# Opinions on Digital Ballasts



## Dr. Greenspoon, T.H.C. (Jan 18, 2011)

I am in the planning stage of a new hydro setup and have been considering switching to a digital ballast for some time. I am looking at Digilux and NextGen. My only issue is I am not confident enough in the manufacturers review to pay the money for everything necessary, I need to hear it from people who have actually used digital ballasts and know the pro's and con's. If anyone has any experience on this or would like to put their two cents in, please do. Thnx!


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## Dr. Greenspoon, T.H.C. (Jan 18, 2011)

Auzzie07 said:


> Lots of people rave about Lumatek's...


Lumatek and quantum are the two ballasts I have heard the best about, both paired with digilux bulbs. But again, reading the material and having the experience under your belt is two things. Thanks again!


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## Ronjohn7779 (Jan 18, 2011)

I like my lumatek. It has no moving parts and is nearly totally silent. Its also one of the few ballasts that can run a 1000w bulb at 750w and 600w (I wouldn't run a 1000w bulb at any wattage other than 1000ws). They also can run 750w and 600w bulbs if you don't want to use a 1000wer. Another feature is that lumateks can run in super lumen mode. Supposedly you get an extra 10-15% of light. I imagine this comes at the sake of your bulb's life.


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## R. Duke (Jan 18, 2011)

I like my quantums alot. the adjustable power feature is great for things like dimming your lights for recently transplanted clones and heat waves. and run 600w bulbs, much less heat problems. you can lower 600w bulbs closer to the actual canapy. i have used 1000w in the past and didnt care for them.


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## hornedfrog2000 (Jan 18, 2011)

My lumatek is pretty much silent. You can't hear anything from it unless you stick your ear on it. It also doesn't get nearly as hot as the magnetic ballasts. I hate the way mags sound. It's like you have a nuculear reactor in your house or something. If anyone hears that they're going to wonder wtf that sound is.


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## HghFlyrJD1 (Jan 18, 2011)

No one even mentioned the actual brand he was looking at..I ordered a 1000watt NextGen digital ballast that will arrive today.I read a lot on them and they are said to be great.look around people have great reviews.Small, light, air cooled,universal plug inputs and quiet.etc


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## Ken3531 (Jan 18, 2011)

I had a digital ballast and it made one of the tv's in my house all fuzzy when it was on. took a few weeks to pinpoint what the problem was and turns out it was the digital ballast. The manufacturer claimed it was "normal" due to radio frequencies and i should move my garden. Sent it back for a refund and went magnetic. Bit bigger and makes a little noise but at least that one tv works now lol.


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## hornedfrog2000 (Jan 18, 2011)

Ken3531 said:


> I had a digital ballast and it made one of the tv's in my house all fuzzy when it was on. took a few weeks to pinpoint what the problem was and turns out it was the digital ballast. The manufacturer claimed it was "normal" due to radio frequencies and i should move my garden. Sent it back for a refund and went magnetic. Bit bigger and makes a little noise but at least that one tv works now lol.


huh. What kind of TV was it? My plasma has never done anything like that to me.


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## Ken3531 (Jan 18, 2011)

Well i have 2 plasma 1080p tvs and 2 regular tube tvs in my house. The digital ballast was hooked up downstairs right next to one of my tube tv's and that tv was fine. The tube tv upstairs was the one that was all jacked up from it. Kinda werid though, i changed outlets all over my house and still couldnt fix it. Must be that particular tv. either way im happy with my cropmaster magnetic.


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## Dr. Greenspoon, T.H.C. (Jan 18, 2011)

I have read about the interference digital ballasts may cause with TV's and radios, but I'm not worried about it. HghFlyrJD1, if you get a chance give us a review of your new ballast. Thanks to everyone for their input!!


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## dadio161 (Jan 19, 2011)

I use the 400W/600W NEXTGEN and I am very happy with the results.
You can check out my signature for the results.


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## purrrrple (Jan 23, 2011)

OK, heres the deal on dig ballasts.

