What is Fluorescent Light Ballasts: How do they work?

Why are ballasts needed?

• The process involved in fluorescent lights is that mercury gas molecules are heated with the current supply and become conductive. Ballast is used for controlling current for the accurate glow of blub without any damage.

Working of Fluorescent Ballasts?

• When we turn on a lamp or the current supply provided, electrons of lamps become hot, and as a result, electrons are released. The released electronics collided with mercury gas in the lamp and in a result released the UV light wavelengths that are used by fluorescent coating of the inner side of the lamp. So light is produced or we can see a glowing lamp.
• The main work of ballast is to control this complete process by providing a control value of voltage to complete the save process. So the lamp works without damage with the use of control voltage.
• The fluorescent lamp comes with negative resistance and as a result, it continuously gets voltage. To control this voltage ballast provides positive resistance for current restriction in the resulting lamp gets only limited voltage for safe work.

Types of Fluorescent Ballasts

Instant Start Ballast

• Instant start ballasts are a common type of ballast. Instead of hating electrodes of the lamp slowly, the ballast provides a larger starting voltage of about 600 volts in less than 0.1 seconds. It saves energy and uses less energy for the starting process as compared to other ballast.
• It does not have preheating electrodes and is good to use for limited switching. These ballasts are connected in parallel combinations of circuits.

Rapid start magnetic ballasts

• The T12 and older T8 fixtures use rapid magnetic ballast and are connected in series combination. This ballast helps the lamp to preheat with the use of low voltage. When lamp cathodes are warm voltage increases to glow the lamp.

Rapid start electronic ballasts

• This ballast heated electrodes with the use of a starting voltage of about 500 volts for lamp start in 0.5 to 1.0 seconds. The heating process continues and the lamp is in working state and uses less power as compared to instant ballast. The working cycle of this ballast is 15,000 to 20,000.

Programmed Start Ballast

• programmed start ballast working is like as rapid start ballast. It slowly heated the cathode lamp before starting the lamp ignition. It can start about 1 to 1.5 seconds. It has features to warm the cathode at high temperatures with less damage. This ballast is used for lights than frequently used.
• These ballast work about 50000 switch cycles before the damage.

How to Test Ballast

For testing of ballast to make sure it is accurate working multimeter is used. The multimer has features to measure current voltage and resistance. Follow these steps to test of ballast.

1. First of all off the power supply to light.
2. Remove light light casing and then the bulb.
3. Disconnect the ballast from the fixture.
4. It ballast was damaged changed it.
5. Set ohm setting on multimteter.
6. The first probe of matter with wire connection of red wires.
7. The second probe with green and yellow color wire. If there is no reading on mete it means ballast not working.
8. If the meter needle moves right it means the ballast working well.

How to Swapp Magnetic Ballasts with electronic

Follow these steps for swapping magnetic ballasts.

• First of all, turn off the power supply to the light.
• Remove the bulb and ballast casing through the opening fixture.
• Cut power and neutral wire connected with fixture.
• Then cur wires connected with sockets.
• Disconnect magnetic ballast.
• Connect the electronic blast at the same place where the magnetic ballast is connected.
• With the use of wire nuts for connection of socket wires.
• Then make the connection of power and neutral wires with wires of ballast.
• Now put bul and ballast casing again and On the power supply.

Does the fluorescent tube need a starter and ballast?

• The starter is a small component that is used for igniting fluorescent components that provide light to the fluorescent tube. The starter is connected with conventional ballast in the fixture where the fluorescent tube is connected. There is no need of a starter when the tube works with electronic ballast.