Which is the best HPS DE combo?

Sam&Max

Sam&Max

Active Member
Hey,
I was looking for a good or the best lamp setup. I got three 4x4 ebb and flow tables and plan to put them in a row like 12x4.

I thought I will use three 600 Watt HPS DE lamps.

I was researching and had the following candidates:
AdjustAWing Hellion - You could put it really low and by that increase the light amount (inverse square law of light intensity and distance) and also spread it. But it seems like that they dont pass the tests so well. Seems like if you have them a the same height, like other lamps, the don't spread the light well.

Gavita DE 600/750. Has good reviews

Sun systems AC/DE fusion - Seems to be the best out there


I am tending to the Sun Systems, as it has the best test results, but it is a bit difficult to get it here in europe. Also I am not sure if it would be good to run the 1000 Watt ballast always in 600 or 750 Watts...
And the room I grow in, is not heated in the winter and here the winters get pretty rough. So I am not sure if it would be the best decision to buy a vented system like the system of Sun systems....

Second option I would tend to, is the gavita.
But I am not sure if the adjustAwing maybe is better in the sense that I can hang the adjustawing lower than the gavita and so increase the light intensity compared to the gavita?


What system would you recommend?
 
Sam&Max

Sam&Max

Active Member
I think I will go with the Gavitas 600/750 DE. Will take three of them. Sun Systems is more expensive and more difficult to aquire. With the Gavita I think I will not make the wrong decision.

Do you think it is a good decision? I want to illuminate with each Gavita an area of 4x4. Or maybe should I go LED. I don't know much about LED.
 
Roger A. Shrubber

Roger A. Shrubber

Well-Known Member
i don't have any experience with de lights, so can't make a useful comment.
the only useful thing i can think of to say is that even though a light is vented, you decide where it vents to. in the winter, i unhook my 600 hps from the outside vent and let it vent into my house to help with the heating bills, why pump hot air outside in the winter? just make sure you seal up the outside vent when you're not using it
 
kingtitan

kingtitan

Well-Known Member
Don't dim or overpower bulbs, bulbs were made to operate at specific wattage and tuned spectrum. changing that makes shifts and if you buy more expensive bulbs, that is a complete wast.
 
fn217

fn217

Active Member
Check out Solistek. The products are pretty amazing. I love my ballasts, and if I did everything over again I'd get their all in one fixtures. Great light spread, cheaper than Gavita, great warranty and company to deal with.

They mount their ballasts horizontally, which can be a lifesaver if you have low ceilings.

https://growershouse.com/solis-tek-a1-1000w-double-ended-de-complete-light-system-120-240v?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&adpos=1o2&scid=scplp11330&sc_intid=11330&keyword=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlpDQBRDmARIsAAW6-DMFG8IfWgAeagA9hScWpIuw6QikwHncTqbkJ0_F-ixPiYj2cxL-kSQaAioTEALw_wcB

LED is absolutely fantastic, but very expensive startup costs.
 
kingtitan

kingtitan

Well-Known Member
fn217 said:
Check out Solistek. The products are pretty amazing. I love my ballasts, and if I did everything over again I'd get their all in one fixtures. Great light spread, cheaper than Gavita, great warranty and company to deal with.

They mount their ballasts horizontally, which can be a lifesaver if you have low ceilings.

https://growershouse.com/solis-tek-a1-1000w-double-ended-de-complete-light-system-120-240v?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&adpos=1o2&scid=scplp11330&sc_intid=11330&keyword=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlpDQBRDmARIsAAW6-DMFG8IfWgAeagA9hScWpIuw6QikwHncTqbkJ0_F-ixPiYj2cxL-kSQaAioTEALw_wcB

LED is absolutely fantastic, but very expensive startup costs.
Click to expand...
Solis Tek and Phantom are my top of the list ballast with Galaxy in 3rd spot, start up cost is 100-200 more but well worth it vs cheapo china ballasts that have no shielding and are electronic ballasts not smart digital ballasts.
 
fn217

fn217

Active Member
kingtitan said:
Solis Tek and Phantom are my top of the list ballast with Galaxy in 3rd spot, start up cost is 100-200 more but well worth it vs cheapo china ballasts that have no shielding and are electronic ballasts not smart digital ballasts.
Click to expand...
Right. I forgot to mention about the Solis-Tek.

They have a number of safety features built in to them, and are a true digital ballast.