Pros: Much lighter (weigh less) & burn MUCH cooler. They are a little more efficient. They do draw slightly less power and produce slightly more lumens compared to magnetics. Some of the newer ones offer a "dimmer" option (which is not particularly useful IMO). When you dim the ballast IT DOES NOT DRAW LESS POWER. Running a 1000w dimmable ballast on the 500w setting STILL DRAWS 1000 WATTS. 

Cons: MUCH more expensive. They do cause RF (radio frequency) interference in some cases. Using multiple (10+) ballasts have caused peoples power meters & climate controllers to act up. If you use the "superlumens" switch on Lumateks they burn out your bulbs insanely fast. Not all digital ballasts are generator ready (do your homework). NextGen's are not UL listed (if i'm not mistaken) so if they cause a fire your insurance WILL NOT COVER IT.

Being said, I have extensive knowledge of all major brands of digital ballasts on the market today. Quantum, Lumatek, GGL, Galaxy, NextGen, Phantom, BadAss, & a few others. I would say HANDS DOWN Quantums are the absolute best ballast on the market. They offer a 3 yr+2yr prorated warranty. They come with both 120v & 240v cords & are dimmable. Phantoms are also very nice ballasts, rigorously tested & HIGH quality. BadAss is made by Advanced Nutrients and offers some rediculous like 10 or 20 yr warranty but I would advise to wait because they are BRAND new. GGL's are solid but are known to melt where the lampcord plugs into the ballast. Galaxy is good, have never heard of any problems with them. NextGen is OK but overpriced and not UL listed. Lumatek is probably the most popular and also the oldest but NOTORIOUS for problems & blows up Hortilux bulbs regularly. Hortilux just released their new "e-ballast compatible" bulbs so we'll see. I've heard mixed reviews on teh Digilux bulbs. Some guys swear by them and some people say they are totally BS. I know for a FACT they are not putting out anywhere near the lumens they are claiming. I've read the studies and have to say I am less than impressed. Go with Hortilux if you got the money and UltraSun or Plantmax if you don't. 

I got my quantums for $150 (600w) & $250 (1000w). PM me for the info.

Also, if you want to see if your ballasts are sending off RFI do the following. Take a radio and turn it on AM. Find a clear station and walk slowly towards your ballast. If/When you hear any distortion/interference/crackling you know you've got a problem.


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## Ronjohn7779 (Jan 23, 2011)

purrrrple said:


> Cons: MUCH more expensive. They do cause RF (radio frequency) interference in some cases. Using multiple (10+) ballasts have caused peoples power meters & climate controllers to act up. If you use the "superlumens" switch on Lumateks they burn out your bulbs insanely fast. Not all digital ballasts are generator ready (do your homework). NextGen's are not UL listed (if i'm not mistaken) so if they cause a fire your insurance WILL NOT COVER IT.


Growing pot alone voids most insurance policies. You may even get your home foreclosed on for voiding the mortgage agreement (most have anti-drug and crime clauses). Any sort of illegal activity will generally void most contracts. Obviously things workout differently in states with medical MJ laws. Even so you need to carefully read your policy agreements. I'm sure most insurance providers view growing as a fire hazard they'd love to not cover.


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## jkmovies (Jan 23, 2011)

purrrrple said:


> OK, heres the deal on dig ballasts.
> 
> Pros: Much lighter (weigh less) & burn MUCH cooler. They are a little more efficient. They do draw slightly less power and produce slightly more lumens compared to magnetics. Some of the newer ones offer a "dimmer" option (which is not particularly useful IMO). When you dim the ballast IT DOES NOT DRAW LESS POWER. Running a 1000w dimmable ballast on the 500w setting STILL DRAWS 1000 WATTS.
> 
> ...


I've heard that Lumatek had an RF problem at first, but solved it years ago before their purple colored ballasts were even released. The 600W Lumatek has the Hortilux bulb problem. All the other sizes work great with them. This I know personally about the 400W working with the Hortilux bulb. 

Question: How do you KNOW the Digilux's do not put out anywhere near the lumens they say? I would like to know because I currently have one, and am thinking about a backup bulb. It seems plenty brighter than my 400, but what do my eyes know?

