Sun Pulse DIGITAL Lamps

[sherriberry]

yeah, keep in touch...

i honestly dont need anymore strains, ive got too many as it is already

id give you a couple clones of something good for sure.

so... that graph is of all 3 of their lights?

where is the graph of just thier lowest temp light, or their version of the hps?

 

[MacGuyver4.2.0]

i want to start by saying you spelled chior like a queer

just messing, im the king of spelling mistakes.

anyway, im going to play devils advocate for a sec...

i havent found all 3 of their light spectrums yet... i have a feeling the MH bulb they make IS better than a stock MH bulb.

the bulbs lasting a longer time, and running briter.. thats the definate bonus of this light

HOWEVER...

before you all turn into parrot sales guys...

the graph in the link i quoted above makes me NOT want to buy this light... period.

the place that they are bragging about it making energy... is in the green spectrum.

class, what color are plants?

green sherriberry!

and why si that?

because they reflect all green light, which is why you can use a green bulb in a grow room and they still think its dark.

and class, why dont plants want blue light during harvest?

because over the last 10 million years, in autumn, the sky gets orange.

and if plants required blue light during harvest... darwinism would have killed of that plant a long time ago...

so they are evolved to take what nature gives them.

a typical hps... gives ALL of its energy into the EXACT spectrum a plant needs for budding... period.

their graphs, to an educated person... is an insult to their product. it lacks in the oranges and reds.... period.

now as far as uv making crystals? this is correct... its how pot plants protect themselves in the wild from uv, so giving them it, will make them defend theirself, because uv is actually harmful to plants just like it is to us.

your magic bulb is 6 in one, half dozen the other. Its got its perks but also has its cons for hps applications.

Don't get me wrong...have used my Hortilux Super HPS bulbs for over 5 years now, with great results. But switching to newer digital or electronic ballasts KILLS those bulbs in no time flat. Not sure I want to shell out 85-$100 a bulb every 2-3 months as a result of using a more effeicent electronic ballast. I KNOW for a fact my old magnetic core ballasts were past thier time and the electric bill proves it when you run more than 3 1000 watters.

 

[Mcgician]

Don't get me wrong...have used my Hortilux Super HPS bulbs for over 5 years now, with great results. But switching to newer digital or electronic ballasts KILLS those bulbs in no time flat. Not sure I want to shell out 85-$100 a bulb every 2-3 months as a result of using a more effeicent electronic ballast. I KNOW for a fact my old magnetic core ballasts were past thier time and the electric bill proves it when you run more than 3 1000 watters.

Well, I wrote to Sun Pulse and asked them some questions about this whole topic. This was the response email I got:

Hi .......,
I'm happy to take time to explain.
My first question to you is "what kind of ballast do you have"? If you have an electronic ballast, then I'll start there. An HID e-ballast operates at over 22,000 hertz on the low side. Your Hortilux was made for 60 hertz. Imagine running a 22,000 hertz amplifier on a 60 hertz speaker, and you get the idea. There is 100% premature failure of 60 hertz lamps on high frequency electronics. If you've seen an HPS lamp that looks silver coated inside after operating it a while, that's the mercury that spewed from the arc tube in a gaseous form to coat your lamp. After the release of gases, your HPS became a LPS (low pressure sodium). Long story short, you can't run any 60 hertz lamps on a high frequency e-ballast. Sun Pulse makes the only digital lamps for use on certified e-ballasts, we have no competition. Sun Pulse has been out 10 years in the market, and we plant a tree for every lamp sold. We sell the HID lamps internationally with the lowest defect rate of any HID lamp, ever.
So, in summary there, if you want to run an electronic ballast you have to have our lamps. If you want to stick with your magnetic ballasts, then you can keep the HPS.
The human eye isn't a light meter and your rods and cones can't be precisely compared to the next guys. HPS light is 22% of the Sun, has no usable UV for plants, and has the fewest electron volts per photon of all the colors of the spectrum - meaning red light has little energy. (look in the literature section of our website for a white paper called "Sun Pulse vs. HPS". It shows the graphs, and other science.) HPS light is the worst light ever made for people, plants or anything else. It was never made for plants, and by using it, you only make 22% of the photochemical reactions it would have gotten in the sun.
You don't want your light to be as red as an HPS entirely. The Sun isn't red, and plants and all life just want the Sun. Your 3k lamp is warmer that full spectrum, and is made for the flowering stages of growth. As I'd mentioned, the lamps have been out 10 years, there's nothing to test. It's been tested again and again in application around the world, on every crop imaginable.
We aren't lamp makers who make lights for plants. We're plant people who make lights for plants. This is all about photobiology, plant science, photosynthesis and chlorophyll production. We're a no BS company and have all the scientific data to support all we say.
Use a light meter and temperature gun to place your light. Let the lamp speak for itself,-- but the lamp is one part of a larger equation. If you have the wrong type ballast, bad genetics or any other unusual vectors, then the lamp wouldn't be the defining item in the grow room to determine success or failure.
Call me if you prefer, there's a lot of data to review. This is a brief, brief summary. Call on the weekend if you like. If I'm free, I'll take your call.
Regards,
Dan
Sun Pulse Lamps