Solistek said:
Ignition Control™

Aside from industry's lowest output Total Harmonic Distortion (THD%), SolisTek ballasts also offer the industry's only true Ignition Control staggered ignition technology.

SolisTek's sequential lamp ignition technology will ignite your lamps one at a time based on load stability. This revolutionary technology (not a randomized startup) will actually detect the voltage and amperage frequencies of the electrical circuit and fire lamps when the load is most stable. Prevent surges and spikes in your electrical environment and stop overloading breakers. When you power multiple SolisTek ballasts, the electrical draw is controlled by our internal software, maximizing electrical efficiency. SolisTek digital ballasts are the only ballast capable of this technology.

SenseSmart™
Pre-ignition self-diagnostic checks. SolisTek SenseSmart which will check for 8 different factors before attempting to power the lamp; this is intended for increased user safety.

SenseSmart checks for:
1. Open output 2. High/low temps 3. Ignition failure 4. Thermal
5. End of lamp life 6. Overflow current 7. Over/low voltage 8. Short circuit

SolisTek digital ballasts complete a closed circuit between the lamp and power source. If any sort of break or inconsistency has been detected, it will not strike the lamp. The ballast will detect if the lamp is too hot to ignite, lamp compatibility issues, if there is no lamp plugged in, or if a lamp is defective or about to fail as it will detect that it is not receiving enough of a signal coming back. It can even detect if there's a short on your wiring, reflector, lighting controller, or a defective breaker on an electrical panel.
This is all apart of our exclusive SenseSmart safety mechanism that we introduced to this industry in 2010. If it detects any sort of anomalies or disturbances it will turn off the lamp and attempt to re-strike every 90 seconds until it deems that it is safe to ignite. 99% of the time an error code is displayed (Matrix) or if the green led (standard unit) stays on without the lamp igniting it is pointing to something on the users end to troubleshoot. In the rare instance that a component goes out the ballast will disable itself to prevent anything further from happening.
Click to expand...
https://solis-tek.com/technology/ignition-control-sensesmart.html
 
Sam&Max

Sam&Max

Active Member
checked the Solistek. They have no 600/750 wattage model. Means I would run the 1000 wattage ballast on low setting with a 600/750 lamp?

Phantom looks good but is not available here in europe....They claim to have the best test results in several tests done by an independent testing lab... Somebody got them. Are they really that good? I don't know....

What is your take on the AdjustAWings? Reviews say that you can hang them really low without getting heat issues and the spread the light. And by the inverse square law, by hanging them lower you would increase light intensity a lot I guess?
 
fn217

fn217

Active Member
Sam&Max said:
checked the Solistek. They have no 600/750 wattage model. Means I would run the 1000 wattage ballast on low setting with a 600/750 lamp?

Phantom looks good but is not available here in europe....They claim to have the best test results in several tests done by an independent testing lab... Somebody got them. Are they really that good? I don't know....

What is your take on the AdjustAWings? Reviews say that you can hang them really low without getting heat issues and the spread the light. And by the inverse square law, by hanging them lower you would increase light intensity a lot I guess?
Click to expand...
Yes, that is actually why digital ballasts are adjustable... they really shouldn't be used to dim a 1000w bulb down, but rather to use native lower wattage bulbs.

The adjustawings are perfectly fine for getting DE light with low cost of entry, however they probably should only be used when lighting a room vs lighting a table, as they will give a very broad light footprint, if you can call it a foot print at all. Again, should be fine when using a bunch of DE's to light a room, but probably not going to be appropriate for a 4x8 table, in which case something far more direct will be a more efficient set up.
 
kingtitan

kingtitan

Well-Known Member
Sam&Max said:
checked the Solistek. They have no 600/750 wattage model. Means I would run the 1000 wattage ballast on low setting with a 600/750 lamp?

Phantom looks good but is not available here in europe....They claim to have the best test results in several tests done by an independent testing lab... Somebody got them. Are they really that good? I don't know....

What is your take on the AdjustAWings? Reviews say that you can hang them really low without getting heat issues and the spread the light. And by the inverse square law, by hanging them lower you would increase light intensity a lot I guess?
Click to expand...
I use the Phantom II 1000w with a 1000w hortilux. Cant complain its top notch. I tried dimming feature just for fun but always run at 100% setting.
 
