Digital vs Magnetic ballast!

[igothydrotoneverywhere]

bumping this thread

I have a lux meter and 60k watts here, we were doing our routine hood/glass cleaning today and measuring their lumens to see what needed to be changed. I noticed the lux on the lights over one table had a large variance, 141,000 lumens to 210,000 lumens. one difference, one was hooked up to a magnetic sun system ballast, and the other to a quantuum digital ballast. I switched the hood cords and too my astonishment, the quantuum burned the originally measuring bulb at 220,000 lumens, that is a 33% JUMP.

now that someone has done a real experiment, where is the real knowledge behind my results? thanks

 

[Krondizzel]

I run with 1000w mags. Never had a problem with em. They're rebuildable if one decides it wants to break.

 

[igothydrotoneverywhere]

I run with 1000w mags. Never had a problem with em. They're rebuildable if one decides it wants to break.

yeah unfortunately i inherited this garden from some clever noobs and they let the bosses buy the cheapest ballasts out there, needlesstosay after the gardens been running for a year, they are all starting to fail, one by one, and we have 60 of them! do not purchase cheap ballasts, ever. it will haunt you. buy a used high quality before you ever purchase a new cheapo.

 

[blacksun]

now that someone has done a real experiment, where is the real knowledge behind my results? thanks

I think you already have the knowledge from your experiment...high quality ballasts last longer, run brighter, and even wear out the bulb less than lower quality ballasts.

Also another added perk is that newer high quality digital ballasts are usually RF shielded.

 

[HygroSolutionz]

ok so my 2c worth here. when I started growing I used run of the mill magnetic with hps, then I switched over to a digital w. same bulbs & plants. I noticed a denser canopy, fatter buds and more vigorous growth with better harvest (got around 30% more weight/plant matter). as stated they run at a higher frequency so don't have that lull between each pulse of light (constant supply also makes the gasses more excited hence brighter burn). due to the 'softer power' being delivered to bulb this makes life-span longer.

I'm not a scientist or teacher but I listen and take notice to pass what I learn onto others that want to listen!

 

[Big Perm]

...living in one of the coldest states in the US I love my magnetic ballasts here is why:
A) I can run them all winter in the unheated space (with electric heater just in case) so not only they produceed plenty of light , but also the pecious BTU's with the price of oil and all...
B) You can easily salwage magnetic ballasts (or entire lights) from industrial spaces that are becoming more energy efficient, just gotta look around , mabe make friends with the local industrial electrical contractor...
C) the lights I salvaged could also be rewired to run on 220 or 3 phase (most industrial HID fixtures have that option)...AND THEY ARE FREE!
PS If u r in New England Hit me up got plenty more , let them go cheap....

I hate to dig up an old thread, but I was looking at information on the two and found this thread.
IMO, the statement in bold inadvertently answers the question.
In Theory...using a watt meter and if both ballast are drawing the same amount of watts, the magnetic is creating heat while the digital isn't creating nearly as much. So that tells me that some of the energy is being lost to heat, while the cooler one is not creating heat with energy and that energy is being passed along to the bulb.

 

[bdt1981]

i really cant see how a electronic ballast can put out up to 30% more lumens unless your using a bulb that puts out 30% more lumens than the one you previously tested.
lumens are rated by each individual bulb not the ballast so imho this theory is kaput. unless you or a manufacturer can provide me with true scientific documented experiences with identical bulbs and different ballasts. its like advanced nutrients claiming they have the best nutrients on the market but in no way can they prove that statement. check out homebrewers thread on conneseur vs dyna gro and youll be amazed.

anywho. i paid 200$ for my harvest pro elite II 1000w switchable ballast by sun systems and it does carry a 5 year warranty.

put the same bulb in your magnetic and let it reach full power. Unplug ballast from wall and put a digital in its place. See the difference for yourself. I did that and it was clearly brighter than the magnetic.
Why? Idk... only way to get an answer that will be convincing enough is to try it yourself.

 

[Onextremebuzz]

Well looks like I'm upgrading to a digital at some point. My mag is working for now pretty good actually.