 

[Mcgician]

Apparently, while I was on a small trip back home, there was a power outage, and someone else was left to deal with the situation. While this was only an issue (as far as I know) for one day, from the detailed questions I asked while I was away and made aware of the situation has inherently delayed the flowering room, as well as the others. It also may very well have caused issues regarding light timing to be off. When I returned, this was evident, and it sucks not having someone else to be able to do all the things I need while in my absence. I guess there's only so much you can expect from someone even when they're given explicitly detailed instructions. Oh well, I guess that's the chance we all take when we leave our gardens. Anyway, my point is that my finished trial with the two different bulbs is going to be delayed a bit, but is still on track. I will make sure to let everyone know what my results with the two different bulbs are in the hope that it will help the rest of you. Wish me luck!

 

[sherriberry]

where is the cheapest place to get these lights just out of curiosity...

a 600w hps is over 120 bucks where i found them... at that point, a person might as well take their chances with 5 regular bulbs for less money

 

[Mcgician]

IDK, but where I got mine gave me a great deal. Forget the price for a second and think about what you're buying. You're buying more than a product, you're buying experience and something to learn from. Continue on if you wish, or try something new, learning is never a bad thing and there's only so much that equates on paper vs real life. Give me another 4 weeks and I should have a true trial run to cite as "evidence". Thanks for all the great input so far on this thread btw, sherriberry. How are those magnetic induction lamps working out for you so far?

 

[sherriberry]

i didnt get them, i had to get 10 or more to get the deal i was going to get to make them worth while...

so i went with some 600 lumateks and hps bulbs, and just hung them vertical,

one of these days, i wills start adding other stuff like these lights and those magnetics into the mix, but right now im focusing more on room design than anything

 

[WeHoChoiceNugs]

i cant wait to see what happens. Im switching if its worth it

 

[Just some dumbass]

I have been selling HID bulbs for over 20 years in California.
I have been selling Sun Pulse now for about a year and a half.
Although the science this company likes to throw around seems to be quite accurate the bulbs do not seem to be living up to the hype. In the beginning I gave (for free) three complete sets of bulbs to some of the most knowledgeable growers I know. These guys did side by side comparisons where all plants were the same genetics and in the exact same hydro systems with one reservoir. All three growers reported that the product grown under Sun Pulse looked very nice and had great quality. They also reported that the yields were anywhere from 20 to 30% less. Growers using this companies spinners are reporting good results although no side by side comparisons. Furthermore we have had numerous complaints of lower yields under these bulbs. So it seems that the quality is great with these lights but the yield is sacrificed. If you want to use them it appears the spinners are the way to go

 

[sherriberry]

I have been selling HID bulbs for over 20 years in California.
I have been selling Sun Pulse now for about a year and a half.
Although the science this company likes to throw around seems to be quite accurate the bulbs do not seem to be living up to the hype. In the beginning I gave (for free) three complete sets of bulbs to some of the most knowledgeable growers I know. These guys did side by side comparisons where all plants were the same genetics and in the exact same hydro systems with one reservoir. All three growers reported that the product grown under Sun Pulse looked very nice and had great quality. They also reported that the yields were anywhere from 20 to 30% less. Growers using this companies spinners are reporting good results although no side by side comparisons. Furthermore we have had numerous complaints of lower yields under these bulbs. So it seems that the quality is great with these lights but the yield is sacrificed. If you want to use them it appears the spinners are the way to go

Thats exactly what i predicted by looking at their graph.

More thc produced per weight due to the fact that it has the blues in the spectrum.

But less overall weight because plants have adapted over the past million years to absorb yellow, orange, red light during autumn... and thats the energy the plant is looking for to make the buds.

Further, i called the indiana office of this sunpulse company a couple days back, and they guy was a dick and really rude.

He didnt even answer the phone like he was a business... he just said hello.

It caught me off guard and when i asked him if he sold these lights, he was very stand offish. It struck me very odd.

Why anyone would want to be rude when im calling to ask about the product they sell.

I hope darwinism has its way with that guy when hes starving and wonders why no ones buying his lights.

 

[Just some dumbass]

I have to agree. The most difficult part in selling these bulbs has been dealing with the people at Sun Pulse. They like to throw around a lot of insults about how they are geniuses and every one else is just an idiot. Most shops I know have stopped carrying them for just this reason. If you are a connoisseur grower and yields are not that important to you have at them. Otherwise you are probably better off at this point with the good old HPS and analog ballasts.

 

[sherriberry]

well here is a thought, and i havent done this yet, but wondering if anyone has...

they sell single and double t5 fixtures for next to nothing.

On 1000bulbs.com and elights or whatever it is...

they have teh uv antibacterial sanitation lights sold for clean rooms, etc.

Wouldnt it make a lot mroe send, and save a lot more electricity to just run a few of these UV t5 bulbs in a flower room in the last few weeks?

I mean, you dont need that much UV light to piss off a plant... too much hurts it.

Just enough for the plant to know its there and make thc.

just an idea.

