URI A4 ballast made by Icecap

[seaham358]

anyone have one? know anything about them? I'm going to be getting some ballasts, one for back up and the other for my new tank. Just looking to get feed back.
I know there just like the 660 minus the port for the dimmer. there alot cheaper then the 660 and can run the same lights.
any other info would be great...

Thanks.....Bob

 

[seaham358]

no one has one??

 

[greenmaji]

I had never heard of them.. but this is what I could dig up for you real quick.
http://www.thesea.org/aquarium_forum/viewtopic.php?t=4023&sid=36213ec30b95c36128a811f986e2bde5

I couldn't find a spec sheet for some reason, and they didn't have it on IceCap's site (duh).

it seems they are just what you said. the only other diffence is they also lack the heat sink (metal sheild looking thing attached to the back) that the 660's have.

I would say its a better deal then the IceCap 660 if you dont use the dimming feature (you could always retrofit a heat sink onto them if you wanted to)

this is intresting to me however. I would think some Work Horses from Fulham would be a killer deal in comparison to IceCap's but they dont have the delayed starting that makes the IceCap's keep bulb life going so strong. Do you happen to have a link to were they sell these URI A4's?
(are the URI A4's repacks from a diffent company? does URI stand for the company's name or is that the "Unified Resorce Identifier" code for the ballast?)

aparently I have questions about this product as well..

I do hope this helps.
good luck with your VHO by the way.

 

[seaham358]

I like the warrantee for the Icecap products. They said they will fix these also because they make them the URI the bulb company.
I did a goggle and found them for $99, I think I will be giving them a try..I have 2 660s and they are great but I want 1 for a back up and another for my 120 when I set it up.
I have the heat sink on my 660 and they are never hot, I ran one without one for a while and it stayed cool, so Im not worried about that.
You cant run the PCs with the A4, not a big deal for me because I will only be running VHOs with them.

 

[greenmaji]

8) Sounds like it will work for you. 8)

You cant run the PCs with the A4, not a big deal for me because I will only be running VHOs with them.

Who told you they couldn't run PC's?.. Any electronic floresent ballast can run PC's. I guess (really this is a guess on my part) IceCap told you that when you contacted them about them.
But your right it shouldn't matter to you since your running VHO's.

 

[seaham358]

On RC i went to the IC page and they told me you cant run PC. And its on all the sites that sell them.

 

[greenmaji]

It might be a good idea to find out why they think you cant run PC's off of them, there might be a diffence in how the 660's and the A4's start the lamps if they are telling people this.
In other words I have a fealing they might be instant start and your VHO's wont last as long with these ballasts (and to be honest they wouldn't be any better then a WorkHorse wich you could get for much less, and Fulham would service them)

*edit*
nevermind on the WH idea.. you would end up spending nearly the same, the WH7 (Fulham's biggest ballast) doesn't put out as many watts as a IC660/A4