I was hoping someone can answer a quick question? Could someone tell me what the four different settings on a dimmable ballast are used for? Specifically what setting would you use for which part of the grow? The first setting is 190 Watts, second setting is 245 Watts, third setting is 315 Watts and then the last is super lumens. The system itself is 315CMH Vanquish ballast and light combo.
Thank you for your help and time. I never knew what you would use the dimmable options on a ballast for.
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I am not sure
I built my first cob fixture just recently and have dimmable drivers but still messing with em
Hey @dbrn32
@BIGE
@Covertgrower
Do you guys have some direction for our friend?
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Thank you very much. I appreciate that.
I was checking out the ballast and it’s one of those ballast and light combos (called vanquish 315CMH). As I was reading it I noticed the settings and I really didn’t know what they were used for. I figured there was no better place to ask then this forum. Thanks again for your help and time. I appreciate it
It’s just a way for you to be more efficient in your gros… young , small plants dont need as much light , so you can run lights on lower settings to save electricity and keep grow room cooler which leads to more electricity savings… 
Once plants get older and bigger , then you increase light output and once your ready to flower crank that bad boy all the way up… 
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@neckNflu @Growit
@peachfuzz answered that well. Basically it’s for all stages of growth, and you can work your way up to flowering. (Super lumens) LED’s are the same way with their potentiometers.
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Yup, I agree with the others. There’s not really a wrong way to use them. At 315 the effective flowering footprint is about 3x3ish. I wasn’t aware they had a “super lumens” ballast that size. But that’s overdriving your bulb. There’s mixed feelings about them, the extra output vs shortened bulb life using them there. So use your best judgment.
Otherwise make it fit what you’re doing in the specific space. In a 3x3 you could probably veg pretty well under the lower settings, or use the whole the 315 in a bigger space.
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My point on this is basically… light efficiency and cost of running such ballast and light combo… I would think you could cover a 4×4 foot table , as long as you can get tricky with reflecting your light source directly on your girls…
All of those settings are just to save you money and allow you to use one light from seed to flower as cheap as possible , if you can understand there benefits you will have a plenty amount of medicine for pennies…
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Thank you all very much. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to respond @dbrn32, @Covertgrower, @peachfuzz, @Growit
That makes sense to me now. I’ll be mindful of that in the future. It does seem like a good idea. But I do understand about the possibility of a risk-and-reward sort of thing with overpowering a bulb. I’d probably be more inclined to use a lower wattage all the way up to its quote-unquote regular wattage. In this case the 315w. Thanks again for taking the time to explain it to me. I appreciate that. 
you guys and gals always have the answers. Love this forum. Have a good evening.
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Please let me know when you have time how you like those cob fixtures. Let me know if you use the dimmable functions. I’m curious to see what you think of them. Thank you.
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I love COB fixtures @neckNflu I use the dimming function especially during veg. When switching to flower, I turn up a little less than halfway. Then increasing increments to full power after the 2ish week stretch.
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Thank you very much for filling me in on the dimmers. I’m glad you like your Cob. From what I’ve seen and read @dbrn32 has helped people make a bunch of them on here. There’s always good reports from what I read if I pick up something with the dimmer I’ll give it a whirl. Have a nice morning. Enjoy your grow!
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I thinks its the way to go for sure
I have not done a full grow cycle all my outdoor plants flowered early for some reason amd finished them indoor
I did not use the dimming feature but it is nice to have
They run full throttle at 50w and 3500k
Excited to see what this fixture can do in a full cycle veg to flower.
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Yup @dbrn32 is the man!!
I want to build another one but will try and source all the parts separately to get the cost down
This fixture was a kit from rapid led and costs 920 bucks for the kit and I still had to build a frame for the fixture but I think the fixture is worth the money and it is convenient to be able to buy it at one place and shipped at the same time
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I would say proof is in the pudding. Wow your plants look really nice. That’s awesome. Thank you for sharing. I would tend to go the same route as you did if I switch up anything in the future. I like to just pay for it to be done with and done right less chance of me messing it up. Have it arrive and ready to go. Enjoy your grow it looks great
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If you don’t mind me asking with that dimmable ballast would you use that Lumen boost the last few weeks of flower or when would that be appropriate to use during plants life cycle?
Thank you for your time. Enjoy your grow.