You almost sound like a commercial and then say to PM for where to buy a Quantum. Thanks if you're helping, but my flag went up a little on that one. No disrespect intended. We don't really know each other after all.

Anyway, I hope my Lumatek 400 and 600 aren't as bad as you say for obvious reasons, I have them. My 400 has been flawless for months, not one hiccup, so I either got a good one, or it's waiting to do something evil any day now.

Also, if you google Lumatek, you get a few posts like yours, almost verbatim. but not very many, and they mostly go back a while. You get more posts recommending a Lumatek. 

Kind of weird they have all these problems, yet no one is really complaining. They must be selling quite a few of these because they are at respected stores and internet sites. 

I don't have a lot of first hand information about Lumatek, and am not claiming to. I have used the 400 without flaw for months, and a 600 that appears to be operating within normal parameters.

P.S. I don't see Digital being more expensive either. Maybe we're shopping at different locations though.


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## ledgrowing (Jan 23, 2011)

lumatek is the shit i have 4 600watt dimmable ballast all working flawless for 3 years straight no problem i also have a 600 watt next gen it is nice to but i like my lumiteks better no reason really both are great i just dig the purple ballast better


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## Lt. Dan (Jan 23, 2011)

I just bought an NextGen 400w/600w
It's ETL listed for sure


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## hornedfrog2000 (Jan 23, 2011)

He said UL, united labrotories. The people that test for fire ratings.


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## hellraizer30 (Jan 23, 2011)

RFI is why I wont buy them fucks up my to tv and my phone, so I stick with oldschool shit no worries here


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## purrrrple (Jan 23, 2011)

Ronjohn7779 said:


> Growing pot alone voids most insurance policies. You may even get your home foreclosed on for voiding the mortgage agreement (most have anti-drug and crime clauses). Any sort of illegal activity will generally void most contracts. Obviously things workout differently in states with medical MJ laws. Even so you need to carefully read your policy agreements. I'm sure most insurance providers view growing as a fire hazard they'd love to not cover.


First of all, not everyone with a growlight is growing pot. The manufacturers have jumped through hoops to get FCC/UL tested & approved for the sole purposes of having insurance companies honor policies and to meet state/local codes. Unless otherwise stated in your lease/insurance policy you should be covered in the event of a fire IF your equipment is up to code. That is why I am an advocate of Quantum ballasts & Powerbox Inc. controllers.


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## Lt. Dan (Jan 23, 2011)

hornedfrog2000 said:


> He said UL, united labrotories. The people that test for fire ratings.


Yeah, I knew that..... ETL and UL are both OHSA approved NRTL(Nationally Recognized Test Lab) and authorized to test, evaluate, and list products to safety standards.
An ETL label with a US and C on it means it meets the standards of United States and Canada. IIRC

Anyway, it was a brain teaser statement meant to make people wounder what an ETL listing was............. How did I do?


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## legallyflying (Jan 23, 2011)

purrrrple said:


> OK, heres the deal on dig ballasts.
> 
> Pros: Much lighter (weigh less) & burn MUCH cooler. They are a little more efficient. They do draw slightly less power and produce slightly more lumens compared to magnetics. Some of the newer ones offer a "dimmer" option (which is not particularly useful IMO). When you dim the ballast IT DOES NOT DRAW LESS POWER. Running a 1000w dimmable ballast on the 500w setting STILL DRAWS 1000 WATTS.
> 
> Cons: MUCH more expensive. They do cause RF (radio frequency) interference in some cases. Using multiple (10+) ballasts have caused peoples power meters & climate controllers to act up. If you use the "superlumens" switch on Lumateks they burn out your bulbs insanely fast. Not all digital ballasts are generator ready (do your homework). NextGen's are not UL listed (if i'm not mistaken) so if they cause a fire your insurance WILL NOT COVER IT.


Error # 1 they are much more expensive.... I got my digi 600 dimmable lumateks for $175 A magnetic 600 is like $120 Is $50 dollars considered allot of money? 

