lumatek 400v 600w ballasts?

[yts farmer]

hello guys just seen a growshop nearby has these lumatek 400v ballasts and was wondering if anybody here is using them?

got a 1200x2400 tent and wanted to add another 600w system to take me up to 1800w for this winter.

been out of the game for couple years and know now that gavita lights are the dogs danglies but are on the pricey side of 300 quid plus for a 600w system.

the lumatek kit that i saw was only like 129 quid and that was for a 600w(400v) ballast a lumatek 600w(400v) bulb and a cheap euro reflector and on the surface of it that seems like a bargain.

anyone have any comments either positive or negative regarding these lumatek ballasts i would like to hear.

peace.

 

[Bush Dr]

Expect to get through a lot of lamps

BTW 440 volts WILL kill you, whereas 240 usually just burns

 

[mowood3479]

Where r u going to get 400v power from?

 

[yts farmer]

thanks for the replies guys.

@Bush Dr regarding the lamps, are you saying the lumatek 400v lamps are not up to scratch or is it the ballasts that arnt up to par?

have you had any experience yourself with this particular equipment or can you point me in the direction of a thread relating to the topic. did a search before posting and nothing regarding the lumateks but plenty of info on the gavitas.

@mowood3479 the ballast runs on 240v from standard socket but the magic happens inside the ballast according to the marketing and theres something inside that upscales the incoming current to get the desired output.

thanks again.

 

[sal opette]

Where r u going to get 400v power from?

These are 240V input, they output 400V - the bulbs are industrial 400V ones used in the newish Gavita or E-Papillon like YTS says.

 

[Bush Dr]

The 400 volts causes the internals to vibrate at very high frequency and the lamps break up internally which is a bastard to track down

All brands of lamp and ballast do this

 

[yts farmer]

@Bush Dr thanks for your input,much appreciated.

 

[hazyfontazy]

The 400 volts causes the internals to vibrate at very high frequency and the lamps break up internally which is a bastard to track down

All brands of lamp and ballast do this

are you sure ?

 

[vostok]

400v is that 400 volts ..you mean 240 volts AC we hope ....lol

either way go digital, less heat,
lighter, many you can dial down
or even go Mh/hps at the flick of a switch

 

[theherbalizor]

Well that is crap about 400v bulbs and ballasts will break up. This is what 3 phase agro industry have been using for years.

I have been using gavita 400v system for the last 3 years and got 3 years out of 2 bulbs. Just replaced those bulbs this past grow.

These lumis are not quite as good as a gavita but I have one of these lumi systems in a grow and it's performing well. And at that price you have been quoted' it's £50 cheaper then about everywhere else. So I say go for it!

And yes these ballasts take 220-240v in, run thru a step up transformer and output 400v to drive the bulb. This results in much higher PAR meaning better yeild.

 

[yts farmer]

@theherbalizor thanks for taking the time man much appreciated.

if you say go for it then thats good enough for me.

peace.

 

[hazyfontazy]

Well that is crap about 400v bulbs and ballasts will break up. This is what 3 phase agro industry have been using for years.

I have been using gavita 400v system for the last 3 years and got 3 years out of 2 bulbs. Just replaced those bulbs this past grow.

These lumis are not quite as good as a gavita but I have one of these lumi systems in a grow and it's performing well. And at that price you have been quoted' it's £50 cheaper then about everywhere else. So I say go for it!

And yes these ballasts take 220-240v in, run thru a step up transformer and output 400v to drive the bulb. This results in much higher PAR meaning better yeild.

running at 400v uses less amps too, cutting down costs

 

[KTF19XX]

Well that is crap about 400v bulbs and ballasts will break up. This is what 3 phase agro industry have been using for years.

I have been using gavita 400v system for the last 3 years and got 3 years out of 2 bulbs. Just replaced those bulbs this past grow.

These lumis are not quite as good as a gavita but I have one of these lumi systems in a grow and it's performing well. And at that price you have been quoted' it's £50 cheaper then about everywhere else. So I say go for it!

And yes these ballasts take 220-240v in, run thru a step up transformer and output 400v to drive the bulb. This results in much higher PAR meaning better yeild.

Beat me to it.

 

[Bush Dr]

Who said anything about ballasts, it's the lamp internals where the failure occurs

Same lamps for 3 yrs?

I only sell the fucking things, lots of lamp business coming my way then

 

[hazyfontazy]

I only sell the fucking things,

so you admit to selling crap products

 

[zooty]

running at 400v uses less amps too, cutting down costs

How many less amps do they use?

 

[Gardening Angel]

Hey everyone

I've been running one of these ballasts for about 6 months
I find the light output is better

The only downside I found it interferes with my ec/ppm meter when useing it close to the ballast

Thanks
GA

 

[yts farmer]

hi maybe a silly question but do they put out any more heat than a standard 600w bulb powered by a mag/digital ballast?

thanks in advance.

peace.

 

[hazyfontazy]

How many less amps do they use?

depends on make but only about .5 on the 600 ,,over a year that mounts up

 

[KTF19XX]

Who said anything about ballasts, it's the lamp internals where the failure occurs

Same lamps for 3 yrs?

I only sell the fucking things, lots of lamp business coming my way then

How many faulty 400v Philips Greenpower bulbs have you had returned since you've been selling them? Or even the Gavita branded ones?

Had my pro 1000 de bulb running for over a year now and still no noticeable change. However as rule of thumb I will be changing it after this grow.

From my knowledge the double ended 400v lamps deteriorate at about 5% a year so even after 3-4 crops the bulb should still be adequate for a decent enough return.