HPS, MH, Floros, Phillips Cermamic Metal Halide has 'em all beat.

Hawk said:

No. The 150w and smaller CMH lamps run off a pulse start metal halide ballast.



Here is what I understand about the needed ballasts for CMH:

250w and 400w Philips Mastercolor CMH (HPS-Retro White) ------> regular magnetic HPS ballast (ANSI code S50 for 250w, S51 for 400w). Or a digital ballast specifically made for CMH, not the standard digital ballasts we see used in horticulture.

150w and smaller Philips Mastercolor CMH ------> pulse start metal halide magnetic ballast (must be pulse start). Or a digital MH ballast should work but who's got one of those.

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This is the same way I understand it also. I only used a 400 watt bulb and ballast so I'm going off of memory but I think Hawk has it dead on.

I'm currently using a Philips Mastercolor HPS Retro-White in an HPS ballast (not digital). In 3rd week of flower and going to be using this light for the whole grow... I'll let you know how they turn out.

Heres a question that Im stuck with:

Where in the U.K. can I find a HPS bulb which I can use for the veg stage (blue spectrum)?

Ive been told the Philips son t agro is good but are these suitable specifically for the vegetative stage if not can anyone make any recommendations.

By the way if your think I should just use a fluorescent or metal halide bulb/s, that is out of the question as I have a different setup which cannot be adjusted

wow thatss crazy shit great post

hey guys, I don't run a CMH YET, but I was talking with the owner of Maryland Hydroponics yesterday and he guarantees that their digital ballasts WILL run 400w CMH bulbs!

It is their own brand so they have it made to THEIR specifications. I also trust the owner, always makes good on their store warranty on everything they sell and everything they say. Hope that helps someone, check out the website.

How about a link to the 400w digital ballast that will run a CMH?

thats funny because ive gone to md hydro and they acted like they had never heard or had any expeirence with the cmh's. both of the guys

sleeper05 said:

I'm currently using a Philips Mastercolor HPS Retro-White in an HPS ballast (not digital). In 3rd week of flower and going to be using this light for the whole grow... I'll let you know how they turn out.

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does the CMH really cut down on heat output like it is said to or is it just about the same as any MH?

Good shit right here +rep

HydroChron said:

does the CMH really cut down on heat output like it is said to or is it just about the same as any MH?

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It was running a little cooler than my regular HPS bulb. The only reason I say this is because room temps seemed to be cooler with that bulb running rather than the regs. Only like 1 or 2 degrees celcius. I don't know how that person touches the bulb.

sleeper05 said:

It was running a little cooler than my regular HPS bulb. The only reason I say this is because room temps seemed to be cooler with that bulb running rather than the regs. Only like 1 or 2 degrees celcius. I don't know how that person touches the bulb.

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Thanks for this information. This confirms my suspicions - that CMH has no appreciable temperature advantage.

I think I would appreciate a 1 or 2 degree Celsius drop in temps.

I'm in a smallish cabinet. Almost any measurable decrease in cab temps is good for me. But mainly, I'm thinking of adding a second bulb to my current 250w HPS (it's a 250w MH for veg). With my current cooling arrangement (SuperSun 2 hood with 6" air cooling) I might be able to add a 250w CMH and still be ok temp-wise. Or, I do have additional cooling capacity partially installed in my cab. I could possibly add a 400w CMH to go along with my 250w HPS if I finished the cooling upgrades.

With the current cooling, I'd be afraid to try doubling my 250w HPS and still keep the spread between the temp outside the cabinet and the canopy within 2-4 degrees F. If the spread gets more than that I have to start running my central A/C more than I normally would. If sleeper's CMH lamps are cooler enough to create about 3 deg F difference in his room temps, it would not surprise me if the difference could really matter in my 6 square foot, 30 cubic foot cab [shrug].

I try and mostly succeed at keeping my lights-on canopy temps at or below 80F. Granted, 80F is a somewhat arbitrary goal. Nonetheless, I care about the last few degrees. If only I could borrow a few different ballasts/lamps for a few days and try out different arrangements in my space. I'd test the hell out of everything until figured out what the difference would really be for my particular setup. I find it difficult to apply others' experience and impressions about temperature to MY setup. There are so many variables.

Hi There,
My name is DeDe.
My Mother and Sister, within 2 months of each other, were diagniosed
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400 watts is the highest the bulb goes right now. Phillips holds the paten for 600 and 1000 watt but has not released a product yet.

Ive seen a car run on solar. also check out Tesla Motors.

I knew someone that had an ev1.

Also, heard one of the first cars ran on peanut oil. The rest of the car was made out of hemp plastic.

HashPlant said:

I doubt henry ford was trying to make a disambiguation between diesel and gasoline when he made that statement, i think what the statement is meant to convey is petroleum products.

Hybrids still run on gas, or do you know otherwise?

Do you know anyone who owns an electric car?

Solar? Lol.

Despite the advantage of having all the information up to this date in history, you got it so wrong!

Henry Ford said this 100 years ago, and he's still very right. Maybe that will change, but what enormous standard are you holding him to? I mean 100 years!

Henry Ford appears a very intelligent man, as do the many experts on this forum who continually give out advise for the benefit of others. Perhaps you should listen sometime instead of reinventing the wheel, or at least consider that someone who's done this 100's of times probably can tell you more than a spectral intensity curve. I suppose henry ford would have told you to know your role.

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don't laugh about solar. it's the future -- not that i know why this is in the CMH thread ...

do you have a link where i get get the bulb for 50$ ? i can only find it at random websites for like 100

thanx for the info , was just wandering which blub next mine a couple years old and need replacing.

Just wondering, so whats the definitive answer. CMH is better for vegging, but not better than HPS is for flowering? But it runs colder?

So if you have proper ventilation, it looks like with those facts, HPS is still the way to go?

kindprincess said:

sure will

i'm just looking for some pre-emptive feedback... i don't want to go into this blind, as the bulbs cost 100$ each...

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400 Watt ED18 Philips Metal Halide HPS-Retro White

50 bucks