Digital Ballasts...Worth It?

I wanted to talk about Digital Ballasts. Id like peoples opinions, but mainly people who have used them and compared the results.

I am generally a skeptical person when it comes to "the new big thing." Brand new products always have bugs and are generally talked up, not neccessarily providing the "incredible" difference they claimed. So when digital ballasts starting coming out on the market, I believed they were better but I did not see how they could really be THAT much more effecient.

Being the skeptic, no amount of salesman at the local hydro shops could convince me to ditch all my standard equipment that, not that long ago, was the new big thing. So I had to try it for myself and see what all the hoopla was about.

Well...like I was with T5 HO lights (which I also now love), I have been converted. The claim is that a 600 watt digital HPS light can produce 95% the lumens that a standard 1000 watt HPS light can put out, while only using the energy of a 600 watt light and without the heat of a 1000 watt. On the whole, I fully agree with this statement.

I dont get wider node spacing with the 600 digitals, the lumens dont all of a sudden drop off either when far away (penetration seems about the same as normal 1000s), and the heat is far easier to manage. I can touch the glass on my hoods no problem and they are not even cooltubes. Bulbs are cheaper, and they use almost the same (sometimes even less) energy then a normal 600 watt HPS; considerably lower then a 1000 HPS. Enough that over a few cycles, you could be saving hundreds and hundreds of dollars on your energy bill.

About the only claim I do not agree with is the cold ballasts. My ballasts still get very hot and still need to be removed from the grow rooms, but they are whisper quiet with no vibration at all and a quick fireup time. They also have safeguards built-in for power surges or relighting the bulbs to quick. One of the only disadvantages I have found, is that if one breaks (and one has not) then you cant pop it open and replace a capacitator or wiring as easily.

So the next step...if a 600 watt digital is equal to a 1000 watt standard, then what power output does a 750 or 1000 watt digital ballast have? A 400 watt digital is supposed to be around equal to a 650 watt standard...so were talking equivalent of like 1500 watts! At this point, people dont even have solid comparisons to whether this is even beneficial...but I am also a believer that if you can control everything enough, then cannabis can ALWAYS take advantage of more (more light, more nutrients, more oxygen, more co2, etc).

Finally, I have some questions. Would a 750 watt or 1000 watt digital lamp actually put out that many more lumens or do we start dropping off at some point (just cant get that efficient at that level?)? Would these higher lumens and intensity take even better advantage of CO2 then a normal light? Will the digital ballasts last as long as standard? Has anyone else done side by side comparisons? I do not plan on upgrading to 750s or 1000s for a few cycles, but has anyone tried 600s and then upgraded? If you are skeptical, why?

I am using these lights in a couple different rooms, but here is one of the flowering rooms. Ive had digital camera trouble so I have no pics from the last week or 2. Needless to say, they are growing 1.5" a day or more. Almost a foot a week. The lights are around 14" away. A little higher then I want but this gives me the foot print I want. Node spacing is good for me.

Dam dude looks like you have a forest growing in there :)
haven't tryed any of those types of ballast yet myself first i heard of them puting out more light just thought they save on electric a bit might be worth looking into them

Yeah they do save money on the bill

Hi Racerx
I've ordered a 400 watt ballast from 1000 Blubs.com and glad to see other growers are useing them.I'am skeptical about the elec.ballest too.Do they last longer without burning out ? One thing that bothers me is some web sites
say if the cable is not shielded it will interfear with satellite tv and other signals for about 50yds. around.Dose anybody know if this true?The one I ordered is a Galaxy Electronice ballast are any of you poeple useing this one or know anybody that dose?
Your garden looks great,keep up the good work and post some more pixs please.

