Digital Ballest suck!!!

PeachOibleBoiblePeach#1 · Mar 25, 2011

I'm going back to the tried and true. My 600 watt Lumitek blew up this was my second one,,,after they shipped me a new one it worked for about a month and a half and blew up i could smell the insides burning,,,I'm so Pissed off!!! Fuck didgital Ballest's!!!!!!

intensive · Mar 25, 2011

mines worked great for 8 months.....dunno man?

Cereall · Mar 25, 2011

yeah no issues here either when i had them... lumateks 18 months and nextgens 14 months no issues

You sure you have clean power and no surges?

PeachOibleBoiblePeach#1 · Mar 25, 2011

I don't know man,,,Maybe it did have a surge or something but I'm running a 400 watt magnetic next to it it still works,,,I'm just going to get a 1000watt NON-digital from now on. I'm really pissed off now in week 3 of flower and only left with a 400 watter for 8-plant's damn,,,Plus it's going to be about a week tiill I get the other one. Just a huge rant I guess But I will Never get a lumitek again!!!

Serapis · Mar 25, 2011

Are you pulling power through an extension cord? What rating?

hellraizer30 · Mar 25, 2011

PeachOibleBoiblePeach#1 said:
I'm going back to the tried and true. My 600 watt Lumitek blew up this was my second one,,,after they shipped me a new one it worked for about a month and a half and blew up i could smell the insides burning,,,I'm so Pissed off!!! Fuck didgital Ballest's!!!!!!

well it seem you have discovered what I did a long time ago!! they do suck and the hole overdrive/ less heat = less electric usesage is BS
Ive got a buddy that thought yah these are cool and wouldnt listen to me at all, bought like 6 1000s and not even 6 months went by and
hes gone through 3 of them! and after a year all of them have been replaced, and his warranty is up so its goig to cost to fix them now.

also they put off a bad RFI SIGNAL THAT FUCKS UP DIGITAL TV SIGNAL AND RADIO/CELL RECEPTION creepy

PeachOibleBoiblePeach#1 · Mar 25, 2011

Serapis said:
Are you pulling power through an extension cord? What rating?

No directly into the timer,,,and it's rated 1750 watt's or something.

Cereall · Mar 25, 2011

yeah get a few magnetics, might work a little better for your situation?

Or try a different brand like NextGen, even though you are awaiting a warranty replacement... try to sell that one on craigslist or eBay and order a new one?

Serapis · Mar 25, 2011

I've heard mixed things about digital ballasts.... I have one, and it works great so far, almost a year in service. I think it is a no name, something HTG threw in with a deal package.

PeachOibleBoiblePeach#1 said:
No directly into the timer,,,and it's rated 1750 watt's or something.

racerboy71 · Mar 25, 2011

yah, i've never been a very big fan of the lumatek digi's to begin with.. i have a galaxy 400 watt dimeable, and have been running it for a couple of months, and have yet to have an issue, knock on wood..

PeachOibleBoiblePeach#1 · Mar 25, 2011

Yea,,definatly going old school from now on,,,But that adds another 300 bucks,,,lost productivity and about 4-bulbs that i can no longer use since I'm stepping up. I cant's speak for all digital's but Lumitcks are pretty much suck big time. Never had a problem with the magnetic.

Carlos24 · Mar 25, 2011

lumatek 600 watts suck...go with quantum ballast or phantom

Jack Larson · Mar 25, 2011

bulbs made in the U.S. + ballasts made in Japan = smoking piece of shit !! untill the two start working together , go with what you know works. IMO.

hellraizer30 · Mar 25, 2011

Jack Larson said:
bulbs made in the U.S. + ballasts made in Japan = smoking piece of shit !! untill the two start working together , go with what you know works. IMO.

I secound that!!

PeachOibleBoiblePeach#1 · Mar 25, 2011

Yea I ordered a sunleave's 1000 Watter,,,and a Eye...I will let you know the outcome good people..Maybe it will get better or worse :leaf:

PeachOibleBoiblePeach#1 · Mar 25, 2011

Jack Larson said:
bulbs made in the U.S. + ballasts made in Japan = smoking piece of shit !! untill the two start working together , go with what you know works. IMO.

I really did not think a Bulb could blow my Ballest? The bulbs are fine.

hellraizer30 · Mar 25, 2011

PeachOibleBoiblePeach#1 said:
Yea I ordered a sunleave's 1000 Watter,,,and a Eye...I will let you know the outcome good people..Maybe it will get better or worse[/QUOTa mag ballast and a eye will kick ass and last a long time

PeachOibleBoiblePeach#1 · Mar 25, 2011

Thanks hellraizer30...

Jack Larson · Mar 25, 2011

PeachOibleBoiblePeach#1 said:
I really did not think a Bulb could blow my Ballest? The bulbs are fine.

A traditional core and coil ballast runs at 60 hertz, a digital ballast runs at 20,000 herts the diferance causes a condition called acoustic resonance . or an unstable arc. in traditional bulbs , this means the bulb is actualy going on and off so many times per second that you can't see it with the naked eye .inturn this makes the ballast work harder trying to ignite gasses that have allready been ignited.thats how a bulb can burn out a ballast.While the bulb will look just fine , but I would not use that bulb again

dankasaurusrex · Mar 25, 2011

I use the NextGen 400/600 ballasts. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of six grows on one of them and just added another. I have a GE bulb in one and a Digilux one in the other. Never had experience with a Lumatek, but have heard people say they rock and have heard others say they suck...not much in between. However, I would bet you are suffering from electricity surges. I work with computers for a living and can tell you it's a pretty common problem with electronics. I use a very high end surge protector (it's for server computing and probably way overkill, but it's what I had...so I went with it) and I honestly think I'd probably have less success if I weren't using it. What I use is a more industrial version of this:

http://www.barcodegiant.com/apc/part-le1200.htm?az

Might want to give it a try. Hope this helps! Blown ballasts really suck.

Digital Ballest suck!!!

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