I just got through reading an article in a well known gardening magazine that was quite shocking. EYE Hortilux, one of the industry leaders in HID bulb manufacturing, just posted the results of very extensive testing of almost every brand of HID bulb being driven by the newer digital/electronic ballasts that have been so popular in recent years. (FYI, the touted benefits of digital/electronic ballasts are that they are smaller, lighter, and run cooler than the old magnetic pulse type ballasts).
The results of their study showed that the high Hertz rate at which digital ballasts run (20,000 Hz Digital vs. 60 Hz Magnetic) causes ultrasonic sound waves which cause the arc within the gasses of the bulb to flicker and swirl. Not only does this cause the bulb to fire at a reduced rate, it also shortens the bulb's life...drastically in some cases. Numerous reports of burnouts in 3 months or less (1 - 1.5 is normal) were what caused Hortilux to look into the matter and eventually conduct their study. It's actually very respectable of them to have conducted this study and to post their results as it will surely have a major impact on their sales when word gets out.
This will more than likely have a major impact on the industry, both for bulb and ballast manufacturers alike. Hortilux even went as far as to say that one of their competitors, Sun Pulse, manufactures the only line of MH bulbs that are compatible with digital/electronic ballasts. As for the rest of the manufacturers, they said that they will either have to completely redesign their bulbs or users will have to go back to magnetic ballasts. As the latter would be a big step backward for the industry, the former seems most likely. Hortilux also said that as far as HPS (High Pressure Sodium) bulbs, "There is no HPS bulb compatible with electronic/digital ballasts, nor can one be made."
This is one more blow to the jaw for HID lighting in the reefing and horticultural worlds and it seems almost certain that T5, and especially LED lighting, are poised to completely take over in both arenas.
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