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Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH)

GreenThumb14

GreenThumb14

Member
fungzyme said:
I'm wondering where you purchased this? Can't find anyone online who offers these. Or if you're in the states, do you think I can just
have a local lighting supply shop order me one?
Click to expand...

I ordered it directly from Accendo... They're really a pain in the ass to deal with, though. Took me nearly 2 weeks to get someone there to actually take my order. Once they took it and I paid them they shipped it right away but I paid like $45 for customs since they are in Canada and $25 for UPS ground.

Once I got in touch with Rhonda everything went much quicker...
[email protected]


Their highest wattage low-frequency ballast for CMH bulbs is 250W and it cost $212.

Hope that helps!
 
F

fungzyme

Active member
Thanks GT14 - that's exactly what I was looking for (even if not exactly what I was hoping to hear...) ;)

What with cost plus customs plus shipping, one of the 315w setups is looking more appealing right about now. Plus I believe they're dimmable. Hmmm.
 
GreenThumb14

GreenThumb14

Member
I don't think you could run a 315W bulb on it. You'd either be over powering it or under powering it.
I came across that website before but the picture of what they're trying to sell looks very confusing. I'm not sure if it's a parabolic microphone, a UFO, or a modified GE ballast...?
 
Azeotrope

Azeotrope

Well-known member
Veteran
Hey all..... Just thought that I'd throw down on the Philips Retro-White specifically. I know the folks at Seattle Hydro. They are very smart on this stuff and have reported to me that the UltraMax digital ballast really does not fair well with the RetroWhites and that the retrowhite may not fair well with digitals designed for the CMH bulbs. The fact is that the RetroWhite was designed as a conversion bulb and spec'd for the ignitor type and timing of an HPS ballast.

The digital CMH ballasts are generally designed for the Pulse Start CMH bulbs.

Don't quote me as saying that you can't get away with it, but I actually tried to order one of the GE ultramax ballasts and secified that I would be using the RetroWhite and they wouldn't sell me one knowing that. They have have several of those ballasts take a dump while running that bulb. Also, last I looked, GE has discontinued that ballast line. I would suspect that the CDMs are killing that market a little.

Best of luck to all.
 
U

unthing

i feel kind of dumb, but going through my stuff i found 250w retrowhite i bought couple years ago, had forgotten about it..initially the rattling stuff on the base and that it wouldn't fire up instantly made me believe it was broken and i never made reclamation. well just reading some stuff from the beginning of this thread made me try it again and what you know it works! bit odd since it was the same ballast than last time(traditional mag ballast). but anyways since it works i'll be using it until those cdm elite prices drop a bit (i hope).
 
Last edited:
GreenThumb14

GreenThumb14

Member
I sent Accendo the spec sheet for the retro white and they had nothing negative to say about powering it with their digital ballast... Hoping I don't have any issues like you mentioned, Azeo.

I thought that was an Ultramax ballast from Seattle Hydro. GE offers a line of CMH's that should work fine with that ballast, right?
 
Azeotrope

Azeotrope

Well-known member
Veteran
Yeah that is a GE Ultramax pictured on their website. Most of the GE and Philips standard CMH bulbs of matching wattage are fine with them. Although, I have looked and cannot find the Ultramax. Seems they have been dicontinued. They were some of the first out.

Thinking Accendo, GEL and others are the way to go now.
 
GreenThumb14

GreenThumb14

Member
We'll see about Accendo... My Retro White bulb should be arriving today.

** or maybe not... to hell with the post office!! Package was shipped from 90 miles away and it's been 4 days lol
 
F

fungzyme

Active member
PGZ18 Sockets

Just looking around for the various components of a theoretical 315w system, and the only
pgz18 sockets I can find are from lightingsupply.com (as someone mentioned in this thread)
But their description mentions 'socket w/ 18" leads' and what is pictured looks like a pgz18 to mogul adaptor:

http://www.lightingsupply.com/smhk577a.aspx

Which I could certainly use (might actually make the bulb more centered)...
Just wondering if maybe they've got the wrong picture up (?). Has anyone ordered this from them recently and got a socket with wire leads?

Only 4200K bulb I see in stock is at bulbamerica and it's a T12, which should be fine with a pgz18 (as long as it's not the old design socket, right?)

Good thing I'm just conceptualizing at this point - definitely not plug-and-play!
 
F

fungzyme

Active member
GreenThumb14 said:
Call them?
Click to expand...

Instead of fishing around fruitlessly all afternoon on the Internet?
What are you, some kind of efficiency expert??? :biggrin:

Yeah, I contacted someone there and it took a while but they confirmed that the socket they offer does come with 18" leads, so that picture is not representative of what you're buying.
 
GreenThumb14

GreenThumb14

Member
fungzyme said:
Instead of fishing around fruitlessly all afternoon on the Internet?
What are you, some kind of efficiency expert??? :biggrin:

Yeah, I contacted someone there and it took a while but they confirmed that the socket they offer does come with 18" leads, so that picture is not representative of what you're buying.
Click to expand...

I've spent countless hours and days researching and sourcing these parts and found that the easiest thing is to call them up. I don't think I ever found that socket on that website before, though. Just goes to show how much I know!
 
rives

rives

Inveterate Tinkerer
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Fungzyme, Azeotrope can jump in here, I think that he is the one that sourced the sockets from lightingsupply. I believe that they are Mitronix sockets, and I bought 10 of them direct from Mitronix (minimum order). I am currently waiting on them for a reply about the design change.

http://lighting.mitronix.com/item/metal-halide-lampholders/metal-halide/k577a?

The only other manufacturers that I could find were in Germany and Italy, and they wanted you to buy a truckload of the damn things.
 
silverhazefiend

silverhazefiend

"Aint no love in the heart of the city"
Veteran
Can't I just buy a cheapo magnetic ballast for hps and a 400 watt cmh bulb ?

Im lazy and I don't wanna build anything just plug and go ..

Htg supply has a system with ge bulb for 180$ but they have regular 400 watt hps systems for 120$ ...the only diff I see is the 65 dollar ge bulb ..how much do cmh bulbs go for ?
Also I rock 600s and it gets hot ..everybody says the 400 is way cooler and the 400 cmh is even cooler than that ..this is just a experiment for a lil space I have ..4x2 tent
 
Azeotrope

Azeotrope

Well-known member
Veteran
Fungzyme - Sorry if I am late to the party! LOL Long and busy week at work. I ordered one PGZ18 from lightingsupply.com and it is not as pictured. It was the Mitronix and at the time (couple months ago) it was the "old style" pgz18 from Mitronix that only fits the CDMs that were made 2011 and prior and the newer "open rated".

They should have new stock from Mitronix by now that will fit everything in the 210w/315w line-up. Minimum $25.00 order so I ordered some CFLs for the house at the same time.....

That is the best price you will find. They can be had from depotlighting.com as well, but they charged me a $15.00 low order charge so I paid $40.00 total through them.

Good Luck!
 
GreenThumb14

GreenThumb14

Member
Can anyone give me advice on light traveling from one reflector to another through the duct work? I'm running 2 separate grow chambers in my cab, one for veg and one for flower. I'm worried about light from the veg side making it's way through the short amount of vent to the flower reflector and bothering those plants when that light is off... Get what I'm saying?

Not really sure there is much I can do to stop it, as space is pretty tight. Guess it would be better if I posted a picture.
 
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