Error # 2 "they use the same power when the are dimmed" this is not true at all and I'm not sure where this stupid ass myth started. The luatek adds even started adding the (reduced power consumption when dimmed) statement on their adds so people wouldn't be so dense. If it was drawing 1000 watts and only sending 400 to the lamp, where would that other 600 watts go?TO some nternal resister? They thing would be glowing red it would be so hot.

The other big advantages not listed are: No reduction in lumen output over time like magnetics and none of that annoying fucking hmmmmmmmm.


Let me see... more efficient, cooler running, great lumen output, no reduction in output over time, utterly silent AND they are only 25% more expensive. Ummm, yeah; there is a debate on this subject?


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## hornedfrog2000 (Jan 23, 2011)

Yeah, I've seen watt readers say the run less on dimmed. Why wouldn't they? I'm more counting amps than watts. The lumatek is like 5 amps, and you can run 2 on a 15 amp circuit plus a couple of fans. With a magnetic one you probably couldn't do that.

I agree with the post above. The cost is only going to be made up with your electric bill over a year or so anyway. Magnetic ballasts get hot as fuck, like hot enough to burn you. My Lumatek is very maybe warm to the touch.


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## jkmovies (Jan 24, 2011)

Just saw some videos on youtube comparing Hortilux and Digilux bulbs on a digital ballast. Seems that Digilux kicks some major butt on Hortilux on digital ballasts.

purpple, not seeing where Digilux bulbs are so bad, on the contrary, they seem to be the best bulb to buy for a digital ballast.

Did another Lumatek search on google, and still no new complaints that I could find. Hey Purpple, are you sure Lumatek's are so bad? I'm not seeing it.

It doesn't have your mighty Quantum ballast, but this older article does say that all the new digital ballasts are very similar in performance. Galaxy, Lumatek, and Vertex (never heard of that one).

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/6/review


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## legallyflying (Jan 24, 2011)

I think all the too brand ones are about the same. Comes down to price for me. I just got a 600 watt digilux MH. Seems to throw a very high amount of lux. Plus it's hard as he'll to did a 600 MH so there isn't a whole lot of choice in the matter.


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## CaptainCAVEMAN (Jan 24, 2011)

I have 2 1000watt lights and one digital ballast and one magnetic ballast. I think i'll be buying another magnetic ballast. For me noise and heat arent concerns, but the problem I'm having is sometimes the digital bulb will go out (I have no idea why) and then wont fire again until I unplug and replug it again...fucking pain in the ass. Also the digital is going through bulbs like they grow on trees or something. Think I'll get another magnetic and quit worrying about it.
Also, along the same lines of small savings not being worth it, the 'efficiency' factor digital ballasts boast about is almost undetectable on the utility bill.


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## Ronjohn7779 (Jan 24, 2011)

purrrrple said:


> First of all, not everyone with a growlight is growing pot. The manufacturers have jumped through hoops to get FCC/UL tested & approved for the sole purposes of having insurance companies honor policies and to meet state/local codes. Unless otherwise stated in your lease/insurance policy you should be covered in the event of a fire IF your equipment is up to code. That is why I am an advocate of Quantum ballasts & Powerbox Inc. controllers.


I didn't say the grow lights themselves violate insurance polices. I said growing pot does. Read what I wrote then comment. People on this forum seem to be reading less and jumping to conclusions more and more lately.


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## jkmovies (Jan 24, 2011)

CaptainCAVEMAN said:


> I have 2 1000watt lights and one digital ballast and one magnetic ballast. I think i'll be buying another magnetic ballast. For me noise and heat arent concerns, but the problem I'm having is sometimes the digital bulb will go out (I have no idea why) and then wont fire again until I unplug and replug it again...fucking pain in the ass. Also the digital is going through bulbs like they grow on trees or something. Think I'll get another magnetic and quit worrying about it.
> Also, along the same lines of small savings not being worth it, the 'efficiency' factor digital ballasts boast about is almost undetectable on the utility bill.


Sounds like you had a bad first experience with electronic ballasts. What's the brand of the ballast and the brand of the bulb? Most bulbs aren't 100% compatible with electronic ballasts yet, but electronic ballast specific bulbs are showing up finally.

