Oh shit rf interference cable shit!!!

TheSnake

TheSnake

Well-Known Member
Got the knock long story short. sacrificed all... Because of the fucking cable company. My strain has been weak sauce anyways but still...

although this is a bump in the road and need to ground my grow electric better I know the mass rf interference from my digital is the culprit, the magnetic ballasts don't do that shit right? IM assuming IM a ballast and seeds away from getting shit rolling again... The right way. For the immediate future I can roll with mass cfls but I just need some hope that I can plug my shit into a simple magnetic ballast and I'll be good to go without massive amounts of electrical interference coming from the room... Anyone else do the same? Anyone know has got the knock knows what IM talking about. After browsing around a but I find this problem pretty fucking scary! How do companies selling digital ballasts not get raged on? I mean seriously... Basically there selling shit known to fuck up electrical stuff , cable etc and don't warn of it? What gives lol.
 
TheSnake

TheSnake

Well-Known Member
Also can I basically just plug in a magnetic hps rated ballast to equipment sold with a digital? I assume everything is the same I just will not be able to dim and it will run a but hotter. Thanks for help to whoever.
 
ProfessorPotSnob

ProfessorPotSnob

New Member
Sorry to hear of your dilemma my friend , that sucks ass . I am in a legal medical state and our largest cable company has more than one issue due to those of us using the digital ballasts . I had them come to my house and inquire as there tech climbed the pole lol . I just brought out some radio controlled toys and asked if this was the issue as I play with them inside a lot . They changed out some cables courtesy of them and gave me a new box and that was the end of that . I can only imagine the fear when there is no legal ground to stand on . Magnetics will never send out a note , with time they may hum but that is easy to take care of with a little work .. Hope your next run is better than this one .
 
iblazetoomuch

iblazetoomuch

Active Member
That sucks. I have ipower 400w digital and 150w htg digital ballasts, didn't notice any major interference with dish satellite box in my room. I do notice TV makes split second noise when I plug in light but never causes interference with signal on wifi or satellite when in use. I did hear about that issue with comcast though, something to do with their service being affected by the digital ballasts.
 
its a hobby honey !

its a hobby honey !

Member
shame ..sorry to here that you had to cut prematurity .

I had to cut down my first grow bitd 20 years ago in the uk getting caught was not the in thing .
my friend got busted with a really nice Hermie i couldn,t bring myself to hit .
so he comes round to my house to tell me he just got out of jail .So i dropped them all right then in black bags and out the door
sorry! couldn't find the smiley face wielding a shotgun :cuss:
 
nameno

nameno

Well-Known Member
Magnetic are the ones that start fires.
I've heard people having that problem,they usually upgraded their equipment.
This is what I read, I've never had a problem that I know about.
 
fir3dragon

fir3dragon

Well-Known Member
Quality equipment... You get what you pay for unless you have a massive setup, rf interference is always gonna be there

on a side note, I got a magnetic before I upgraded to a phantom, my magnetic when I touch it burns my hand phantom i upgraded to I can touch and hold my hand there and it's only warm so expect heat differences
 
Sire Killem All

Sire Killem All

Well-Known Member
Damn snake that sux to hear know u jus got started, seen ur post on equip if you don't mind losing your dim able ballast go mag. You can buy the kits, or outdoor security light, store bought, ect... Many types you can get for almost free if you know even a little about wiring. Mine is from a security light w/over 10 yr of use on it.
 
TheSnake

TheSnake

Well-Known Member
False alarm but I learned from it. Going to make Faraday box just in case. ipower 1k. It ended up being a bad digital cable box Lmfao.
 
A

adower

Well-Known Member
fir3dragon said:
Quality equipment... You get what you pay for unless you have a massive setup, rf interference is always gonna be there

on a side note, I got a magnetic before I upgraded to a phantom, my magnetic when I touch it burns my hand phantom i upgraded to I can touch and hold my hand there and it's only warm so expect heat differences
Click to expand...
Throw a small fan on the magnetic and it will be fine. I can put a hand on my magnetic and hold it there for hours on end without it being warm.
 
