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 box_grower
smoke in bowl
Registered: 02/11/11
Posts: 21
Loc: somewhere in mass...i thi...
Last seen: 13 years, 7 months
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 digital ballasts??? 
#542697 - 04/03/11 11:42 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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i was wondering about digital ballasts. i hear alot of people talking about them and mentioning them but i was wondering what theyre for. lets say you want to run 250 watt MH and HPS lights do you need a digital ballast for them?
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  duuuuuuuude......
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muse42
Zomberrific
Registered: 04/20/10
Posts: 1,000
Loc: West Coast
Last seen: 13 years, 5 days
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 Re: digital ballasts??? [Re: box_grower]
#542701 - 04/03/11 11:46 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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I think the big thing about the digital ballast is that they run cooler and quieter. But I have yet to use one. Your ballast does not have to be digital, but you will need a ballast to run the lights you talk about.
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It looks like it's going to be another Gravity Bong type day...
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RasJeph
Psycho Pete
Registered: 01/14/09
Posts: 11,657
Loc: Bumfuckt Egypt
Last seen: 1 year, 21 days
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Re: digital ballasts??? [Re: box_grower]
#542708 - 04/03/11 11:50 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Haha, if your light is already running, you don't need a ballast.
Lots of smaller ones (150, 250?) have ballasts built right into the fixture. My 150 did.
Ballasts are what "fire" the lamp - what turns them on. Most of the older ones are magnetic (right?) and the newer ones are digital. Digital offers stuff like dimming sometimes, as well as runs quieter, and maybe more efficiently, and takes longer to die from what I know.
You can google "digital ballast advantages" for a better answer probably 
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Of course it's happening inside your head.
Why should that mean it isn't real?
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RasJeph
Psycho Pete
Registered: 01/14/09
Posts: 11,657
Loc: Bumfuckt Egypt
Last seen: 1 year, 21 days
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Re: digital ballasts??? [Re: RasJeph]
#542710 - 04/03/11 11:51 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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Also - heres a good thread:
http://www.growery.org/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/484938
I guess they run cooler too...mmm, thats a big advantage. Wish I'd went digital, but money was a big factor for me.
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Of course it's happening inside your head.
Why should that mean it isn't real?
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box_grower
smoke in bowl
Registered: 02/11/11
Posts: 21
Loc: somewhere in mass...i thi...
Last seen: 13 years, 7 months
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Re: digital ballasts??? [Re: RasJeph]
#542711 - 04/03/11 11:59 AM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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oh thank you guys. i recently purchased 250 watt lights b/c my brother made me the light hood so i should be able to find a ballast cheap. thank you so much
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duuuuuuuude......
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csmandpking
Shroomer
Registered: 12/17/10
Posts: 171
Loc: Shroomery
Last seen: 11 years, 10 months
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Re: digital ballasts??? [Re: box_grower]
#542716 - 04/03/11 12:20 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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A lot of digi ballast are able to light both MH and HPS.
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The monster is always in us...
you are smart baby!
cept for when youre really high...then you turn into my other boyfriend dippy.
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Tank333
Psychotic Hippie
Registered: 08/19/10
Posts: 1,241
Loc: Washington
Last seen: 4 years, 10 months
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Re: digital ballasts??? [Re: csmandpking]
#542720 - 04/03/11 12:30 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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If you buy a cheap digital chinese ballast, you might expect it to not work right... lol. I bargain shopped for mine, and straight out of the box it wouldn't light the MH bulb.
Although, I did receive GREAT customer service, and they shipped me a new one right away. And they even said I could have a magnetic one if I wanted to. I decided to go that route because since they've replaced my ballast now, there's no more warranty on it.
If your digital ballast goes bad, you can't fix it; you have to send it in to be replaced. But if your magnetic one craps out, you can simply buy a repair kit (they're like $80), and it's as good as new!
As far as other differences, every digital ballast I've seen automatically switches between MH and HPS. Every switchable magnetic ballast I've seen has to be manually switched when you swap the lights.
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My best run so far
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Flying_Dog
Last man standing
Registered: 02/24/11
Posts: 410
Loc: Underground
Last seen: 8 years, 11 months
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Re: digital ballasts??? [Re: box_grower]
#542748 - 04/03/11 02:46 PM (13 years, 7 months ago) |
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For wattage under 600w I would just save the money and get magnetic. If your one of those guys who needs the newest and latest then go for it, you wont be dissappointed.
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