worth it. Anywhere you're going to use an HID lamp, I'd definitely consider attaching the lamp to a digital ballast. I plan on buying a 600 watt digital ballast (or two) to replace my 1,000 watt magnetic ballast, and just keep the 1,000-watter around as an emergency spare.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jamstigator

I have a 400 watt digital ballast and a 1,000 watt magnetic ballast. I would have bought a digital ballast for the 1,000 watt unit, but they were either very new at that time, or they were only available in 240v versions (which doesn't work for me). The biggest advantages of digital ballasts are: they have few if any moving parts so there's less to break down over time; they are basically absolutely quiet, no hum; they generate less heat than magnetic ballasts (always a factor); they consume less energy for the same amount of light generated; they strobe their light at much higher frequencies than magnetic ballasts which the plants seem to like better. (Could be wrong about the latter, but that's what it looks like to me.)

So, all-in-all, yes, I do think they are worth it. Anywhere you're going to use an HID lamp, I'd definitely consider attaching the lamp to a digital ballast. I plan on buying a 600 watt digital ballast (or two) to replace my 1,000 watt magnetic ballast, and just keep the 1,000-watter around as an emergency spare.

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Wait a minute, I thought a digitial ballast was simply that the ballast allows both HPS and MH bulbs....is this true???

soc i know what a perpetual harvest is im not stupid, thanks for al the advice guys,


peace out tJm

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sOcK3y3

Wait a minute, I thought a digitial ballast was simply that the ballast allows both HPS and MH bulbs....is this true???

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Yes.

PC :smokin:

eBay Store - My Garden Shoppe: Lighting Systems, Hydroponic Systems, 600 watt digital ballast
real good price on kit, this is the one im goin to buy (600)
and he said their fcc and ce certified
one of the best prices i found with free shipping
good luck
hit the bong

ok guys im definately going with the digital ballast, i found a good deal on ebay, 250hps bulb with digital ballast and reflector and the cables and stuff, for 150 after shipping compared to 121 for a regular, so thats def worth the extra 30,

one more questions for you guys im looking for a fan for exuast, to hook up to my carbon scrubber, im looking for something not to loud and not to expensive, so if u have a link for a good low price fan link me up, heres one i was looking at what do ya think FAN, 6" INLINE, DUCT FAN, 110v 250 CFMs,1 Year Warranty - (item 290149118957 end time Aug-21-07 00:17:13 PDT),


peace out TjM

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Blitzed

thinking just hurts my brain

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hurts my brain too:rastasmoke:

Inline duct fans aren't really designed to handle much back pressure. In other words, they suck with carbon filters. If there's much of any resistance in the ducting, you'll fry the motor over time. You need a centrifugal fan for use with your carbon filter. I have only tried one brand of those myself, EcoPlus, in both 4" and 6" versions. They aren't incredibly quiet, but I don't think any centrifugal fan is going to be all that quiet. They are relatively cheap compared to Hurricane, Vortex, et al, which is why I use them. Plus, they've been very durable; I've had a 6" EcoPlus 440 CFM fan going 24 hours a day for two years now, with a speed controller attached to dial down the speed, and no probs at all, still going strong.

ok thanks allot bro i might just get one of those, do you have a link to a site where you bought yours?


peace out TjM

www.bgydro.com is where I got mine; they've always been reliable and helpful. I'm sure most any hydro/horticultural shop will have fans though, so you might be able to find a better deal elsewhere.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jamstigator

www.bgydro.com is where I got mine; they've always been reliable and helpful. I'm sure most any hydro/horticultural shop will have fans though, so you might be able to find a better deal elsewhere.

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I've bought a bunch of stuff from BGHydro. As a matter of fact, that's where I bought my digi ballasts. I've never had any problems with them. They are real prompt about shipping their orders and they use FedEx, so you know there won't be delivery problems. But they have some kind of rate deal with FedEx and the shipping is very reasonable. I just bought some sulfer from them. The package was 3lbs. - shipping was $6.50 and I got it overnight. :thumbsup:

...for what it's worth.

PC :smokin:

ok thanks allot guys you really are good at helping a hippie out, look out for my grow log in a couple months, this concludes all of my questions so we can let tthis thread die now


peace out TjM

I'm thinking about going to digital ballasts for my two 400whps when my magnetic ballasts eventually fry. I'd really like to see a side by side comparison. I can buy 3-4 magnetic ballasts for the same price as a digital. Has anyone seen a 400w digital next to a 400w magnetic?

you can buy good priced digi ballasts on ebay that are brand new man, im gonna get this 250 watt digi that has the light and the reflector and cables for only 150 includeing shiping, the same guy that im gonna get my digi from has 400 watt to, heres the link

400 W HPS Digital Ballast Econo Reflector Bulb KIT watt - (item 330141481000 end time Aug-28-07 04:46:10 PDT),

and it comes with the lamp the ballast the cables and the reflector, the reflector isint the best one you could get but for that price i say its a damn good deal,

peace out TjM

Yeah that reflector is pretty bad, lol.
Even the cheap Inside Sun batwings are better!

yes, digital ballast worth it.