By selecting a quality brand in the first place, that worry is eliminated. A good digital can be expected to last as long as or longer than a magnetic, with NO replacing capacitors, etc.
Magnetic ballasts hum, they're slow to start, they can't be dimmed, they use more power, and they screw up the power factor. The slightly increased initial cost for a quality digital over a magnetic is totally worth it, because it's a fixed cost that will recoup itself in no time, vs the magnetic which will cost more (higher power usage) throughout its life. When you do the math, it's a no-brainer: get a digital unless you are on a shoestring budget and absolutely can't afford it. For larger grows, digital all the way.
^ I haven't measured (only have one magnetic which is a backup) but I am quite certain there is a decrease. I'm running 2400 watts (two 1K Lumateks on "super lumens" mode) on a single 120V 20 amp circuit if that tells you anything.
i'm sorry but i still don't get it...so basically electric and digital are the same but digitals have a programmed chip that controls the features (meaning soft starts and sensing old bulbs and junk, variable wattages), and the electronic ballasts use electric components to achieve some limited features(like a basic soft start and the ability to change from hps to mh)? is that about right? the power coming from them is achieved through the same means, but the ability to replace almost all of the electronic components with a single chip that can do infinitely more gives you more space to work with and more room to program fancy high end features?
but say i didn't want any fancy features, i just wanted something that a plug goes in, and a plug goes out, it runs both main bulbs and has a soft start...basically bare bones right...in theory if you found a cheep digital that only have those two features...and a cheep electronic with those two features...the power that they produce and consume is the same between the two right? the only difference is one has a few features controlled by big physical electric components and the newer digital has a few features controlled by a small chip, that in theory has all those little components of the electronic, just shrunk down as a chip?
i guess what i am trying to ask is, as far as the light is concerned they are the same, the only differences is in how the special features are run? the basic meat of both of them are the same right? and the waves they create are those square shaped ones and not the wavy ones? ug i'm so confused and i'm certain they do that on purpose...
Rives, do you think you could successfully run two 1kW plus a 400 watt magnetic ballast all on the same 20 amp, 120V circuit? That's how many watts I am putting out with my two Lumatek ballasts at 1200W each (Super Lumens mode) both running on the same circuit.
Rives, do you think you could successfully run two 1kW plus a 400 watt magnetic ballast all on the same 20 amp, 120V circuit? That's how many watts I am putting out with my two Lumatek ballasts at 1200W each (Super Lumens mode) both running on the same circuit.
if those ballasts are in fact running at 1200W each (2400/120=20 amps) very dangerous to run at 100% duty. I would guess there not putting out 1200w each.