Warning about Ice Cap ballast

[tsdid]

for those of you who read my previous post about the flickering I was getting from my new 250 watt halides, I sent them back to the seller so they could test, it turns out that Reeflux bulbs are not compatable with Ice Cap ballast. The seller said it may be because icecap ballasts overdrive the bulb.
So my next question what is a good ballast that operates most if not all bulbs. The last thing I want is to buy bulbs in the future and have them not be compatable. The vendor I bought them from suggest galaxy, any thoughts? Also I was thinking about switching to mogul from DE. Does anyone have any preferences when it comes to this? Are DE's brighter, and which bulb is hotter?

 

[geoj]

This is IceCaps ballast claim
Description
Main Features
This ballast will power any metal halide 250W bulb. It does not over-drive the bulb, so output will be at the bulb manufacturer`s specifications. By using a constantly changing, very high frequency, the ballast will light any bulb without flicker. Longer bulb life and other features makes this the best ballast for all metal halide applications.
IceCap uses its unique, patented operating system, which allows you to save energy without compromising light output. By applying lower voltage across the lamp, energy consumption is reduced and lamp life is expected to be increased.
Advantages:
Energy Savings of over 10% from High Efficiency
Longer Lamp Life due to constant output
Longer Ballast life due to low heat
Compact Size to fit most fixtures
High Frequency Operation is flicker & noise free
Savings on air conditioning costs
Quality:
Built-in circuit protection
High Voltage, High Current Protection
High Temperature Shut-Down
Improper Wiring Protection
Automatic Bulb Failure Shut-Down
Automatic Resetting
Starts in Cold Temperature
Starts in Low Voltage Environments
Allows up to 30 feet between Lamp and Ballast

 

[tsdid]

they must not have tryed reeflux bulbs. I have 3 DE settup and they were all flickering. I sent one back to the online store I bought it from and they tried other reeflux bulbs and the same thing. They tried a different bulb and it worked.

 

[scsinet]

If anything, icecaps underdrive the lamp, as do most electronic halide ballasts.
When you look at Sanjay's testing on 250w halide lamps, there is a very distinct difference in the output of the lamp if it is run on an icecap e-ballast versus a PFO M80.
The M80 is a magnetic HQI ballast which puts more current into the lamp than the icecap does, and in fact more than most magnetics, creating something on the order of 20-30% more output. Unfortunately, the only company making an M80 ballast in the US - Advance Transformer - discontinued it with no replacement.
M80 aside, magnetic ballasts tend to put more power into the lamp, allowing you to get more light out of them. Most people think that icecap e-ballasts overdrive the lamp because of their claims of doing so with the fluorescent 430 and 660. Icecap of course makes wild claims of "microprocessor control" and "regulation to each individual lamp" and other such billings, but from a design perspective, I just don't see how that's possible, and frankly I think it's not true.
I wonder if the reeflux lamps are designed to run on the hot side, and the output from an electronic ballast is just insufficient.

 

[geoj]

From my experience with TIG welding the high frequency current can cross more resistance than the lower frequency. This allows a lower frequency to cross the resistance on the high frequency, jumping the resistance gap… The patented operating system is likely just a switch controlling the On/Off of the high frequency current. All TIG welders have this switch control.

 

[acrylic51]

I have to agree with SCSInet on this......Sanjay has done extensive work on bulbs and output....You said you bought from an online vendor?? I would honestly contact IceCap for precise info....and even if there was an issue with driving the Reefflux bulb, which there isn't, the ballast could be sent back to IceCap and tuned for that specific bulb if you choose to do so.....IceCap has some of the best customer service around......
Certain MH bulbs are overdriven and by certain ballasts and the Radium is 1 of those particular bulbs, but not on a electronic ballast though....So again I think the vendors claim is very untrue.

 

[tsdid]

just for an update I returned them and got galaxy ballast. there was something wrong with the icecaps. The vendor I bought it from tried different XM DE bulbs and it still flickered. He tried other Icecap ballast they had in stock and it did the same thing. There might have been a run of bad ballasts. The icecaps didnt cause Mogul bulbs to flicker. I ended up with galaxy ballast and mogul bulbs, didnt want to risk the incompatablility down the line.