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chris.rogers 
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 Topic: T5 ballast selection
Posted: April 01 2008 at 1:48pm |
Icecap? Workhorse? Other?
Suggestions?
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Ils sont fous, ces Romains!
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jonafriendj
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Posted: April 01 2008 at 2:39pm |
I like the hagen glo ballast (got mine at aquatica) because you don't have to wire anything yourself. They have built in waterproof endcaps and everything. I don't mind wiring things, but I don't like the whole, I don't have a license/insurance if there is a problem idea. They look nice too 
I've heard no so great things about workhorse although it seems a lot of people use them, I assume due to their price.
If you want to wire up something yourself, I'd go with the Icecaps!
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Pleasant Grove
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superman1981
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Posted: April 01 2008 at 2:56pm |
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I believe mine is the Hagen, and I like it too... My only issue, is that even though it comes with waterproof endcaps, still about once a month I end up wiggling the bulbs around because the connections get dirty... it concerns me a little.
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Sure you are, you are Crappy Reef Club Member #1 -Chk4tix 6 gal nanocube 65 gal build thread
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jfinch
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Posted: April 01 2008 at 3:09pm |
I'd likely use one of the Workhorse ballasts.
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chris.rogers
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Posted: April 01 2008 at 4:06pm |
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Advance ballasts? Story on them?
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Ils sont fous, ces Romains!
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firefighter6681
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Posted: April 01 2008 at 5:21pm |
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I have used Icecap Ballast for the past 9 years and would have to say they are a great ballast. I have never used workhorse though and could not judge them. I have used Advance though in the pet stores I worked at and they did fine for the price. But like with most things you get what you pay for.
Best of luck with finding what you need
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65 Gallon and just getting started again after over year break.
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Corey Price
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Posted: April 02 2008 at 6:01pm |
Alright, as I understand it, Workhorse ballasts are instant start.
Advance ballasts are program start.
Program start ballasts supposedly extend your bulb life since they start the bulb slower than the instant start.
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jfinch
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Posted: April 02 2008 at 7:52pm |
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I've never heard of program start??? Do you mean rapid start? As far as I know there are only two types of ballasts. Instant Start and Rapid Start. Workhorse ballasts are indeed Instant Start and they do reduce lamp life because they burn out the electrodes quicker then rapid start. Rapid start keep a small amount of current flowing through the lamp electrodes all the time (even when it's off) which wastes energy ($$$). But who cares about shortened lamp life. So what if I only get 5000 starts out of a lamp rather then 10000? I'm going to be changing out bulbs after about 365 starts anyway due to loss of intensity and spectral shift. And both ballasts perform similar with regard to that. How many lamps do you run until they won't start anymore?
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Corey Price
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Posted: April 02 2008 at 7:58pm |
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Nope, program start is just that- programmable according to an electrical engineer Travis N. and I spoke with. It starts the bulb slower.
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jfinch
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Posted: April 02 2008 at 11:46pm |
http://www.advancetransformer.com/uploads/resources/EL-2160-R01.pdfI think the "programmed" part might be more Madison Ave then Patent Office. They're refered to as Programmed Rapid Start ballasts. Regardless, I think we all change out lamps in our tanks much sooner then the ones in your ceiling so the starting technique is of little importance. Just my opinion.
Edited by jfinch - April 02 2008 at 11:46pm
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Corey Price
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Posted: April 03 2008 at 10:29am |
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Maybe it is. I thought the idea behind T5 was that it is more efficient and has a longer bulb life, with less spectral shift over time.
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chris.rogers
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Posted: April 03 2008 at 12:27pm |
Programmable how?
Is there a control line? Is there a PROM that you can burn with your schedule on it?
I don't see how 'programmable' in the traditional sense is relevant.
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Ils sont fous, ces Romains!
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jfinch
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Posted: April 03 2008 at 12:41pm |
I thought the idea behind T5 was that it is more efficient and has a longer bulb life, with less spectral shift over time.
That's true, but the type of T-5 ballast shouldn't have any effect on that.
Hey, I looked more into the programmed rapid start ballasts. It appears that they are a subset of regular rapid start ballasts. The normal rapid start ballast always has a small current flowing through the starting electrodes to keep them warm. While the programmed rapid start ballasts don't. They send a small warm up current through the wires when you flip the switch, sense when the electrode is warm enough, then light up the bulb. More energy efficient then regular old rapid start ballasts.
Edited by jfinch - April 03 2008 at 12:42pm
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