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10/23/2006, 03:04 PM
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#1 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Shoreline,Washington
Posts: 4,518
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magnetic or electronic?
I am thinking of getting a MH retrofit kit and was wondering what type of ballast you guys recomend I get magnetic or electronic ballast and what the pros and cons of the two are. thanks in advance
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The name's Luis. :) Current Tank Info: 50G cube |
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10/23/2006, 08:03 PM
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#2 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Pho 54, SoCal
Posts: 3,066
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Magnetic is generally cheaper and possibly has the ability to overdrive the bulb, if you purchase a HQI ballast. Electronic is more energy efficient, produces less noise and heat. The life of a magnetic ballast will supposedly last longer (10+ years).
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10/23/2006, 08:11 PM
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#3 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Sunrise Fl.
Posts: 273
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Pochie im a little lost. what does it mean to "overdrive the bulb"?
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10/23/2006, 08:26 PM
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#4 |
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RC Mod
 Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Mountain View, CA, USA
Posts: 88,616
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A ballast can "overdrive" a bulb by allowing more current to flow through it than was intended by the designer. If the bulb and the ballast match, that's not an issue, but some people (including me) intentionally overdrive bulbs for various reasons.
Electronic ballasts aren't necessarily more efficient. This site has a lot of data: http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/
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Jonathan Bertoni |
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10/25/2006, 04:31 PM
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#5 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Shoreline,Washington
Posts: 4,518
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thanks for the info guys
__________________
The name's Luis. :) Current Tank Info: 50G cube |
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