I'm sure there are people who stuck with black and white television when color came out. Electronic ballasts seem to be the future and have been around long enough now to get the bulb technology up to par. Digilux and Hilux and two brands I can think of that support electronic ballasts. 

Use what you have, until all your bulbs are used up after 1 year of use, but I wouldn't buy any new OLD technology from this point on.


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## MrGhettoGrower (Jan 25, 2011)

I really like my lumatek ballast! But are the hortilux bulbs only good for 2 times around? The 3rd time I was ripped off!! This time I have new digilux, 2 week till flowering hope their half as good as I hear!! lol Just put the lumateks by a fan their cool & quiet! Heres what they look like!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8Fi8bZpvVg


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## del66666 (Apr 3, 2011)

i got a 600 lumatek,much less heat, no more noise...........saw a pic of a melted magnetic ballast....put me right off.


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## Beansly (Apr 3, 2011)

Bulbs burn out faster in digital ballasts, even the so-called digibulbs.


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## neosapien (Apr 3, 2011)

I have three 600w Digital Greenhouse ballasts. Two are almost 3 years old and still running like champs. One is 1 year old and also running like a champ. I've never had a magnetic so I can't comment on them, but in my experience Digital ballasts are good. No interference that I've noticed.


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## pazuzu420 (Apr 3, 2011)

Beansly said:


> Bulbs burn out faster in digital ballasts, even the so-called digibulbs.


Show us the facts, proof please....

It has been shown many times over that regular bulbs designed for magnetic ballasts will fail more often in a digital ballast. This is due to the frequency at which the bulb operates, which for a digital ballast is 10x the frequency of a magnetic ballast.
So bulbs designed to operate at a higher frequency will result in optimal bulb length when paired with its digital ballast counterpart. These bulbs are becoming more and more common place in the marketplace.

On another note, A large company which does millions of dollars in sale will have more reports of problems with thier products simply because they sell more of them and there are more of them in use than a lesser known competitor. You would have to take this into account before you can accurately predicit wether a product truely has more problems.

With that being said I love my new lumetak 400w....I'm currently using 4ooW bulbs from the lumatek digital bulb line...


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## John Alexander (Apr 3, 2011)

I bought a digital ballast from HTG Supply, a Digital Greenhouse, it is much cheaper than a lumatek and it works just fine. Its been operating for several months without a hiccup. The only issue is the fan on it is loud, so if sound is an issue you should op for the lumatek. It also isn't dimmable, and mine only works at 600w.


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## yaknowguy (Apr 3, 2011)

MrGhettoGrower said:


> I really like my lumatek ballast! But are the hortilux bulbs only good for 2 times around? The 3rd time I was ripped off!! This time I have new digilux, 2 week till flowering hope their half as good as I hear!! lol Just put the lumateks by a fan their cool & quiet! Heres what they look like!
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8Fi8bZpvVg


how much did you crop out of those on your video??


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## yaknowguy (Apr 3, 2011)

Well I have 1000 watt lumateks that run on 240 volts so they use less amps that is where the "energy efficiency" is less amps you pull less it costs.. I have a next gen that I got at a police auction I got 2 1000 watts for like 249.00 sold one for 240 figured i would keep this one i'll see how it goes, Seem like you hear problems about everything ballast related. they are all most likely made in china I would love to buy an American made ballast with quality parts.. different strokes for different folks...


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## legallyflying (Apr 4, 2011)

yaknowguy said:


> Well I have 1000 watt lumateks that run on 240 volts so they use less amps that is where the "energy efficiency" is less amps you pull less it costs.. ..


news flash Einstein, your power bill is based on the number of watts you use. Kilowatt hours actually. Sooooo you have fallen victim to THE dumbest myth in all of growing weed "half the amps means half the expense" 

As an indoor grower you need to get a small tattoo that reads: Volts x Amps = Watts.


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## jack ripa (Apr 4, 2011)

I love my Lumateks. I use Hortilux bulbs and never have problems. I have a 600w that has had the same bulb for two years. I have two of the multi watt 1ks going now and they are a dream to use. Solid power, no glitches like many magnetics I have seen that cycle through a dimmer period and warm back up. Everyone I know who uses Lumatek loves them. 

