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Ballast

D

Dave Walsh

Jan 1, 1970
0
Ok, am comming from a noise boy background, and dipping into lighting
technology. Am surious, what is the funtion, theory behind a Ballast?.
Or can you point me in the direction of a website explaining these?

thanks for yer time
Dave
 
A

AC/DCdude17

Jan 1, 1970
0
X-No-Archive: Yes

Purpose:

To provide sufficient voltage to start up. Once started, the lamps will
let current through like an avalanche and function of a ballast after
starting is to restrict the current.

The simplest of all is the simple series inductor.
 
V

Victor Roberts

Jan 1, 1970
0
X-No-Archive: Yes

Purpose:

To provide sufficient voltage to start up. Once started, the lamps will
let current through like an avalanche and function of a ballast after
starting is to restrict the current.

The simplest of all is the simple series inductor.

Actually the simplest ballast of all is a series resistor, which
limits lamp current but does not provide any additional voltage for
starting. Resistor ballasts are not used very often because they have
much higher power loss than inductors, but I know of two commercial
products that do or did use resistor ballasts.
 
Z

Zak

Jan 1, 1970
0
Victor said:
Resistor ballasts are not used very often because they have
much higher power loss than inductors, but I know of two commercial
products that do or did use resistor ballasts.

Fluorecent 'handy lights' come to mind, with a resistive power cord that
got pretty warm when the lamp was operating. No idea how they handles
starting though. This was on 220 volts.


Thomas
 
V

Victor Roberts

Jan 1, 1970
0
Fluorecent 'handy lights' come to mind, with a resistive power cord that
got pretty warm when the lamp was operating. No idea how they handles
starting though. This was on 220 volts.

GE sells a lamp called Bright Stik (R) that uses a resistive ballast
extruded into the plastic back plane to operate an T20T12 lamp. The
system uses a glow starter and the starting voltage of this lamp is
low enough in pre-heat mode that no inductive kick from the inductor
is necessary, even with a 120 Vrms line. (Well, there may be a small
spike from the resistor since it is not wound to be non-inductive.)

I have also seen a Japanese lamp that uses a small Circline lamp with
a resistor mounted in the center and an integral Edison base. This
also works with a glow starter and no inductor.
 
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