Ceramic Metal Halide News

[RackitMan]

CMH lights seem to very popular because of the improved spectrum over MH and HPS and the ability to use one bulb for the entire harvest. Problem was: no digital ballasts.

Seems Philips just came out with a digital ballast (no link) designed specifically for CMH. Will try to find it again.

Even better, Accendo Electronics just announced a dimmable (Glo Green)digital ballast for CMH. Accendo Electronics â?? GloGreen Digital Ballast (DHID) Products

No pricing as of yet. What excites me about this is the ability to vary the output. Let's say I get a 250w unit which is too much heat for my current space, yet a 150W unit is too little. I could run it at 190W in the summer and 220 watts in the winter. Also could run it at 130 watts for seedlings.And if I later get more space or better cooling, I can run it at full power. Great power savings and customization.

One light to do all. Of course this special feature will not matter very much for large or commercial grows.

The ballast + CMH puts out an impressive 116 watts per lumen.

I believe they are looking for testers!

FYI, I am not associated with this company.

RackitMan Reviewed by RackitMan on 02-28-2010. Ceramic Metal Halide News CMH lights seem to very popular because of the improved spectrum over MH and HPS and the ability to use one bulb for the entire harvest. Problem was: no digital ballasts. Seems Philips just came out with a digital ballast (no link) designed specifically for CMH. Will try to find it again. Even better, Accendo Electronics just announced a dimmable (Glo Green)digital ballast for CMH. Accendo Electronics â?? GloGreen Digital Ballast (DHID) Products No pricing as of yet. What excites me Rating: 5

[Dutch Pimp]

amazing...I wish, I had the facilities to try/test it......(RF interference on my neighbors; would worry me.)

[khyberkitsune]

"The ballast + CMH puts out an impressive 116 watts per lumen."

*giggles* I want some of what you're smoking.

I want microeinstein levels of this new tech. Can these be used in a vertical orientation?

[RackitMan]

amazing...I wish, I had the facilities to try/test it......(RF interference on my neighbors; would worry me.)

To the best of my knowledge, RF interference comes from magnetic ballasts, not digital.

[RackitMan]

"The ballast + CMH puts out an impressive 116 watts per lumen."

*giggles* I want some of what you're smoking.

I want microeinstein levels of this new tech. Can these be used in a vertical orientation?

Giggle away. The current range of l/w for metal halide runs from 65-115. Lumens primarily measures green and yellow which is why HPS seems to be superior. The real measurement we should be interested in is in PAR for which CMH seems to outperform HPS. However, this is not a standardized metric as most lights sold are for the human eye.

[khyberkitsune]

Giggle away. The current range of l/w for metal halide runs from 65-115. Lumens primarily measures green and yellow which is why HPS seems to be superior. The real measurement we should be interested in is in PAR for which CMH seems to outperform HPS. However, this is not a standardized metric as most lights sold are for the human eye.

I'm still waiting on an HID bulb that pumps out nothing but 460 and 660nm radiation. Then we're going to see some insane growth. CMH is getting closer, I've watched it. I've seen CMH grows put out lots of great results.

[RackitMan]

Just got a quote on a Glo-Green 250w CMH digital ballast. First the good news: there is a switch that toggles from 200w to 250w, plus a DC control line to vary from 125w to 250w.

Now the bad news: Initial price is $379 with reflector and hood, but no bulb. Ouch!

New technology and engineering start up costs and all. Guess I will have to wait 2-3 years until the price drops 40%.