i'm interested in these "splitters"-
run two 600 bulbs on 1 1000W ballast. i t seems as though these would under power the bulbs. how do they operate? they look fairly simple, but i am unable to find much info on them.
if these could be built cheaply and are efficient they could be a good idea?
something about a splitter for an HID light stinks...
ive never actually ran across one myself. but what im thinking will happen is this-
they will work, but will more than likely fry your ballast over time and dramatically shorten your lamp life.... but im really just shooting from the hip, as Ive
never ran across one in my travels.
what we call
undervoltage, that is, a deficiency of available power to an electrical device, is actually
more damaging to the components of the system than having too high of a voltage...,
especially if it is an inductive load... HID lights are, well im sure you know, an inductive load.
id be scared to try one on my 'a team' line up... maybe on one of my b or c squads... a ballast and lamps i can afford to loose.
im also curious just how much of the lumen output of the lamps will be affected..... since you would literally be running the ballast @ 120% of its efficiency, id be almost willing to bet a paycheck your lumen output would be depreciated by a factor of 20%, as compared to having (2) 600w ballasts... and I
know that the cap/starters would most definitly be affected. a cap/starter is a replaceable part as is, running them @ 120% is going to shorten there service life.. there's no doubt in my mind of that.
theres alot of things wrong with this 'splitter' murfy... but having not ever seen one or worked with one, thats about the most I can comment on it without taking big leaps of faith lol.
id really like to see one of these in action.... im no mad scientist genius, but I do know that electricity obeys the laws of physics and thermodynamics... and the numbers just dont add up on being able to run a 1200w load on a 1000w ballast...... it goes against
everything that electricians and engineers are taught! i love to say I have an open mind, but without ever having saw one, or heard of one, im kind of skeptical of the idea.