Digitals are here to stay. The hardcore oldies will always love their mag ballasts. It's all good.


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## jack ripa (Apr 4, 2011)

legallyflying said:


> news flash Einstein, your power bill is based on the number of watts you use. Kilowatt hours actually. Sooooo you have fallen victim to THE dumbest myth in all of growing weed "half the amps means half the expense"
> 
> As an indoor grower you need to get a small tattoo that reads: Volts x Amps = Watts.


There is a small line loss savings...but yeah, pretty much what you said.


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## smokebros (Apr 4, 2011)

buy a digilux bulb and you'll never look back


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## hoagtech (Apr 4, 2011)

Digilux bulbs are the only high efficiency bulb I know of that stand behind their claims. Get a luxmeter and find out for your self. 10% more lumens vs a magnetic ballast and standard bulb. Any other bulb including the hortilux blue is "digital ready" meaning it was not optimized to run off of a high frequency digital ballast but is universal to work on magnetic and digitals.


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## zzyx (Apr 4, 2011)

purrrrple said:


> NextGen's are not UL listed (if i'm not mistaken) so if they cause a fire your insurance WILL NOT COVER IT.



you get a fire in your grow room and i'm pretty sure your homeowners aint gonna cover it...regardless of the source.


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## hellraizer30 (Apr 4, 2011)

legallyflying said:


> news flash Einstein, your power bill is based on the number of watts you use. Kilowatt hours actually. Sooooo you have fallen victim to THE dumbest myth in all of growing weed "half the amps means half the expense"
> 
> yep I agree there is no saving!!


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## IVIars (Apr 5, 2011)

Anybody ever look at the spectrum of the digilux? All this talk about how it puts out more lumens, but not in the right spectrums.
Ill put my Sunmaster MH with only 80,000 lumens up against it anytime. Look at the spectrum, running the cool deluxe 1000w in the middle and 2 600w hps on both sides of it will give me a better spectrum that the plants will see over the digilux. Lumens mean nothing if the plant cant see them. I took my hortilux super blue out and put the cool deluxe in plants seem to like it better


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## legallyflying (Apr 6, 2011)

It's all about PAR baby. 

But to be perfectly honest, you can grow banger buds with any higher quality bulb. You can also grow schwag buds with any high quality bulb. Point being, your time spent researching bulbs is probably better spent retaining absolute control of your room's climate and figuring out which hood is best for your set up. Of all the expensive bulbs, there is not one out there that is going to magically create the dream grow


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## Diesel Wreck (Apr 6, 2011)

i have a lumatek 600w and love it. quiet, not too hot, and dims to 400 or 250 which is nice if you want to veg with a halide. i dont use the "super lumen" because it came with a standard hps bulb (and i agree with the guy who said it probably dies quicker, plus to my eye there was no difference), but when i replace i plan on shelling out for a digital hps and taking advantage of this feature as well. very pleased with the lumatek


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## 4 the love of ganja (Apr 6, 2011)

stay away away from nexgen i have so many problems with it but i heard the phantom is great


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## legallyflying (Apr 6, 2011)

Hey diesel, the super lumen setting is indeed brighter. I can remember the lux readings I took but it was noticeably brighter. Yeah they
Likely burn out faster but most people replace bulbs every 6 months anyways soooo. I think I'll right my initial and 6 month lux readings down. I bet at 6 months that the 6 month old super lumen setting is just as bright as a 6 month old bulb on the standard wattage.


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## cannichris (Apr 9, 2011)

I have a Nextgen 600/400 watt ballast with a digilux 600 HPS and I really like the combo.I bought the ballast with a plantmax bulb and for some reason it never worked it just cycled. It would come on and almost get to its brightest and then shut off and it just repeated this. At first I thought it was the ballast but I put in the digilux and it was fine. Anyways I tried the plantmax 600 HPS on the 400 watt setting on the ballast to see if it would fire the 600 bulb on the lower setting and it did. That's really wierd is it not? But so far I like my nextgen it stays very cool to the touch and the fan noise is very very quiet, almost non existant. Peace


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## 4 the love of ganja (Apr 9, 2011)

yah i was having problems with my nextgen 600/400 watt switchable with a 600 watt hps digilux and mine was doing the same thing it would turn on and shut off but the guy at my hydro store said to switch it to a different outlet in my house and its working perfect ever since


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## hornedfrog2000 (Apr 9, 2011)

Wonder why that would happen.


