Son Agro ballast and 10k Ushio..overdriven?

[Son Of Skyline]

So I've been reading about lighting all over again and apparently 400w Radium bulbs only last around 6 months (roughly) before they shift. I've read that the major reason for this short life, and the fact that the Radium is so much brighter on the son agro is because this ballast operates at 430w essentially overdriving the bulb.

So my question is, would a 400w 10k Ushio bulb also be overdriven if used on the son agro ballast? If this is so, would it be safe to assume that a 10k Ushio bulb on this ballast would also have the same short lifespan as a Radium on the same ballast?


Sorry if this has been covered before, but we all know how many lighting threads there are out there and I've already spent over an hour searching. Thanks

[Aquattro]

Mason, I can't attest to the lifespan, but Ushio 10k bulbs do burn brighter on the SA ballast. I would assume overdriving is the reason.

[Andy]

On that same note, is anyone running other bulbs (i.e. 10 000K, 6500K) on their 430 watt son agro ballasts or is that ballast preferably used only on the 400 watt radiums.

[Aquattro]

If I ran the 10k again, it would be on the SA ballast. The color was more crisp than a regular ballast.

[Son Of Skyline]

I'm thinking the same thing. The only question I have is whether the SA ballast overdriving the 10k Ushio bulb would shorten it's life like it does with the 20k Radium.

Originally Posted by reef_raf

If I ran the 10k again, it would be on the SA ballast. The color was more crisp than a regular ballast.

[DJ88]

Anytime you put more current or voltage into something(ie overdrive) you will shorten it's lifespan. There is no way around that.