I just upgraded my lighting and when I went to the fish store to purchase the Ice Cap 430 2x5' vho kit, they gave me an A4 ballast instead. I called them up when I got home and the guy told me that I was upgraded to an A4 because that is "this months special." He said it is the same as an Ice Cap 660 but that I could run more bulbs with it then the 430. Cool, so I wired it up and then found out that the A4 is only for VHO and can't run the T5 or PC lights. Is that true? Are there any other differences? If I demand a IC 430 is the wiring harness the same as that of the A4? I hate to have to rewire everything. I'm thinking that the A4 is a lesser ballast and that I got scammed. When the included VHO lamps are used up I was gonna try T5. If they are the same then no harm done. Thank you
I paid for IC430 and got an A4 was I "upgraded" or cheated?
- Thread starter jmicky41
- Start date
dougchambers
New member
If it's the "Same" as an IC660, we ran T5s with it just fine.
Give the boys in the ICECAP forum a shout. They should be able to clear things up.
-Doug
Give the boys in the ICECAP forum a shout. They should be able to clear things up.
-Doug
what exactly is an A4 ballast?
I'd be pretty ****ed if it wouldn't run the same things as the 660.
Sounds like a scam.
I'd be pretty ****ed if it wouldn't run the same things as the 660.
Sounds like a scam.
As far as I'm concerned, you got ripped off. I'd tottally get my money back. You paid for a 430, that will run VHO/PC/T5 now all you can run is VHO?
I'd tell them where they can stick that A4!!!
I'd tell them where they can stick that A4!!!
I'll snap a shot of the end of my 660 harness for you in the morning. That way you atleast know if it's the same or not. My gut is saying it probably is.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
You got hosed. The A4 is made with inferior parts and can be had cheaper then a 430. I have seen A4's as low a 112.00.
AnnArborBuck
New member
The A4 is the exact same as the IC 660 except it can't be dimmed and there is not built in heat sink. The difference in price from the IC 660 to the A4 is the no dimming feature.
I had these exact same questions and I asked Icecap, you know, the people who make the IC 660 AND the A4.
I had these exact same questions and I asked Icecap, you know, the people who make the IC 660 AND the A4.
You may want to search IceCap's forum or post the question there. I recently had a similar situation occur and when I contacted IceCap and URI, I was told that the A4 is not designed to run T5 or PC lighting. It is strictly designed for VHO use only.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=535375
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=535375
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
AnnArbor
You better ask Ice Cap again. The A4 is not recomended for running PC or T5 lamps because the internal components are not the same as the 660 and will overheat. That came directly from Andy at Ice cap.
You better ask Ice Cap again. The A4 is not recomended for running PC or T5 lamps because the internal components are not the same as the 660 and will overheat. That came directly from Andy at Ice cap.
The A4 is going to work in your application just as well as the IC430. It isn't as versital as the IC430, but unless you plan on switching to different lighting you will be fine. I guess the question is if it is worth the hassle for you to swap the ballasts out or not. Most places will not accept electrical products that have been used, so you might be out of luck. What you should have done is returned it immediately and asked for either what you paid for or your money back.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
jmicky41 said:
The URI has a slightly different wiring pattern than a 660. I had to just make a jumper for 1 wire to run 3 T5's using the URI ballast with the 660 harness (I used the A4 as a back up while a 660 was being repaired). The plugs were the same. I don't know how close it would be to a 430. Hit Ice Caps website and look at the 430 wiring diagram. You might get lucky.
I talked to Ice Cap and they said it is similar to a 660, yet it does not have the heat sink, isn't dimmable, has less of a warranty and won't run PC or T5. I talked to the guy at the fish store and he said that they would swap the A4 for whatever I wanted, but wouldn't take back the wiring harness. So they are going to give me a 660 - so I can use the wiring harness that I have. They said they were gonna have to pay an upgrade charge of $24 untill I said "why don't you eat that". He agreed. Unfortunately, 660's are out of stock and I'll have to wait 10 days. Even the guy at IceCap thought the whole deal was kind of shady. I do plan on trying T5 when these VHOs wear out. So then I would just need new encaps and bulbs right?
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
I just checked and you are going to need to have the 660 wiring harness. You can run a A4 using the 660 harness but not the reverse, the 660 has a couple extra wires.
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