Digital Electronic ballasts are today's most advanced grow lighting available for indoor gardeners. Digital Electronic ballasts are small, compact and completely silent. Digital ballasts are able to deliver up to 20% more lumens per HID light bulb and use less energy than standard HID magnetic ballasts. Magnetic grow lights over time become louder and produce less light. Electronic ballasts emit less heat and maintain their efficiency throughout their entire life span.
For hydroponic applications, High Intensity Discharge lights work extremely well. HPS Bulbs and Metal Halide Bulbs produce light that is comparable to sunlight and does this using less energy in a way that prolongs the life of the bulb.
Any type of HID lights used for hydroponic purposes will need a lamp ballast. Ballasts for lamps used in a hydroponic garden come in three types – magnetic, electronic and digital. The most superior of these are the digital ballasts. Lumatek Ballasts and Galaxy Ballasts are the popular digital electronic ballast in the US market today.
The function of a ballast is to control the electrical current flowing through the HID lamp, causing it to operate at a high efficiency. The ballast will ignite the light and keep it on at a regulated voltage. The correct functioning of the lamp is the job of the ballast, controlling the level of voltage into the lamp because full voltage into the lamp would cause it to burst.
Magnetic ballasts are made up of aluminum or copper coils which sit upon a core of steel lamination. These work with a capacitor and sometimes an igniter all built usually into the ballast casing.
Electrical ballasts come with instant start, rapid start or programmed start. The different types available have different levels of energy consumption and offer more reliable starts than each other.
With a digital ballast the current allowed into the system conforms to optimal levels of performance depending on the specific type and wattage of lamp, made possible through its digital circuitry. They also weigh less than magnetic ballasts which would be an important consideration in the greenhouse setting where you might want to hang several lights above your plants. Lamps which use digital ballasts last longer and function at a higher level because of the well-regulated and consistent application of electrical current making the light produced also more consistent.
The superiority of digital ballasts over magnetic ballasts is also obvious when you consider the noise level. The magnetic ballast can be quite noisy especially as they age. This noise causes the light to flicker and may also produce irregularities in the color of light given off by the lamp. On the other hand, digital units run silently and can shut the lamp down when it is almost used up or when it is not functioning properly. They also come in compact designs which allow you to fit more lighting into a small space. Digital ballasts also allow the grow bulb to produce twenty to thirty percent more light while running on the same amount of electricity, saving you money over time.
The safety factor is increased when using digital ballasts with your HID lamps as their circuitry cuts off power in dangerous situations and also the produce very little heat.
Digital ballasts may be used with all metal halide, HPS or high pressure sodium lights.
