China manufacturer of magnetic ballasts for metal halide flood lights & hps flood lights

Metal Halide lamps are electrically similar to mercury designs except that they require a higher starting voltage from the ballast. In order to provide this, the ballast has to have larger magnetic components, which have the effect of adding cost to the system and using more energy. An important element in the design of the arc tube is the fill pressure. Increasing the fill pressure results in better electrode performance, improved lumen maintenance and longer life but on the negative side, it makes starting the arc more difficult using a traditional magnetic ballast. Therefore, the designer has to make compromises by limiting the fill pressure to be able to start the arc while still providing good lamp performance. In a “Probe Start” lamp, a starter probe is installed near one of the main electrodes to help in gas ionization during the first few seconds of the starting cycle. After a short time, this starter probe is turned off using a bimetal switch within the lamp that functions with the heat generated within the arc tube.

Lamps with ceramic arc tubes combine the benefits of higher initial lumen output, improved lumen maintenance and longer lamp life with superior color rendering to make an ideal lamp for use in retail, commercial, inspection or any areas where color rendering is of prime importance. Ceramic arc tubes operate at a higher temperature than quartz. This allows for a more diverse blend of gasses within the arc tube, which emits more colors and can provide a CRI greater than 90. The ceramic material does not react with the gasses inside the arc tube, which improves color consistency and lumen maintenance. The drawback to using a ceramic arc tube is that the ceramic material takes longer to cool down in the event of power interruption. This results in hot restrike times that can exceed 15 minutes. BALLAST As the name indicates, the dedicated pulse start ballast uses a separate ignitor to send high-voltage pulses directly across the main electrodes, ionizing the argon fill gas and starting the main arc very quickly. This eliminates the need for the starting probe and bi-metal switch. The result is that the lamp will start in colder temperatures, plus provide faster warm-up and restrike time. There are several designs of pulse start ballasts, each having its own characteristics. As in HID ballast designs, the ballast must match the electrical requirements of each specific lamp. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has applied specific identification codes to each pulse start system.