DrManhattan77
Member
magnetic core is a thing of the past digital ballasts is where its at and the future, as far as this badass ballast goes I have never even seen one or any reviews....
BADASS BALLAST -Digital Ballast by Advanced Nutrients - Square Wave Technology!!
- Thread starter MeJuana
- Start date
Phaeton
Active Member
http://www.advancedtechlighting.com/ge_ehid_250-400.htm
Low frequency General Electric ballast. No reason for big hoopla over AN, this is also available.
Low frequency General Electric ballast. No reason for big hoopla over AN, this is also available.
wakebakeworksleep
Member
Big words and well constructed sentences sometimes fool people,"Proprietary Square Wave Technology modifies arc shape increasing the effective length and surface area of the arc to produce greater lumens
lamps burn brighter and longer!" this is the case here. There is NOTHING special about the Baddass ballasts.
Which is it? They tell use higher frequencies were better, now they're marketing these as low frequency digital ballasts and we all need em? No. It's been magnetic for years, it's still magnetic, it will be magnetic for years. A 1,000 watt ballast, no matter digital or magnetic, uses 1,000 watts to run, magnetics tend to use an extra 5% , this is the ONLY savings advantage of a digital other than the higher shipping prices on the magnetics, and that is meaningless unless you have a VERY large consistently running grow. It's funny actually, the corporate hydro and nute giant, Advanced, are the ones pushing these. Everything that turns a profit gets commercialized and corrupted, the hobby we are all involved in is not immune to that. The very sad part is, many veterans of these and other forums are all for it.
I'm no longer growing due to more important issues and a major move, and I'm a newbie to a full grow cycle on my own as I was more of a maintenance guy and harvester at a large grow site for years, but I have done thousands of light meter checks on every kind of ballast, bulb and gimmick, and the differences of all are so minimal it seems this is a subject should be a moot one. There is NO new technology that exists yet that makes a magnetic a second choice. Newer magnetics DO NOT have vibration or heat issues, many are also SWITCHABLE from MH to HPS, this is not a feat that digitals alone hold. The weight is the ONLY issue I have noticed in the years I have worked around lighting systems. The distance issue can be argued in very large grows, but I worked at a large warehouse grow site which had over 50 magnetics going in one corner and the distance from the lamps was near 25-30 feet and no start or run issues arose.
These ballasts are not smartphones, they do not do anything special. The current push on digital ballasts is all about looks, marketing and MONEY. Wake up and smell the marijuana.
Which is it? They tell use higher frequencies were better, now they're marketing these as low frequency digital ballasts and we all need em? No. It's been magnetic for years, it's still magnetic, it will be magnetic for years. A 1,000 watt ballast, no matter digital or magnetic, uses 1,000 watts to run, magnetics tend to use an extra 5% , this is the ONLY savings advantage of a digital other than the higher shipping prices on the magnetics, and that is meaningless unless you have a VERY large consistently running grow. It's funny actually, the corporate hydro and nute giant, Advanced, are the ones pushing these. Everything that turns a profit gets commercialized and corrupted, the hobby we are all involved in is not immune to that. The very sad part is, many veterans of these and other forums are all for it.
I'm no longer growing due to more important issues and a major move, and I'm a newbie to a full grow cycle on my own as I was more of a maintenance guy and harvester at a large grow site for years, but I have done thousands of light meter checks on every kind of ballast, bulb and gimmick, and the differences of all are so minimal it seems this is a subject should be a moot one. There is NO new technology that exists yet that makes a magnetic a second choice. Newer magnetics DO NOT have vibration or heat issues, many are also SWITCHABLE from MH to HPS, this is not a feat that digitals alone hold. The weight is the ONLY issue I have noticed in the years I have worked around lighting systems. The distance issue can be argued in very large grows, but I worked at a large warehouse grow site which had over 50 magnetics going in one corner and the distance from the lamps was near 25-30 feet and no start or run issues arose.
These ballasts are not smartphones, they do not do anything special. The current push on digital ballasts is all about looks, marketing and MONEY. Wake up and smell the marijuana.
