Munki's 2 x 4 Bubba Kush ScrOG Bondage

give it time munki, with a scrog, its ok if one out performs another, you have complete control over hieght and all the othe size and placement variables. I would keep her going if she's going.
 
I was thinking the same. It seems that sometime a plant just takes a little longer to adjust and after a little time they seem to take off and catch up with the others. Not sure this is the case but it would'nt hurt to give the little one a chance. Just a thought. Great job..
 
The little one is still in there. It has about 1 week to turn around and show what it has got.
 
I'm seeing some growth in the little one. Jury is still out on it so it may have bought a reprieve.

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In the photo below, I am showing all the undergrowth under Big Bertha's main leaves. I will probably trim underneath here later in the veg period.

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Now I used my Kill-A-Watt meter to check the wattage consumption of the 600 watt lamp. My tent uses 210 watts with it off but only 740 watts with it on and fully warmed up. So the ballast appears to be running underpowered. I had a feeling as the light intensity has been underwhelming in comparison to the 400 watt. I could reinstall all the components, but after some reading and looking at the new SS-1 ballast design, I realize that the capacitor is most likely the culprit. Replacing it shouldn't cost too much. This is what it looks like below.

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munki said:
Now I used my Kill-A-Watt meter to check the wattage consumption of the 600 watt lamp. My tent uses 210 watts with it off but only 740 watts with it on and fully warmed up. So the ballast appears to be running underpowered. I had a feeling as the light intensity has been underwhelming in comparison to the 400 watt. I could reinstall all the components, but after some reading and looking at the new SS-1 ballast design, I realize that the capacitor is most likely the culprit. Replacing it shouldn't cost too much. This is what it looks like below.
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I would never have thought to do what u just did. I would have continued to accept that the light wasn't as bright as i thought it would be.:goodjob:
 
Nice catch, the little one does look like it is picking up a bit. Hope she puts in into overdrive for you. Great job..
 
It wasn't easy, but I found a local retailer that sells the individual components for the ballasts. I went ahead and bought both the ignitor and capacitor for my unit at $70 plus tax. I felt that it was worth it as the transformer appears to be a high quality copper wound unit and that should last for a long time. The ballast is the high end one from Sunlight Supply and I don't have the heart to just toss it out and my scruples won't allow me to sell it without an honest disclosure of what I had found.
 
I discovered why one plant grew while the other languished. I switched the buckets between the individual pumps and now Big Bertha is looking a bit limp and the little one is coming along now. Stupid me didn't triple check everything. I have a digital timer on one pump and it was set to MAN instead of AUTO so it wasn't watering at all! :oops: I have now corrected the condition and confirmed it now works OK.

I also replaced the capacitor and ignitor. The power consumption is higher but not where I think it should be. It only pulls 5.2 Amps which times the voltage puts it at just about 600 watts. I don't think it could run at 100 % efficiency due to its design (CWA transformer) so I'm not too happy with that. Hmmm, decisions, decisions.....
 
munki said:
I discovered why one plant grew while the other languished. I switched the buckets between the individual pumps and now Big Bertha is looking a bit limp and the little one is coming along now. Stupid me didn't triple check everything. I have a digital timer on one pump and it was set to MAN instead of AUTO so it wasn't watering at all! :oops: I have now corrected the condition and confirmed it now works OK.

I also replaced the capacitor and ignitor. The power consumption is higher but not where I think it should be. It only pulls 5.2 Amps which times the voltage puts it at just about 600 watts. I don't think it could run at 100 % efficiency due to its design (CWA transformer) so I'm not too happy with that. Hmmm, decisions, decisions.....
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Damn now thats some sh*t.Glad to hear the lil one is good. Does she look like she's going to make it? great job on replacing that cap and ignitor. Thats more work then I would have done honestly.:goodjob:
 
Wow, that little one must be a pretty strong plant to survive no water, maybe that little ones going to grow up and surprise you. Great catching the water issue in time. Great job...
 
Thanks. Credit goes to my wife in suggesting I switch the plant positions which also had me switch which pump each one used. That help me see the effect; hydro is so fast in that regard. I think the little one will be OK and pull through. The roots have set themselves so I will see what happens. By denying the clone water after putting it in the bucket, it seems to have encouraged it to send out roots pretty far. I can see that there is a root at the bottom of the bucket already from the little one.

BTW, I ordered a Quantum 600 Watt ballast. I want some piece of mind since the ballast processes so much electricity, I would feel safer with a new unit. I also like the power efficiency claims of the electronic ballasts.
 
+rep for problem solving, good job on both the ballast and the plant issues. its a shame when companies release things that dont run at what they are rated for. or work great for 3 months and then degrade 20-30%.
 
Flurple said:
+rep for problem solving, good job on both the ballast and the plant issues. its a shame when companies release things that dont run at what they are rated for. or work great for 3 months and then degrade 20-30%.
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The ballast has degraded somewhat but runs very stably. My guess, as I have not seen a new 600 watt CWA ballast on a kill-a-watt meter to compare, is that a new version of my ballast would consume around 5.7 to 5.8 Amps. This one is at 5.2 Amps so it is running at about 90% of maximum output after replacing the cap and ignitor. It was at about 79% of max with the original cap and ignitor. So the transformer may have lost only 10% function over 6 1/2 years. That doesn't seem too bad from my viewpoint. That is only input measurements, I don't have readings of what is being output to the bulb. All I can see is that it is fairly bright and lamp operation is steady. So, I think I can sell the unit without guilt as it should continue to operate for the foreseeable future.
 
1stworks said:
cool grow thanks for posting!!!

:nicethread:
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Hey, thanks for reading my journal. Hoping for more exciting things in a few weeks as I will get the ScrOG screen installed.
 
Both plants are now growing and the leaves are very perky. We are off to the races now!
 
i knew the little girl would kick in sooner or later.

i have a kill-o-watt, I'll put it on my 600 and see what it's pulling, but it's digital so it will prob be a bit different than yours. got me wondering though.
 
Your wish is my command. This is from this morning. Big Bertha's leaves now span 1 foot.

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