What's new
  • Happy Birthday ICMag! Been 20 years since Gypsy Nirvana created the forum! We are celebrating with a 4/20 Giveaway and by launching a new Patreon tier called "420club". You can read more here.
  • Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!

Philips 315w CDM Elite (CMH)

flat9

Member
930 agro with the adapters I just got the in 942 mogul. Dual kelvin runs beginning! Just get halfe set up right now. Plants loving it and like the spectrum its putting off. Sucks having different strains some times cause of the stretch.
[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=58926&pictureid=1383354&thumb=1]View Image[/url] [URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=58925&pictureid=1383355&thumb=1]View Image[/url] [URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=58925&pictureid=1383357&thumb=1]View Image[/url] [URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=58925&pictureid=1383358&thumb=1]View Image[/url]

How many girls per light? They look happy...
 

rives

Inveterate Tinkerer
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Can someone explain to me why you'd bother purchasing these components (fixture for newer socket, bulb, ballast) separately from all of these links rives listed rather than just going to advancedtech and buying a mogul version that fits your existing gear? This is not an advancedtech advertisement. Just seems like for 220 USD the combo pack is hard to beat, unless I'm missing something. Hang a couple of those vert and call it a day...

The mogul lamp is only available in the single 4k version, where with the PGZ's have a variety of lamps to pick from. That may not appeal to some, but there are people who swear by 4k all the way through.

The PGZ base arrangement is a significant design improvement over the mogul. It indexes the lamp accurately, it's impossible for the lamp to be under- or over-tightened and the lamp cannot weld or seize to the socket. However, the Edison base has worked pretty damn well for over 100 years.
 

Ericos

Member
How many girls per light? They look happy...

I do sog on multiple 2x4 tables so I can do multiple cycles, right now there are 15 in 2 gal Grow bags in some tabels and 18 in 1 gal grow bags in others. I have more info on the coco forums. With the current set going by fixture size it's roughly 10 per light. That side will have 75 total on 5 tables under 2520 watts of cmh, comparable to 4 600w hps's I would normally have but much cooler temps even going open.

Goal is 1 gpw with would be roughly 504g per table.

The reason I've done the switch to these was not for elec savings but for the par/umol values and UV output. After trying the 942 mogul for a week I was sold on cmh!

To give some insight on why not just the 942 mogul and gear only well because its great for all cycles, but in flower its lacking some on the red Nm wavelength but great for UV output so you should see more resin production. The 930 agro as many have discussed have a particularly enhanced red Nm which I felt helped more with bulking better flower production even though it lacks Iva and uvb. So the combination of the two should be a formidable pair and both have literally almost no uvc ;)
 
Anyone got some links to some grow journals that really showcase what these 315w lights can do? I've probably searched a dozen different keyword combinations on google and read every journal twice, but you never know i might have missed a good one.
 

rives

Inveterate Tinkerer
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
FW, be aware that the relay may not last too long. It is a general purpose relay and doesn't have a detailed contact rating in the spec sheet, so the 10a rating undoubtedly refers to a resistive load. Capacitive loads (digital ballasts) are much harder on the contacts, and the rating for that and inductive loads (magnetic ballasts) will be a fraction of the resistive rating.

The relay that I recommend for ballasts is this one - http://www.automationdirect.com/adc/Shopping/Catalog/Relays_-z-_Timers/Electro-Mechanical_Relays/Power_Relays,_Open-Style,_40A_%28AD-PR40_Series%29/AD-PR40-2C-120A
 
FW, be aware that the relay may not last too long. It is a general purpose relay and doesn't have a detailed contact rating in the spec sheet, so the 10a rating undoubtedly refers to a resistive load. Capacitive loads (digital ballasts) are much harder on the contacts, and the rating for that and inductive loads (magnetic ballasts) will be a fraction of the resistive rating.