Harrekin
Well-Known Member
Yeah anyone who buys into AN marketing bullshit doesn't deserve a refund if you ask me, they're RENOWNED crap talking scam artists.
But sure put a "sexy claim" (thanks for the expression Tafbang) on the box and fancy marketing and the drones will snap it up without doing ANY research on the company selling it.
But sure put a "sexy claim" (thanks for the expression Tafbang) on the box and fancy marketing and the drones will snap it up without doing ANY research on the company selling it.
legallyflying
Well-Known Member
That is crazy talk! You make it sound like AN is some huge hydroponic company that uses lots of marketing dollars to sell you things that work the same as others, just much more expensive. How could they NOT be the shit? Have you seen the urban grower on YouTube? That guy is super high and he always runs AN stuff.
In all seriousness though, you may be surprised how little difference some of these products make. Roots excellerator, flushing agents, molasses, "finishing bulbs". If done side by side tests and most of the time come up with "huh, no fuckkng difference". Digital ballasts are the bomb though! I've got 5 lumateks 600 and 5 cheap ass agrosun or something 600. That I got for $15 a piece when the local shop imploded. Yeah thy sometimes stop working (1 so far in 6 months). But they were also $15!
SFguy
Well-Known Member
bought one went out after being used for 52 days, had problems with advanced "NO HASSLE" MORE LIKE "NO ASSHO I WANT A NEW ONE" gave me a new in the box phantom, and a large bottle set of my nute choice($100) cool beans, and cant behappier with the phantom!!!
all i can say is the customer service sucked. end of story i waited like 5-6 weeks for a ballast from advanced
all i can say is the customer service sucked. end of story i waited like 5-6 weeks for a ballast from advanced
SFguy
Well-Known Member
legallyflying
Well-Known Member
Your going to get like 3G per watt with those ballasts. They are off the fucking hook ! Low frequency ballasts? Are you kidding me? My plants hate those higher electrical frequencies. Oh wait? Same bulbs and same lumens/par? Never mind.
forgetfulpenguin
Active Member
I don't have one of those but I do have a phantom ballast and I don't see a real advantage over the old style ballast (maybe if you had to put it somewhere without enough clearance to fit a larger magnetic ballast). I do like that my phantom waits a bit after a power outage so the bulb cools before trying to ignite it again but otherwise I just see it as a needless expense. The dimming feature is also pure bullshit on every digital ballast I've seen.
forgetfulpenguin
Active Member
Yes there is such a thing as a square wave, however I agree this is probably bullshit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_wave
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electronic/square.html
potpimp
Sector 5 Moderator
Ahhhh, so it's a sine wave like you get when you run a guitar through a distortion unit. I thought they were talking light waves. Advanced nutes burned my ass just one too many times for me to ever believe another word they say.
forgetfulpenguin
Active Member
It's not a sine wave it's a square wave. Sine waves and square waves are two very different waveforms.
Here look at this picture to see the difference.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Waveforms.svg
legallyflying
Well-Known Member
Why do you think the dimming function is bullshit? I use mine every cycle..vegging under 400 and flower under the 6's
Your not one of those utter jackasses that thinks the unit still uses the same power whether it's dimmed or not are you? I have read your posts before, you are smarter than that . Those people crack me up though. I don't know which is dumber...the non dimmed crowd or the people that think your power bill is reduced by 50% by running 220. DUDE! Half the amperage! Lmao.
Your not one of those utter jackasses that thinks the unit still uses the same power whether it's dimmed or not are you? I have read your posts before, you are smarter than that . Those people crack me up though. I don't know which is dumber...the non dimmed crowd or the people that think your power bill is reduced by 50% by running 220. DUDE! Half the amperage! Lmao.
potpimp
Sector 5 Moderator
Fuck... I'm going back to bed.
SFguy
Well-Known Member
return them for a phantom, and return the advanced nutrients the guy at the store SOLD YOU also...
legallyflying
Well-Known Member
impossible.