Bakersfield

Bakersfield

Well-Known Member
I have only used the Nanolux brand of double enders. I am very happy with them.
I don't feel the heat thrown off from these is much different than a single ender. However, the lights must be held higher, because the light intensity is greater.
I've had plants within 2 feet and leaves and buds will burn from this intensity while the temps are optimum.
BTW, Nanolux makes a version of their 1000 watt DE, that is designed for illuminating a 4x4 table.
 
drgreentm

drgreentm

Well-Known Member
I am currently running 4 phantom 1000w de's. mounted 8.5 feet from the floor I can say they are quite powerful, 6' spacing in a 13' x 11' and there is not a square inch of shade in the room. Very happy with them.
 
Yodaweed

Yodaweed

Well-Known Member
I been thinking about switching out my 600w SE hps with some DE 600w hps as well let me know how it works out for you
 
Colo MMJ

Colo MMJ

Well-Known Member
Sam&Max said:
Hey,
I was looking for a good or the best lamp setup. I got three 4x4 ebb and flow tables and plan to put them in a row like 12x4.

I thought I will use three 600 Watt HPS DE lamps.

I was researching and had the following candidates:
AdjustAWing Hellion - You could put it really low and by that increase the light amount (inverse square law of light intensity and distance) and also spread it. But it seems like that they dont pass the tests so well. Seems like if you have them a the same height, like other lamps, the don't spread the light well.

Gavita DE 600/750. Has good reviews

Sun systems AC/DE fusion - Seems to be the best out there


I am tending to the Sun Systems, as it has the best test results, but it is a bit difficult to get it here in europe. Also I am not sure if it would be good to run the 1000 Watt ballast always in 600 or 750 Watts...
And the room I grow in, is not heated in the winter and here the winters get pretty rough. So I am not sure if it would be the best decision to buy a vented system like the system of Sun systems....

Second option I would tend to, is the gavita.
But I am not sure if the adjustAwing maybe is better in the sense that I can hang the adjustawing lower than the gavita and so increase the light intensity compared to the gavita?


What system would you recommend?
Click to expand...
How high is your ceiling?

A guy I knew who wanted venting of heat was bight on AC/DE.

Someone else I know, who is more commercial, was big on Fantom DE. 1000 W.
 
Sam&Max

Sam&Max

Active Member
My ceiling is 3,50 meters. I need make it lower by building a smaller room in the room itself. Actually I want to make two rooms. One for flowering and one for mothers, drying and short veg.... Actually there is still some stuff to figure out....

What you recommend how much space I should have from the tables to the ceiling? I plan to do SOG with short or no veg phase...

It is really important to set the boxes diameter right, so I will need no unnecessary heating in winter. I dont want to burn my plants, but I also dont want to be too much hassled with keeping the temperature up in winter.

Actually I still have some important questions about properly venting the place... should I open a new thread for that?

And yeah, so far my favorites are still the gavitas...
 
Colo MMJ

Colo MMJ

Well-Known Member
Sam&Max said:
My ceiling is 3,50 meters. I need make it lower by building a smaller room in the room itself. Actually I want to make two rooms. One for flowering and one for mothers, drying and short veg.... Actually there is still some stuff to figure out....

What you recommend how much space I should have from the tables to the ceiling? I plan to do SOG with short or no veg phase...

It is really important to set the boxes diameter right, so I will need no unnecessary heating in winter. I dont want to burn my plants, but I also dont want to be too much hassled with keeping the temperature up in winter.

Actually I still have some important questions about properly venting the place... should I open a new thread for that?

And yeah, so far my favorites are still the gavitas...
Click to expand...
I suck at the metric system but that is about 10 feet high or a bit more ceilings which are fine for DE. they will keep your plants warm enough in winter but what about in the summer?

I personally like the idea of QB boards or COBs but do they warm enough in winter? And will a space heater supplementing be enough to keep things warm enough for plant growth?
 
Sam&Max

Sam&Max

Active Member
@Colo MMJ the ceiling is 11.5 feet. I think the room is a bit too high like that. Also I need two rooms in this room, for mothers, clones ... If I can make a lower ceiling, I can seal the rooms and I have to manage a smaller amount of air. If I run in trouble in summer, I still can remove the selfmade ceiling I guess. Also I am using only 600/750 lamps. Can't imagine there will be so much trouble with proper ventilation...

@fn217 What would be a realistic prize difference to get the same with LEDs what I would get with three 600/750 Gavitas. The gavitas will cost me around 1500 Dollar in total.
 
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