 

[Mcgician]

Ok folks, the results are in....and I wish it wasn't so soon. Something happened to one of my "magic" bulbs (lol) right above where the gas chamber that ignites within the bulb and expanded (made a bubble) on the glass! I ran it the same hours as the standard HPS and the Sun Pulse bulb was the only one to do that. True, my reflectors are the Super Sun2's but damn, those things must get really hot. The plants underneath the SP bulb seem to be pretty much on par with what just some dumbass said. , but.... Great foliage growth, in fact best I've ever seen, but for flowering I'd have to concur with the reduction in yield figures. The HPS overpowers it by brute force, not by photometric trickery, so replacing the standard HPS's must remain part of the ball game. That is, until I recently came across in the latest Maximum Yield magazine for a digital bulb company called Digilux. They're distrubuted by the same people as NextGen digital ballasts and CAP controllers.....namely RM distribution. I'm going to see about returning my Sun Pulse 1000W 3K's for a couple of the Digilux's if I can. I will say that I am very pleased with the 600W 4K's for vegging though. I've gotten great results from those so far and nothing bad to say about those. If Digilux makes a truly "digital" HPS lamp then it would be an industry first. Don't worry folks, I'll be the guinea pig for those too. If you make your way up into NorCal, you need to smoke me out sometime though!

 

[Mcgician]

Does anyone else have any other information on the Digilux bulbs? What I'm really after here is longevity, if maybe a little extra performance. If longevity is the only benefit though, I can still deal with that? Oh, and a thank you would be nice. lol

 

[Just some dumbass]

Digilux is brand new. I am pretty sure that R&M is just the distributer as well as the distributor for Next Gen ballasts. Not the manufacturer. I have spoken with people at R&M about the bulbs and they say they have not actually received any as of yet and had no real info to give me. Believe me I will be looking into them as soon as they have any info to give me. Lumatek has just come out with a bulb that is designed for their ballast. No info on them yet either. I have heard rumors that Hortilux is making a bulb for Lumatek ballasts as well. From what I have read a bulb for an E ballast needs to be designed for a particular ballast. This might be wrong but it appears that the Sun Pulse idea that you can design a ballast for all E ballasts might be bunk.
Here is a link to a good article I found in Max Yield a while back. Gives a good description of the E ballast issue.

http://www.maximumyield.com/assets/pdf/back_issues/usa/MY_US_Oct08_c.pdf

 

[MT Marijuana]

I wish that someone did this test ten years ago when sunpulse came out.. maybe i will give them a call and see how they respond. it sounds all nice but not too sure with your input. I was also wondering if anyone had any info (experiments) on the 10K bulbs sunpulse produces

 

[Just some dumbass]

Okay, just one more update for this conversation.
At this point it appears the rate of return for sun pulse bulbs, that I have seen personally, is a little higher than Hortilux and solar max HPS. (Hortilux and Solarmax are the two I have any real basis for comparison with)
I would say one in 10 sun pulse are returned within 6 months. many sooner.
About half of the sun pulse bulbs returned have problems identical to that of any other MH bulb. The other half show one or both of these problems.

Bubbles in the arc tube: Like mentioned earlier some of these bulbs are developing mostly small bubbles in the glass on the arc tube. (The glass part inside the bulb). This is usually accompanied by a yellow discoloration.

Ash inside the bulb: significant pieces of grey ash in side the bulb that appears to be pealing off of the flat metal strips at either end on the inside of the bulb. (outside of the arc tube)

That all for now

 

[MT Marijuana]

hmm, interesting. do you know if these returns were being run off standard mag. ballasts or digi ballasts??

 

[maxmax7777]

Thanks McGician, your work is invaluable to us out here. I am a grower that has been involved one way or another over thirty years, I stepped away for ten and am now getting back in.
Alot has changed and I am trying to re-educate myself in order to set things up as best I can with all this new technology, experience and knowledge.
This latest debate over light, seems to be the cutting edge and I hope we can figure out just what digital ballast works best with which lamp.
Thanks for all who have input, let's figure this out together, not off the hype from manufacturers and distributers with vested interests, but from real garden tests by real growers, repeated and replicated by many others growers actual experiences.
Again, thanks for this thread, I am eager to know more.

 

[puntacometa]

Thanks McGician, your work is invaluable to us out here. I am a grower that has been involved one way or another over thirty years, I stepped away for ten and am now getting back in.
Alot has changed and I am trying to re-educate myself in order to set things up as best I can with all this new technology, experience and knowledge.
This latest debate over light, seems to be the cutting edge and I hope we can figure out just what digital ballast works best with which lamp.
Thanks for all who have input, let's figure this out together, not off the hype from manufacturers and distributers with vested interests, but from real garden tests by real growers, repeated and replicated by many others growers actual experiences.
Again, thanks for this thread, I am eager to know more.

I'm using 2 x of the SunPulse 600W full spectrum bulbs in ventilated reflectors in grow tents right now. I'm using a 1000W Xtra Sun magnetic ballast with the SunPulse splitter. So far I'm liking what is happening in veg. Very dense, fast growing foliage. If anyone is interested, I'll follow up on this periodically.