1000Watt dimmable ballast.

Hey All I am new here but not really new to growing I have a small DR 90 Secret Jardin and I just bought a 1000 watt dimmable ballast and an eye hortilux HPS and a Sunmaster Conversion Cool Delux, What I am curious to know is how the dimmable ballast works, Is it that I dim the 1000watt bulbs or do I buy lower wattage bulbs, cause it goes down to 750 and 500 watts and i never heard of those sizes before, maybe someone can explain the way this works to me. Thanks in advance.

 

I thought so, just needed confirmation, a little insecure about the big bucks i spent on the bulbs but from what I read it should pay off in the long run. Much Appreciated Tihspeed.

 

I made sure I bought the Advance Nutrient Badass Low Freq Square wave for optimum performance I cant wait to see how it goes.

 

I will for sure

Peace

 

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There are two general classes of HID dimming systems. In bi-level dimming, HID lamps are run in a low mode of reduced lamp power when less light is required. Lamps are then switched to 100% lamp power (high mode) when full illumination is needed. The other common class of dimming systems is called "continuous" and allows for user settings from 0% to 100% wattage, and thus, complete light control.

http://www.gelighting.com/eu/resources/literature_library/prod_tech_pub/downloads/HID_dimming.pdf

So Dimming HID lights is fine and also not fine depending on what technology you are utilizing to do the dimming, in my case it's Bi-Level, so I am fine.

As far as 750 watt bulbs go, the ones I keep seeing are for street lights and factories and the Levin ratings are 2100k Which puts that 750watt MH somewhere in the red zone or hot, the higher Kelvins up around 5000k are more for growing applications, It is impossible to find a suitable grow lamp in 750watt, thats why whenever you go to a Hydro store it is always 150, 400, 600, 1000 watt lights.

Peace

 

Perfect, winter can be a nice time for indoor growing, I am just getting back into it as I wanted my own organic tomatoes and some herbs as well things have improved so much over the past ten years you can almost create the perfect day everyday in your carefully controlled garden. I am starting mine out at 750 to see how things go.

Peace

 

I would say buy a low frq square wave ballast but since your on a budget, think about core and coil, Nice and cheap operates around 60hz and won't tax your bulbs, or zap any of your other electronic devices with high RF emmisions, spend the money on some good bulbs and I think you would have a nice setup. If you are going for digital no matter what I would choose the brand with the best warranty, Chinese have a bad habit of building Gray market equipment with substandard parts to be sold as name brand stuff and then it conks out after a short while. By getting the best warranty you pass that risk back to the supplier who intern passes it back to the manufacturer, who then finds it not worth it to produce gray market shit. A shorter warranty allows the supplier to maintain his integrity by cakking it a fluke and just saying to bad buddy I can sell you another maybe you will have better luck next time. I bought a cheap flat scren and it conked after 3 years I found a schematic on line and opened the bitch up turns out the caps in the powersupply were under rated I replaced and I still have it today, but I bought the tv from a best buy and the warranty had long since retired, but that power supply was def grey market crap and i knew it when i saw it. Going cheap you always get the best warranty, if you spend some cash the warranty will be on the box. That is my philosophy on budget shopping

Peace

 

Advance nutrients Garuntees there ballast for 5 years, and a 6 month satisfaction garuntee means if i don't like the colour I can give it back, Thats my kind of garuntee, as for ballasts Hortilux has similar technology for a premium price and similar warranty, at some point you will have to face the music if you buy the cheap stuff. Everyone has there own opinion about whatever it is your talkin about, however you can't get much better than a large warranty. no one ballast of the same technology can produce anything better than the other, ohms law can garuntee that. Unless you go low freq. and square wave, much the same as the hortilux low freq. ballast. If you want awesome spectrum and PAR get a Plasma light, closest to the sun you can get.

Peace

 

Ya the Initial cost is certainly prohibitive, I would buy one in a heartbeat for 600 bones. you can mark those euros up, cost would be $750 with exchange then to ship is likely $100 or so, I bet it wouldn't be far off from a grand. But they are useing these things to grow coral and things like that so they must have a great spectrum or par, give it a year or two and the price prolly won't be so bonkers. For what you can get in HPS or MH you would have to have more money than brains to shell out $1200 for a light.

Peace

 

Looks like thats they way you run them... In paralell with HPS. I have found a few sights offering for six hundred but a couple seem like a dog and pony show... I really don't trust the cheaper end of new tech. usually they are selling a substandard product and praying on the guys who can't afford the good stuff but have to have it now. I will wait until i can buy one from a reputable distributer for a fair price. Ebay they are selling from $1200 to $1600 the sight you found the one for $600 is to good to be true for me,