The relay that I recommend for ballasts is this one - http://www.automationdirect.com/adc/Shopping/Catalog/Relays_-z-_Timers/Electro-Mechanical_Relays/Power_Relays,_Open-Style,_40A_%28AD-PR40_Series%29/AD-PR40-2C-120A
Thanks for the heads up.
I shall keep an eye on it and will also save the link you provided.
MUCH appreciated !
 

drakore

New member
Is there a lower rated relay I can get that is cheaper? I am running 2 Wellthink ballasts at 120V on one 15A circuit. I have 4 total but split them between two circuits.
 

rives

Inveterate Tinkerer
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
That is actually an excellent price for a power relay. The ice cube relays require a separate base so there isn't much difference in cost when you total up everything that is needed. They do have some single-throw relays that are a couple of dollars cheaper, but aren't quite as versatile.

Also, the double pole configuration would allow you to switch (2) 120v circuits at once.
 

Jhhnn

Active member
Veteran
FW, be aware that the relay may not last too long. It is a general purpose relay and doesn't have a detailed contact rating in the spec sheet, so the 10a rating undoubtedly refers to a resistive load. Capacitive loads (digital ballasts) are much harder on the contacts, and the rating for that and inductive loads (magnetic ballasts) will be a fraction of the resistive rating.

The relay that I recommend for ballasts is this one - http://www.automationdirect.com/adc...n-Style,_40A_(AD-PR40_Series)/AD-PR40-2C-120A

He should be alright with a single 315, I think. IDEC is really good hardware, in general. We had a lot of it in my former line of work, transit vehicles, and not a lot of it failed, ever. Where we could, we spec'ed IDEC as replacements for cheaper OEM hardware. He may not get the rated life expectancy which is probably 50,000 cycles plus. That'd be once a day for 137 years.

The series you recommend is excellent in any event. I use one myself at 1000w, 240v, thanks to you pointing it out. It loafs at that load.
 

drakore

New member
That is actually an excellent price for a power relay. The ice cube relays require a separate base so there isn't much difference in cost when you total up everything that is needed. They do have some single-throw relays that are a couple of dollars cheaper, but aren't quite as versatile.

Also, the double pole configuration would allow you to switch (2) 120v circuits at once.

Thanks for the advice. I just ordered went ahead and ordered one of the ones you linked.
 

xekki

New member
just got my 2nd 315w advanced tech kit in

hooked em both up to my Trigear 750w SUSD transformer and it works fine with one, but if i try to run both the fuses
pop what am i doing wrong?

I'm using a 3 way splitter to attach them both to the transformer, should i attach both ballasts to the same cable that plugs into the transformer?
 

rives

Inveterate Tinkerer
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Each loaded ballast is going to pull 342 watts, so you don't have much headroom for the start-up inrush. The blurb on Amazon for that transformer recommends them to be over-sized by 50-100%. Assuming that both work individually, then you might try a slower reacting fuse.
 

Jhhnn

Active member
Veteran
just got my 2nd 315w advanced tech kit in

hooked em both up to my Trigear 750w SUSD transformer and it works fine with one, but if i try to run both the fuses
pop what am i doing wrong?

I'm using a 3 way splitter to attach them both to the transformer, should i attach both ballasts to the same cable that plugs into the transformer?

This transformer?

http://www.amazon.com/TriGear-750W-...422930497&sr=8-1&keywords=trigear+transformer

From the instructions down the page-

It's recommended that your voltage transformer's wattage be 50-100% greater than your appliance's wattage. Items such as TVs, power tools, and microwave ovens require up to 3 times the wattage displayed.

It's only big enough for one ballast, not two.
 

xekki

New member
Makes sense thank you, was going off of advanced tech lightings suggestion of "2x 315w = 750w susd" as shown in the images on the product description page.
 

Jhhnn

Active member
Veteran
Makes sense thank you, was going off of advanced tech lightings suggestion of "2x 315w = 750w susd" as shown in the images on the product description page.

So tell him about your experience, link him up to the info. I'm sure he wants to put out the right information.
 

rives

Inveterate Tinkerer
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
As I said up above, try a slower fuse. Fuses come in many different ratings - very fast ones to protect electronics, very slow ones for high inertia loads, and many steps in between. The duration of the spike on a ballast start-up is very quick, and transformers are not going to blow up from a short duration overload. If the voltage sags enough for the lights to have a hard time starting, then you should be able to see the difference in the starting response.

It also might be worthwhile to try staggering the startup on them - plug one in after the other is up and running and see if it is just the combined inrush that is causing the problem.
 
Last edited:
Top