I have a digital 1K going and mine puts off almost no noticable heat, and is as big as about 2 boxes of mack and chees and I atach it right to the wall, it is kind of like a little car amp. I also have 2 Digitec electronic 1K's and they seem like they are about 30LB's each and do hum but just a little, and we already no about the heat.
I haven't really been paying much attintion to other differences, but I will start being more observant and try to contribute some more input down the road. I may also replace the 2 Digitec with 3 digital 600w's and see how that go's. But all and all my digital is much more convenient IMO.
Adieu

...my HPS ballast....is as big as a small suitcase..with handle...vented ribs...aluminum housing...a 10 foot cord..(get that fucking thing out of the grow room cord)...and hums like a 200lb canary...

..the people ..I got my 400HPS Hortilux light and ballast..were very good souce of equipment..good price..good high quality..like they said.....Can't remember...who the fuck they were...all I remember is .."systems access"..

Your killing me.LOL LOL, Hah Hagh. Wow, even my digitec 1K's just put out a slight little hum, it is way quieter than a fridge when the frost mechanism comes on, is yours louder than that?
Adieu

..about the same sound level as a dail-tone.... up to your ear...

anyone else compared digital to standard?

I have a digital 400-watt Lumatek ballast, with which I've been very happy. I just ordered a 1k light, non-digital, not here yet, so can't comment on that yet except to say: 55 pounds (for the ballast/bulb/cordset/reflector), jeez. I think digital ballasts are worthwhile. Haven't seen many digital 1ks yet; I think I'll wait a while before getting one of those, in case they haven't got the kinks all worked out yet. If I'm not confident in 1k digitals by next summer, I may get a 600-watt digital to use during the hot months. I have no prob with the extra heat of a non-digital 1k in the winter; in fact, it saves on the heating bill!

As for the radio/cable/satellite RF interference issue: I think that was just the initial round of production, before the manufacturers realized that was an issue. I don't have that problem with the Lumatek ballast, and it's not far at all from my satellite line coming in and my satellite service's DVR, and there are no interference issues. I wouldn't worry about that at this point; I'm pretty sure they're all shielded well now to prevent that.

most new digital blasts comming out, have little to relitively no sound. and remain alot cooler and also are more efficient, saving ur bill and ur bulb.

..I have been reading about growers....having short bulb-life...with the new digitals....beware of the quality....

:rasta: Hello To All
Well my 400W Galaxy Electronic ballast Just got here from (1000Blubs.com)
Cant wait to reset up my closet and take those shop lights out.To see what kind of heat it gives off I set it up in the garage and plug it in.The ballast gets warm but not so you can't pick it up and hold it.It dose start up slow and there's no noise.I have the 6"ECONO COOL REFLECTOR with a HPS blub.
After about 1 hour and 1/2 I put my hand under it about 3"in away and keep
it there for around 5 mins. and it wasnt hot.I put my hand on the reflector
on the top and it was getting hotter.After 2 hours I put a 3"x3"x2" fan that moves air at 25 CFM's set in the 6" air inlet,Just this little fan cooled the reflector down to where I could put my hand on top of the reflector and hold it there for a few minutes.The RF interference I did'nt have any at all,so thats one more good thing about these's ballasts.I got the reflector /cordset/ 2 blubs HPS&MH and ballast for $322.95 us dollars.I 'am counting the shipping too.But I ordered from 2 places{plantligthing Hydroponics}and {1000Blubs.com}.The one thing I really like is one ballast runs both HPS & MH blubs.
In the next week I going to set up the light in the closet and finish the flowering of my three girls.When they finish I'am setting up my diy dirp hydro with 4 eigth inch net pots with clones from the three girls that are flowering now in soil.The clones are in 1.5" sq rockwool cubes so it will be easy to place them in the net pots with Hydronton rocks.This will be my frist Hydro grow.This is my third inside soil grow,I have grown outside in the woods and around,but never inside with this much control over the progress of the grow.:)
For the past few months i have been reading all the threads and got two books one by Ed Rosenthal & Mel Thomas that I'am reading right now,So we will see how all this go's.I hope all this go's like clock work.But I'am still going to grow in soil too.I'll post some pixs soon.So far I like the electronic ballast.
Sorry about rambling on But I got some new toys.:dance:
Have A toke on me.:rasta: