Was wondering if anyone would know if there's a way to differentiate between a hps and mh ballasts aside from labeling? I picked up a 400w hid setup that someone was just going to throw out over a blown fuse. The ballast has no markings on it. None, no stickers nothing. I ask because the guy I got it from said it ran both when I asked. The bulbs he gave me are both lumalux 400w e39's. Neither seems to be a conversion bulb. I'm curious because the hps bulb is pretty scorched in two spots inside and he said the fuse blew with the hps in. It lasted until a few days before his harvest though. Could the bulb have shorted out for being the wrong type after lasting almost an entire flowering?
I think mh ballasts only work with mh bulbs and hps ballasts are convertible. Double check that though it might be the other way around
That seems to be he general consensus online. Is it normal for a 400w hps to have scorch marks near the filament? Because the mh bulb looks fine and he says they were used equally.
Older magnetic ballast are bulb specific, unless some have a mh\hps selector switch . Most likely its a mh ballast ~ scorch marks don't sound quite like ^darkening of a older bulb ..
Well I was able to get the info from him for a matching ballast he still has. It says it runs both, but there is no switch, so I guess I should assume it is a hps ballast.
Also, upon closer inspection the marks in the bulb are pretty short of being scorch marks. I'm guessing this is normal from use?
You have an electronic ballast and most will run both mh\hps, the bulb looks normal for being older and used.. - They have bulbs for electronic ballast that last longer too..
Yeah, I still have to wire a new fuse in (the guy I got it from tried to replace it and ripped the wiring off the circuit board somehow). I was hoping it was the bulb shorting that caused the fuse to blow and not something in the actual ballast. After researching the company and model, I'm not very confident about it not just blowing again or worse.