Question HPS Shades

Hi everyone Just wondering if you can use different watt globes and ballsts with any shade or does the shade have to be compatible with the globe and ballast.

The reason i ask is because i bought a 400w ballast, globe and lamp holder off ebay and it will work in the lamp holder i got with it but won't work in any of the my other shades and they all work with my 600w globes and ballasts just curious to know if this is the Right?

Or would it be that some ballasts can only work when the cord to the shade is a certain length.
Such as the 400w ballast that iv'e got can only do a 1.5 metre cord to the shade?

I'm a bit confused by your terminology. If Globes = Light bulbs and Lamp Holder and/or Shade = Reflector then I always thought you should only use matching wattages for each. So a 400 watt ballast is compatible with a 400 watt bulb where the reflector (or shade) doesn't really matter. I'd check if there's any info on the reflector to be sure though. Also, I believe some ballasts can be dialed down to match lower a lower wattage so a 600 watt ballast might be able provide power to a 400 watt light bulb.

Yeah thats what i mean only the bulb and the ballast need to been the same wattage and you can you use any reflector/lamp holder

Could it be that the cord on the one that it works on is only 1.5 meters long and on the others that it won't work on is about three meters long could that be the problem that the ballast can't send the current through the longer length of cable?

If thats the case would it be the ignitor isn't a long distance ignitor? or does any1 know how to fix it so it will work with the longer cord from the ballast to the reflector?