C

contraptionated

New Member
nameno said:
Magnetic are the ones that start fires.
I've heard people having that problem,they usually upgraded their equipment.
This is what I read, I've never had a problem that I know about.
Click to expand...
Sorry ...but NO! Magnetic ballasts do not and cannot start a fire. I have done quite a bit of light pole maintenance in my day with 400 watt and 150 watt hps cobra heads filled with actual birds nests and all sorts of flammable feathery garbage and never a fire and those are the worst case scenario. Maybe if somebody who is not smart enough to know how to make a tight splice connects a magnetic ballast perhaps then the resulting sparks from such loose connections would create a fire but not because of the magnetic ballast itself or the intrinsic features within. Magnetic ballasts will always be superior to electronic ballasts. I've replaced quite a few electronic (flourescent tube) ballasts that were supposedly better than magnetic but didn't last 10% as long as their magnetic counterparts.
Before a new technology can be considered superior to the old prior art it must be reliable. Electronic ballasts are not reliable. You cannot extend the power cord as long as a magnetic ballast because the resulting voltage drop will kill the ballast and probably the bulb too. I have extended 600 watt ballast cords as long as 60 feet (x 24 fixtures) without ever having a problem whatsoever. That allowed me to keep the ballast heat far away from the flowering room. That simply can't be done with electronic ballasts. Also, an electronic ballast ignition pulse is so high that it can crack the glass envelope surrounding the arc tube, even when using lamps that are recommended as compatible by the electronic ballast manufacturer. That is a fire hazard!! Sorry, but I will not tolerate anybody bad mouthing my good ol' reliable magnetic anvils.
 
immaculus

immaculus

Member
I contacted ipower about this exact issue....this is the response I received.

"yes our ballast are coated on the inside to help the RF interference. However this coating does not block it completely. No matter where or what style Ballast you buy from any company, they all admit RF interference. So my advise is to make sure your Ballast is by no other electrical equipment at all, especially co-axle cable line in your case and you should be good. Give the ballast lots of space, if this does not work we can try a new ballast. Let me know..."

I moved my Comcast lines about 15 feet away. Seems to be doing the trick. Am radios help to determine how far away to move the ballast or cable lines.
 
ExileOnMainStreet

ExileOnMainStreet

Well-Known Member
immaculus said:
I contacted ipower about this exact issue....this is the response I received.

"yes our ballast are coated on the inside to help the RF interference. However this coating does not block it completely. No matter where or what style Ballast you buy from any company, they all admit RF interference. So my advise is to make sure your Ballast is by no other electrical equipment at all, especially co-axle cable line in your case and you should be good. Give the ballast lots of space, if this does not work we can try a new ballast. Let me know..."

I moved my Comcast lines about 15 feet away. Seems to be doing the trick. Am radios help to determine how far away to move the ballast or cable lines.
Click to expand...
Not trying to be a dick here, but is quote copy-pasted or did you type it out ?
I'm no grammar/spelling nazi by any stretch, especially not to someone who takes the time to share their thoughts and experience, but if that came from ipower, it's awful.
 
TheSnake

TheSnake

Well-Known Member
Sire Killem All said:
of course they're gonna say all release RFI, but never say how much they release vs others. but here is a product that cost a small amount and can be used in almost any application.. http://sra-solder.com/product.php/6778/0?gclid=CNvwxZS8m7kCFUdo7AodXB8Arg just get a plastice container for your ballast and paint it with this and feel safe from EMI/RFI from your ballast.
Click to expand...
How proven is this? If i have to ill build a box as thick and large as needed for a few more ballasts.
 
jondamon

jondamon

Well-Known Member
I run a lumatek 400 dimmable about 10ft away from my tv and my external coax aerial cable runs down the house where my ballast is inside.

No interference with anything in my house.




J
 
TheSnake

TheSnake

Well-Known Member
Can someone tell me how if i put an additional breaker, ran 12/3 to my double 20 amp box and because my fingers are large and i thought it was a pain in the ass, and did not ground inside the box and kinda left em floating twisted toward the metal box it may cause interference i read? If that does cause even more, I'll need to tape the fuckers to the box or something to keep it grounded to metal.
 
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