thanks man quick response, what about as far as a standard ballast or digitial ballast?
Ok this is my opinion on the ballast subject.
Like you at one time i was shopping for lights. Switchable ballast were very intriging to me because all you have to do is flip a switch and just change a bulb
However, in my opinion they just cost to much money, and what if they go bad, then what.
I say stick with what has proven itself over the years. Standard ballast have already proven themselves as being reliable.
I am not saying that they don;t go bad, or fail.
What I did and was cheapest for me, was that I ordered a 400 watt metal halide high bay fixture off of ebay. Cost 20 dollars plus shipping and handling. I also ordered a 400 watt HPS high bay fixture off of ebay. Same price.
I ordered my bulbs from
www.1000bulbs.com.
I then followed these instructions
https://www.rollitup.org/do-yourself/164853-how-use-industrial-low-bay.html
This way I could mount the lights in a cooltube.
And it works great. I also am a firm believer in utilizing 12 volt DC fans, They definitely are cheaper and use less electricity.
Now this is a system that works for me, and works great. Just look at my album. Yes I am still learning.
I am more than happy to give you advice, and Finally I will say that there are many many experienced growers on this board.
Take advice from all of them, and create a system that works for you.
I wish you the best of luck