Upgrading My Lighting, Need help!!

ru8fru

ru8fru

Well-Known Member
So I currently have a 400w hps ballast with a 400w hps bulb in it, its a hortilux hps bulb so it puts out a bit more blue. So I was using that straight from seed to harvest, all throught veg and flower. It worked fairly well. But Im curious on how I can upgrade, cause Im thinking im going to bed adding some plants. So like I know they dont make 600w switchable ballasts cause mh doesnt do 600w from what ive picked up.

So how would I best go about this? I want a 600w but should I just get a 600w hps ballast with a hps bulb and use the current hps bulb I have now through veg? or should I get a 600w hps ballast and get a MH conversion bulb for it? But then I dont wanna buy 2 bulbs because the 600w conversion bulb is for veg and then when I switch to flower the only power I have is coming from the 400w, how do I best get the amount of blue light I need for veg and the amount of red light I need for flower? Looking at spending maybe 400ish? I dont know much about lights and stuff. I just know that 600w's are the best for your money. Any ideas, suggestions, thoughts, help would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!:peace:
 
M

MrJDGaF

Well-Known Member
Yes you can get 600W MH or you could get the 600W version of your 400W dual spectrum HPS as you don't want to buy separate bulbs.:peace:
 
BigBudBalls

BigBudBalls

Well-Known Member
Can also just get a digital ballast and use a reg MH bulb in it (conversion bulbs tend to be a bit more $ )
 
ru8fru

ru8fru

Well-Known Member
MrJDGaF said:
Yes you can get 600W MH or you could get the 600W version of your 400W dual spectrum HPS as you don't want to buy separate bulbs.:peace:
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Why don't you want separate bulbs on the same plants?

Can also just get a digital ballast and use a reg MH bulb in it (conversion bulbs tend to be a bit more $ )
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So with a digital ballast I can run both mh and hps on it? and what exactly is a conversion bulb? It honestly isnt a bulb that lets me decided it I was it to emit hps (red) or mh (blue) light does it? I'm still pretty new to all this.
 
BigBudBalls

BigBudBalls

Well-Known Member
ru8fru said:
So with a digital ballast I can run both mh and hps on it? and what exactly is a conversion bulb? It honestly isnt a bulb that lets me decided it I was it to emit hps (red) or mh (blue) light does it? I'm still pretty new to all this.
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A conversion bulb is a bulb that is designed to work in the 'other' ballast.

There are also switchable ballasts (rumor has it that they are just a HS where it just switches off the igniter)

Digitals, from what I've gathered, sense the bulb and adjust automatically.
 
MaryJaneDoe

MaryJaneDoe

Well-Known Member
I have 600 watt HPS right now, I am ordering another and I have the digital ballast, when I read up on it I was under the impression that I can use either bulb in it MH or HPS, I do want to warn you that 600's are the most popular by far and you always want to get an extra bulb for the unforseen. I didn't and my bulb blew after 13 days, so then I had to order again. and went back to my good old reliable shop lights for 10 days. They made good on the bulb tho. Here is the set up I got and you can read up and see for your self if it will take both kinds of bulbs and they treat you right at HTG High Tech Garden Supply oh and for all those people who will read this yes I cleaned the bulb properly and wore gloves to put it in.
 
BigBudBalls

BigBudBalls

Well-Known Member
MaryJaneDoe said:
I have 600 watt HPS right now, I am ordering another and I have the digital ballast, when I read up on it I was under the impression that I can use either bulb in it MH or HPS, I do want to warn you that 600's are the most popular by far and you always want to get an extra bulb for the unforseen. I didn't and my bulb blew after 13 days, so then I had to order again. and went back to my good old reliable shop lights for 10 days. They made good on the bulb tho. Here is the set up I got and you can read up and see for your self if it will take both kinds of bulbs and they treat you right at HTG High Tech Garden Supply oh and for all those people who will read this yes I cleaned the bulb properly and wore gloves to put it in.
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htg is notorious for sending out bad bulbs. but always make good on them.
 
ru8fru

ru8fru

Well-Known Member
hahaha :D so there is really no difference between a switchable ballast and a digital ballast?

and the conversion bulb you can only use in digital ballasts?
 
tusseltussel

tusseltussel

Well-Known Member
ru8fru said:
hahaha :D so there is really no difference between a switchable ballast and a digital ballast?

and the conversion bulb you can only use in digital ballasts?
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a conversion bulb is a bulb you can use in the opposite ballast like if you have a hps ballast you get a mh conversion bulb to run with that ballast
 
BigBudBalls

BigBudBalls

Well-Known Member
ru8fru said:
hahaha :D so there is really no difference between a switchable ballast and a digital ballast?

and the conversion bulb you can only use in digital ballasts?
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No.
tusseltussel covered conversion bulbs.

A switchable ballast has a switch on it for HPS or MH standard bulbs. But is still a magnetic /inductive ballast.

A digital ballast doesn't use the iron cored transformer, but electronics to control and even gets feed back from the bulb's draw.
A digital ballast can run either HPS or MH standard bulbs
 
BigBudBalls

BigBudBalls

Well-Known Member
MaryJaneDoe said:
I read quite a bit of your stuff and thought you would find it funny, My bad and your right I would have known if you had taken it too bad;-)
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Actually I would have, if there was a little more. Kinda felt you thought my comments about the HTG bulbs was bunk.

And the ball comment wasn't too cool. I only have one and sniff, sniff, thats just mean to say.




(joking)
 
ru8fru

ru8fru

Well-Known Member
so it probably makes more sense to just get a digital ballast and one 600w hps bulb and one 600w mh bulb? would that be the cheapest route? So they do make 600w mh bulbs right? Cause even though its a digital ballast you still have to run the same wattage right. You couldnt get a 600w digital ballast and run a 1000w mh bulb on it?
 
BigBudBalls

BigBudBalls

Well-Known Member
ru8fru said:
so it probably makes more sense to just get a digital ballast and one 600w hps bulb and one 600w mh bulb? would that be the cheapest route? So they do make 600w mh bulbs right? Cause even though its a digital ballast you still have to run the same wattage right. You couldnt get a 600w digital ballast and run a 1000w mh bulb on it?
Click to expand...

Bulb wattage has to match ballast. no higher or lower.
 
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