INSTRUCTION MANUAL
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.
2
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.
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