How to block RF interference from my digital ballast?

Mr.Bloombastic

Mr.Bloombastic

Well-Known Member
I have a digital ballast by quantum and its messing with my fan Growzone multimode fan speed control so when the lights on, it doesnt hold an idle speed like its supposed to and just ramps up and down and comes on full and then off. I can not move it further away than it already is and its 7 feet away. So could I make a lead casing for my ballast and just cover it? Is there a better material? I'm worried it may fuk my fans up coming on and off like that.

Thanks!
Peace
 
Mr.Bloombastic

Mr.Bloombastic

Well-Known Member
Apperantly copper will block rf interference so I will be crafting a full ballast shield out of a thin sheet of copper and mounting it over the ballast. Hope it works!
 
Metasynth

Metasynth

Well-Known Member
Just for shits and giggles...did you TRY aluminum foil? I mean, if you just have some laying around...lol...I doubt it would work, but I'd give it a go if I had some in the cupboard.
 
Mr.Bloombastic

Mr.Bloombastic

Well-Known Member
Well I cant find any copper sheeting of any kind around here so I will give aluminum foil a try until I cant find the proper shielding material. I am considering ordering that copper fabric from the lessemf website if I dont find something soon. So we shall how foil works and I will let you know.
 
sixstring2112

sixstring2112

Well-Known Member
you might find it easier to put the foil on the fan control box instead of the ballast.man i got 8 nextgens running in my room with all kinds of other timers and fan controls,and flat screen tv and i dont see any IR problems,maybe that ballast is going bad?
 
Mr.Bloombastic

Mr.Bloombastic

Well-Known Member
So i wrapped the ballast and fan module wi th alminun foil and it did fuck all. This ballast is brand new and they said quantum has no rf interference so I bought it and the module also said rf wouldnt affect it. I pretty fuckn pissed now and want to take all of it back! The other ballast they have is an Ace dimmable ballast

has anyone actually used copper foil/sheeting or copper fabric to block the rf???

I would think twice about buying a quantum ballast! firstly they lied about the rf and the thing has a buzz to it like a normal ballast so I'm not seeing the benefits of dimmable ballasts. now I cant go to normal ballast cause all my cords are for digital!

Sorry but I'm raging now.
 
SativaMe@420

SativaMe@420

Well-Known Member
You don't have to use copper for a faraday cage (although it works the best), stainless steel mesh works just fine and you can get it at practically any hardware or home improvement store, however you have to ground a faraday cage it or it won't work right, the RF is absorbed by the mesh and then transferred to the earth's electromagnetic field by the ground wire, its actually very simple & cheap to do, check out this DIY tutorial:
(--->CLICK HERE<---)
 
ogkush420

ogkush420

Active Member
i thinkyouhave something elso going on i run a quantum 600 and a quantum 1000 i have no problems with rf thats kinda weird and i was about to say u can make your on faraday cage cery cheap there is all kindsof diy online
 
polyarcturus

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
ALUMINUM FOIL TAPE
Perfect for Small RF Shielding Jobs Scotch Foil Tape 3311 is 2 mil thick aluminum alloy foil with a pressure-sensitive synthetic rubber adhesive and paper liner. The aggressive rubber adhesive sticks well to most surfaces and the paper liner makes for convenient and reliable use. Great for shielding small areas, or wrapping cable. Two inches wide and highly conformable, total thickness is only 3.6 mil. Can be used under all weather conditions. Resists water vapor, odor and smoke transmission. Application/use temperature range: +10°F to +180°F. Each roll is 30 feet long.
Aluminum Foil Tape (Cat#A229) &#8230;...... $4.95/roll
 
polyarcturus

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
i loled once i saw that..... unless you got over 6 or 7 1000w ballasts i dont think you need to go all out about this RF thing..... simple effective RF shields are everywhere. stone and concrete does a pretty good job... im sure some cinder block with in side covered with foil is enough for most electronics, probably x4 1000w ballasts.
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Mr.Bloombastic said:
Well I cant find any copper sheeting of any kind around here so I will give aluminum foil a try until I cant find the proper shielding material. I am considering ordering that copper fabric from the lessemf website if I dont find something soon. So we shall how foil works and I will let you know.
Click to expand...
eBay. I buy the hell out of it to line pickup cavities on guitars to cut 60 cycle interference, especially with single coil pickups. If tinfoil worked musicians would be using it. We don't.
 
miztaj

miztaj

Well-Known Member
I am having the same problem with Rf interference with a 1000 watt dimmable lumatek. Lumatek claims to have the lowest rf emissions. mine completely knocks out my neighbors ATT uverse signal wich is cable,phone and internet. Using the crude A.M. radio test it seems to come more from the output cord and light hood like they are acting as antennas for the RF signal. gonna buy a magnetic and say fuck it for now.
 
OGEvilgenius

OGEvilgenius

Well-Known Member
Mr.Bloombastic said:
So i wrapped the ballast and fan module wi th alminun foil and it did fuck all. This ballast is brand new and they said quantum has no rf interference so I bought it and the module also said rf wouldnt affect it. I pretty fuckn pissed now and want to take all of it back! The other ballast they have is an Ace dimmable ballast

has anyone actually used copper foil/sheeting or copper fabric to block the rf???

I would think twice about buying a quantum ballast! firstly they lied about the rf and the thing has a buzz to it like a normal ballast so I'm not seeing the benefits of dimmable ballasts. now I cant go to normal ballast cause all my cords are for digital!

Sorry but I'm raging now.
Click to expand...
Your ballast might be defective. Mine don't buzz. Take it back.
 
Jason9922

Jason9922

Active Member
Mr.Bloombastic said:
Well I cant find any copper sheeting of any kind around here so I will give aluminum foil a try until I cant find the proper shielding material. I am considering ordering that copper fabric from the lessemf website if I dont find something soon. So we shall how foil works and I will let you know.
Click to expand...
Hi, I was wondering what or if you ever figured out the problem or what you did to take care of it? I'm about to finally put together a room that's going to have two 1k digital dimmable ballast and want to make sure that the RF does not affect any neighbors as stealth is extremely important. Last thing I need is for the cable guy to come knocking because the RF from my ballast in knocking out all the neighbors TV's! lol
 
D

doubleU_420

Member
Mr.Bloombastic said:
Well I cant find any copper sheeting of any kind around here so I will give aluminum foil a try until I cant find the proper shielding material. I am considering ordering that copper fabric from the lessemf website if I dont find something soon. So we shall how foil works and I will let you know.
Click to expand...
Foil works just fine but you will need a lot of it. Google 'booster bag' for more info on how to create a faraday cage from foil. Rule of thumb is that if you put your cell phone in the box / bag and get no signal, then you're good to go.
 
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