Ballasts Specifications

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Ballast Technology

	Ballast Technology
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	Electronic Ballast		Electronics ballasts convert 60-cycle power to drive lamps with high-frequency current of 20,000 hertz or more. By using high frequency current, this ballast takes advantage of fluorescent lamp efficiencies at these high frequencies. To accomplish this operation, the ballast uses electronics circuitry that results in a more efficient, smaller and lighter ballast design than the magnetic ballasts.
	HID Ballast		High intensity discharge ballasts are used to start high intensity discharge (HID) lamps such as mercury vapor lamps, metal halide lamps, and high pressure sodium lamps.
	Hybrid Ballast		Hybrid ballast combine the starting and operating characteristics of the magnetic ballast with the energy efficiencies of electronic ballasts to provide an alternative means of operating rapid start lamps.
	Magnetic Ballast		Magnetic ballasts provide output power to lamps at line frequency (60 Hz, or 50 Hz). As a result of their design, these ballasts are also called "core and coil" ballasts.  These ballasts consist of a core of stacked steel laminations wounded by insulated copper or aluminum coils.  This arrangement functions both as a voltage transformer and a current limiting choke. To improve their power factor, some of these ballasts have a capacitor. Ballast with a capacitor is considered a high power factor or power factor corrected ballast.
	Other		Other, not listed, ballasts.
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	Lamp Type:		The standard labeling of fluorescent tubes (lamps) is of the general form FSWWCCC-TDD, where:
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	T4		A 0.5 in. diameter tubular lamp.
	T5		Straight Tube, 5/8 in. diameter. Wattage: 21 W, 24 W, 28 W, 38 W, and 55 W.
	T8		Strait Tube, 1 in. diameter. Wattage: 17 W, 25 W, 32 W, and 40 W.
	T10		A 5/4 in. diameter tubular lamp.
	T12		Strait Tube, 1-1/2 in. diameter.
	Mercury Vapor Lamp		High intensity lamps are used when good color rendition requirements at not very important. Applications include street lighting, parking lot lighting, etc.
	Metal Halide Lamp		High intensity lamps are used for lighting situations that require good color characteristics and high efficiency.
	High Pressure Sodium Lamp		High efficient, high intensity lamps are normally used in situations where efficiency and long life are the highest requirements.
	CFL Lamp		Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), or compact fluorescent tube (CFT), or compact fluorescent light bulbs are special fluorescent type lamps that consume less power than the typical incandescent lamps.
	Other		Other, not listed, lamp types.
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	Start Method:
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	Instant Start		Instant start ballasts start lamps by applying a high voltage with no preheating of the lamp filaments. Instant start ballasts require a larger amount of energy during the starting process, but use less energy during normal operation.
	Programmed / Preheat		Preheat or programmed start is a method of starting fluorescent lamps in which the electrodes are heated before a switch opens to allow a starting voltage to be applied across the lamp. With preheat starting, the lamp flashes on and off for a few seconds before staying lit, because several starting attempts may be necessary to establish the electric arc across the lamp electrodes.
	Rapid Start		Rapid start is a circuit designed to start fluorescent lamps by continuously heating or preheating the electrodes. Rapid start ballast start a lamp by first heating the cathode and then maintaining a constant arc across the cathode to provide the necessary heat for the operation.
	Other		Other, not listed, start method such as trigger start methods.
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	Nominal Voltage:		The nominal voltage that the ballast is designed to operate. Ballast should not operate at an abnormal deviation from the nominal voltage.
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	120 V		Nominal voltage is 120 V.
	208 V		Nominal voltage is 208 V.
	220/240 V		Nominal voltage is 220/240 V.
	277 V		Nominal voltage is 277V.
	347 V		Nominal voltage is 347 V.
	480 V		Nominal voltage is 480 V.
	Other		Other, not listed, voltages.
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Performance Specifications

	Ballast Factor		Ballast factor is the measurement of ballast’s ability to produce light from fluorescent lamps. It is the ratio of light output produced by lamps operating on a commercial ballast versus the light output of the same lamps operating on a laboratory reference ballast specified to ANSI standards for a given lamp type
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	Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)		Harmonic distortion is a measure of the degree to which a sinusoidal signal is distorted by harmonic waveforms (multiples of the fundamental frequency). Total harmonic distortion (THD) is the combined effect of harmonic distortion on the AC waveform produced by the ballast or other devices. TDH is defined as the ratio of the magnitude of the input current harmonics to the amplitude of the fundamental current. In general, this is expressed in percentage. A high value of THD indicates high distortion. Electrical devices, such as computers and fluorescent lighting systems, can send harmonic wave forms at many frequencies back onto the power supply line, thereby distorting the current wave shape.
	Search Logic:		User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria.
	Lamp Wattage:		The wattage of the lamp or lamps that the ballast is driving.
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	Number of Lamps:		The number of lamps that the ballast can drive.
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	1		The ballast drives one lamp.
	2		The ballast drives two lamps.
	3		The ballast drives three lamps.
	More than 3		The ballast drives more than three lamps.
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Standards and Certifications

	Standards
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	CSA Mark (US, C and US, NRTL/C)		The CSA mark may appear alone or with indicators. If it appears alone, it means that the product is certified for the Canadian market, to the applicable Canadian standards. If this Mark appears with the indicator "C and US" or "NRTL/C" it means that the product is certified for both the U.S. and Canadian markets, to the applicable U.S. and Canadian standards.
	CE Marking		A CE marking indicates that a product complies with the essential requirements of relevant European Union (EU) directives that uphold national standards for health, safety, and environmental protection. CE marking is required in the countries of the European Economic Area (EEA), an organization that consists of the twenty five member states of the EU and the three members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). CE Marking refers to the safety of a product. It is not a quality standard.
	FCC		Under Rules and Regulations, Title 47, Part 15 Subpart B, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates all commercial electronic devices (unintentional radio-frequency radiators) destined for sale in the United States that have clocks / oscillators that operate at a frequency greater than 9 kHz and that use digital techniques. This includes most products that employ microprocessors, as well as RF devices.
	RoHS Compliant		Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) is a European Union (EU) directive that requires all manufacturers of electronic and electrical equipment sold in Europe to demonstrate that their products contain only minimal levels of the following hazardous substances: lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl and polybrominated diphenyl ether. RoHS became effective on July 1, 2006.
	UL Listing Mark		This mark denotes that Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) has found that samples of the product met UL's safety requirements. These requirements are primarily based on UL's published Standards for Safety.
	WEEE Compliant		“The Waste Electrical and Electronics Equipment Regulations (WEEE Regulations) is a European Parliament Directive with the aim of encouraging reuse, recycling, and recovery of electrical and electronic equipment and to improve the environmental impact and performance of these equipments. This directive sets the requirements and criteria for the collection, treatment, recycling, and recovery of these equipments. It makes producers responsible for financing these activities, and retailers and distributors must provide means for consumers to return used or obsolete equipments without charge.
	Other		Other, unspecified standards.
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	Features
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	Power Factor Corrected		Ballasts that incorporate a means of power factor correction but whose power factor is less than 0.9 and greater than 0.5.
	Dimmable		The ballast has circuitry that controls the dimming of the lamp, if needed.
	Thermal Protection		The ballast has circuitry for thermal protection.
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