Product Description
Until now, we've been forced to compromise when it comes to choosing a ballast for our grow rooms...
On the one hand, digital ballasts offer more technological advances... but... because they only run at higher frequencies, many growers find they don't get the performance they want from their lamps that were designed years ago to operate on low frequency magnetic ballasts... due to the high frequency characteristics of these new digital ballasts and the acoustic resonance created by the electronic ballasts most lamp manufactures won't approve operation of their lamps on an electronic ballast...
To try and solve this problem, some growers stick to using magnetic ballasts because they operate at lower frequencies, more closely matching lamp technology... but... then you're forced to give up the conveniences of newer digital ballasts.
Well, thanks to Advanced Nutrients, you no longer have to compromise! They've developed the first Low Frequency Dimmable Digital Ballast on the market today that's designed to eliminate these problems and give you the performance AND reliability you're looking for.
While you probably already know Advanced Nutrients as a high-quality hydroponics nutrients company, you might not realize the incredible attention to detail, research, and planning that went into developing all the grower gear that carries the Advanced Nutrients (AN) name.
Recently we caught up with Eli Weinkle and the rest of the development team at AN to discover exactly how these new low frequency digital ballasts and other growers gear are being produced.
BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP WITH EXACTING AEROSPACE ENGINEERING INSPIRED STANDARDS TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF GROWERS LIKE US...
Unlike other hydroponics equipment manufacturers, Advanced Nutrients refused to simply buy existing ballasts from China... slap their logo on them... and call it a "new" product because:
They weren't satisfied with the current ballast technology on the market, the obsolete designs, and the short-comings and problems they all displayed...
1. And they had listened for YEARS to growers and customers like us report back what they didn't like about available ballasts and what they demanded for better results...
That's why every ballast produced by Advanced Nutrients is designed from the ground up to meet the strict needs of growers of high value plants like us. In fact, every ballast goes through a exhaustive seven-step process before it's ever introduced to the marketplace.
FIRST: A research team is assigned to compare and gather intelligence on all the current ballast technology on the market. Then, perhaps more importantly, the team gathers feedback from growers all over the world about what they like about the available technology... what they don't like... what works and what doesn't work... and what their suggestions are.
SECOND: Taking this data, Eli Weinkle (and his team) draws upon his background in Electronic Assembly for The Defense and Aerospace Industry to design exacting engineering specs to solve all these problems and meet the needs of growers of high value plants like ours. In addition, drawing on his background in aerospace engineering Eli specifies the exact processes and workmanship standards to be followed at the production factory when constructing these heavy-duty ballasts.
THIRD: The engineering specs, workmanship guidelines, and production processes are sent to the U.S. owned manufacturing facility to produce a proof of concept model of the new ballast. Here the exact blueprints provided by the research and development teams at Advanced Nutrients are followed to construct a brand new product from the ground up.
FOURTH: The proof of concept is then sent to an independent qualification lab in Los Angeles to ensure it fulfills all the guidelines in the original engineering specs. At this point, if even the slightest detail is not accurate, the team in L.A. sends word back to the factory to fix these issues. From here, once all the qualifications are fulfilled, then it's ready to be handed off to a second lab.
FIFTH: To further ensure the accuracy to the original specs and functionality of the new ballast it arrives at a second independent testing lab in Southern California to undergo another exhaustive round of testing and meeting qualification standards. Again, if any problems are found at this point, word is sent back to the original manufacturing factory and the process starts over again. But once it passes then it's ready for the final inspection...
SIXTH: There is one final test the proof of concept ballast has to pass before producing a pre-production sample—it has to perform flawlessly under the watchful eye of the original creator of the engineering specs—Eli Weinkle. It's at this point his expert eye will either find every last error or give the thumbs up for a pre-production sample of the ballast to be produced back at the factory.
SEVENTH: Once the pre-production sample is produced at the factory it goes through all six steps again to ensure it still meets all the previous guidelines and is functioning correctly. Assuming the pre-production sample passes all these tests a second time, then the final green light for the production of the ballast is issued.
Once it's in production, the ballast goes through a full 100% quality inspection at factory. Plus, as the units are delivered, Eli and his team pick out random units and do additional lot testing themselves to make sure no problems or damages have occurred in route from the factory.
WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF THIS EXHAUSTIVE 7-STEP RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND QUALIFICATION PROCESS?
The end-result of this extensive research, development, testing and re-testing is a new low frequency digital ballast with incredibly high-quality construction designed from the beginning to fulfill the needs of high-value plant growers like us.
That means it can perform under our exacting standards and meet all our needs like running both the quartz, metal halide and ceramic tubes we demand in our grow rooms. Many growers wonder how this new low frequency digital ballast compares to magnetic ballasts of years ago. The answer is found when you compare the Lamp Current Crest Factor (CCF) of these two types of ballasts.
CCF is an industrial standard that measures the impact on lamp life that ballasts provide. Magnetic ballasts feature a triad wave and a CCF greater than 1.7. In comparison, the new low frequency digital ballast features a square wave with a CCF of only 1.1. In simplistic terms: the lower the number, the longer the life of the lamp and the better the performance.
Here's just a few of the other unique benefits that you too can experience with the new low frequency digital ballast by Advanced Nutrients:
POWERFUL! Available in a TRUE 1000w electronic ballast with 3-way dimming technology (1000w, 750w and 500w) or a 4-way dimmable 600w version with a 660w overdrive mode (600w, 450w, 300w) to boost your lumens for the last few weeks of flowering for bigger yields!
VERSATILE! The only low frequency digital square wave ballast™ technology on the market designed to not only strike but operate both metal halide and high pressure sodium lamps stable. This technology effectively eliminates spectrum shifting and arc instability in turn producing truer colors.
EFFICIENT! Highly efficient design and operations reduces electricity, waste and heat.
BETTER LIGHT! Proprietary Square Wave Technology modifies arc shape increasing the effective length and surface area of the arc to produce greater lumens… lamps burn brighter and longer!
BUILT TO LAST! Hermetically sealed circuit board, durable construction and stringent process and quality control promotes better operation in harsh environments as well as active cooling reduces component operating temperature and extend component life.
Here's what to do now: Advanced Nutrients is so confident their digital ballast is exactly what you need to maximize your harvests more consistently... that... they guarantee your happiness in two unique ways.