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Supply power for the ballast is based on typical commercial or residential input. The Phantom
Ballast should be used with the appropriate recommended wattage lamps to achieve the highest
efficiency, safety, luminosity, and proper operation.
ALWAYS DISCONNECT THE PHANTOM BALLAST’S POWER CORD
BEFORE MOVING UNIT OR CHANGING LAMPS
WARNINGS
• Use this Phantom Ballast indoors only. Position it in an area away from excessive heat or contact
with liquids.
• This ballast does not rely on the luminance enclosure for protection against accidental contact
with live parts.
• Use the Phantom Ballast with a maximum lamp cord length of 30 feet.
• Disconnect the ballast from the power supply before performing any maintenance, lamp changes,
or other modifications.
• Opening the ballast will void the warranty.
• Lamps with auto-ignitors will not work with this ballast. Not for use with external ignitors.
• Do not use the Phantom Ballast with Hydrofarm’s TM01240 240v timer. The timer is not designed
for use with electronic ballasts and using it may cause the ballast to fail.
• The Phantom Ballast is designed to be used with Hydrofarm power cords ONLY. Using the
Phantom with other power cords, or modifying the power or lamp cords, will void the warranty.
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
DEFINITION OF TERMS
•
Main Voltage
– Rated input voltage for the ballast
• Watts
– Input power
• Amps
– Input current or draw
•
Power Factor
– A measurement of how effectively the ballast converts electrical current to useful
power output, in this case, output to the lamp. Power factor is measured between 0-1; the closer
you get to 1, the more effective the circuit is said to be. The Phantom’s power factor is greater
than .98.
•
Working Voltage
– The acceptable operating range for input voltage to the ballast. Deviations
from the rated numbers may result in decreased ballast performance and additional case
generated heat.
•
Ignitor Voltage
– Ballast output during ignition sequence
• THD (Total Harmonic Distortion)
– A measurement of all harmonics present in a circuit. The
higher the number, the more stress is applied to internal parts, the lamp, and the power grid.
Generally, a number below 10% is considered desirable in an electronic ballast application.
• CF (Crest Factor)
– A measurement of how “clean” the ballast power output wave is. A perfectly
clean output sine wave would have a CF of 1.414. Given that some harmonics must exist in an
electrical system, the crest factor must always be higher than 1.414. Therefore, the closer the
ballast is to a CF of 1.414, the easier it is on the lamp.
• ta (Ambient Temperature)
– Maximum rated ambient temperature for the ballast area. Excessive
ambient temperature can result in ballast failure, safety shutdown, or lamp failure.
• tc (Case Temperature)
– Maximum temperature that the case of the ballast should reach. If
the case temperature exceeds this number, the ballast may be malfunctioning or the ambient
temperature may exceed the rating.