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## 4 the love of ganja (Apr 10, 2011)

he said something about that one cicuit was pulling to much energy and it couldnt support my 600


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## cannichris (Apr 10, 2011)

That is wierd. I am hoping that the plantmax bulb that came with the ballast on mine is just messed up.The ballast has been on almost constantly now for about a month and its been doing fine as far I can tell. When it did mess up the light was green with red flashes and it was some kind of code it was firing off that wasn't listed on the back of the ballast. I contacted CAP and they were completely fine with replacing it for me no questions. So that makes me feel a lot better about my purchase.


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## hornedfrog2000 (Apr 10, 2011)

4 the love of ganja said:


> he said something about that one cicuit was pulling to much energy and it couldnt support my 600


So you were blowing fuses in your breaker box?


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## 4 the love of ganja (Apr 10, 2011)

yeah i was getting the same exact code on mine it was green with red flashing.. mine says that that code is to check your bulb or check your input voltage yah mine has a five year warranty on the ballast and a one year warranty on my digilux...and i dont know but i wasnt blowing fuses im not an electrician so i dont exactly know what was going on but as long as it works now im happy


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## hornedfrog2000 (Apr 10, 2011)

haha yeah.


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## S.V.T. (Apr 10, 2011)

I have been using 4 1000w Phantom's (in my opinion they're the best). They run at 3 power levels; 60%, 75%, or 100%. I think if you spend extra $ on anything in you setup, use it to buy good ballasts! I veg. with 60% power, turn it to 75% in week 2 of 12/12, 100% week 3 through week 8ish, and back to 75% to finish.


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## 4 the love of ganja (Apr 10, 2011)

yah i originally asked for a phantom but they didnt have them in stock at my local hydro store so i just got the nextgen because i was impatient...do those settings save you on energy costs??


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## cannichris (Apr 10, 2011)

the code that was shooting off on my ballast was green with a medium red blink, long blink, medium blink, long blink, and the two short quick red flashes..I thought at first it was input voltage too until I saw the red lights shooting of in weird sequences instead of a constant red blink.


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## S.V.T. (Apr 10, 2011)

4 the love of ganja said:


> yah i originally asked for a phantom but they didnt have them in stock at my local hydro store so i just got the nextgen because i was impatient...do those settings save you on energy costs??


 yeah, when the dimmer is at 60% it's only drawing 60% power etc...


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## 4 the love of ganja (Apr 11, 2011)

yeah next harvest im gonna buy one of those phantoms


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## uhavealighter? (Apr 13, 2011)

Those new quantum ballasts are pretty legit as well. Quantum is a very reputable company with their crazy oscillating infinite breeze fan and their foldable t5 fluorescent fixtures. I'm a fan. These guys are the cheapest if you are looking for quantum stuff. 

http://www.ezhydroshop.com/products/Quantum-1000w-Dimmable-HID-Digital-Ballast.html


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## brianbertz (Apr 17, 2011)

i love my lumatek 1000 watt ballast. magnetic was too loud and hot for me. dead silent and it gets kinda hot but not nearly as hot as a magnetic ballast. i have heard good things about badass ballast by advanced nutrients. about the same price as lumatek maybe 20 or 30 more but its low frequency and the guy at the hydro shop told me its supposed to get less hot than lumatek. i will let ya know when i get one.


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## Full-spectrum Recklessnes (Nov 26, 2022)

HghFlyrJD1 said:


> No one even mentioned the actual brand he was looking at..I ordered a 1000watt NextGen digital ballast that will arrive today.I read a lot on them and they are said to be great.look around people have great reviews.Small, light, air cooled,universal plug inputs and quiet.etc


Yes they operating seamlessly until they just dont lol.. any updates are yours still operating fine?


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