hahnmeister
In Memoriam
I have been testing 1 year old bulbs and found results similar to what Rich is claiming. I dont have 100% control over the test groups, so I am careful to make bold claims on this, but at about one year, the pheonix on HQI is still at about 85% output... while the Icecap one is duller... about 55% ouptut. Ouch. I wouldnt go and take those numbers as exact, but there is something going on here for sure. Also of note, the HQI run pheonix is much whiter, and the ICecap one is deep blue like a radium. This variance in spectral output may account for some of the apparent loss (both our eyes as well as Quantum meter arent as sensitive to blue as other colors), but it shouldnt be more than 5% off.
I know Icecap makes their claims about the frequency making up for raw power... well... frequency is part of power, and if it was making up for the lower wattage, then the output of the Icecap would be the same as a HQI... simple as that. The electron shells excite until they throw off photons... due to wattage, frequency, etc. So if the atoms in the bulb are just as excited... HQI or e-ballast, then they should have the same output. The atoms that arent being used dont get fully excited, and end up depositing themselves on the quartz... so you lose the output of those halides, and the deposits block the output of the other gasses.
RichConley, it isnt so much a factor at startup. What you are talking about with bulb-spatter has to do with comparing HQI/pulse start bulbs to SE/probe start bulbs.
Funny you guys bring up that point about '300 watt' halides. Lol. I have thought that for some time... that 250wattHQI bulbs should have been called 300watters... much like 150s are seperated from 175s by wattage, and this makes it easier to determine HQI rated bulbs from non. And then 400wattHQI bulbs should be called 500 watters or something like that. It would be a very clean way of doing it... HQI/DE would be 150/300/500... and probe start would be 175, 250, 400. Heck, my HQI ballast gets up well over 300 watts depending on the bulb. My pheonix runs at 320... and the more 10,000K you go, the higher you can get... up to about 350watts!!
I know Icecap makes their claims about the frequency making up for raw power... well... frequency is part of power, and if it was making up for the lower wattage, then the output of the Icecap would be the same as a HQI... simple as that. The electron shells excite until they throw off photons... due to wattage, frequency, etc. So if the atoms in the bulb are just as excited... HQI or e-ballast, then they should have the same output. The atoms that arent being used dont get fully excited, and end up depositing themselves on the quartz... so you lose the output of those halides, and the deposits block the output of the other gasses.
RichConley, it isnt so much a factor at startup. What you are talking about with bulb-spatter has to do with comparing HQI/pulse start bulbs to SE/probe start bulbs.
Funny you guys bring up that point about '300 watt' halides. Lol. I have thought that for some time... that 250wattHQI bulbs should have been called 300watters... much like 150s are seperated from 175s by wattage, and this makes it easier to determine HQI rated bulbs from non. And then 400wattHQI bulbs should be called 500 watters or something like that. It would be a very clean way of doing it... HQI/DE would be 150/300/500... and probe start would be 175, 250, 400. Heck, my HQI ballast gets up well over 300 watts depending on the bulb. My pheonix runs at 320... and the more 10,000K you go, the higher you can get... up to about 350watts!!
