You've left so little out that there's not much to discuss really...
Lol ballast out of the water... Let me say on the record he's not kidding. You WILL spill something. It's not a matter of IF, it's a matter of WHEN.
I want to talk about environmental controllers. That's my next big leap into automation! Here's why. SO many of the problems I see new and even old growers having stem from inappropriate heat/cold cycles- even bugs breed faster when your temps aren't under control! My own experience with growing sad yellow plants in a high-temp growroom, even though I knew my shit backwards and forwards, really sucked. Looking back, dropping a k on a controller ($200) and set of accessories to plug into it (a/c ($150), heat ($30), co2 ($300), ducting ($25), fan($250)) would have been a good investment.
Shoulda listened to the guy at the shop...