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What is lamp ballast?
ballast – A device required by electric-discharge light sources such as fluorescent or HID lamps to regulate voltage and current supplied to the lamp during start and throughout operation.
What is the ballast of a light fixture?
What is a Ballast? Simply put, the ballast is the heart of a fluorescent light fixture sending energy (pumping blood) through the lamp. A ballast provides the correct amount of voltage to start the lamps and regulates the amount of current that flows to them once they’re on.
Do you need a ballast with LED lights?
No LED bulbs require a ballast, although some are engineered to work with an existing ballast. You will find ballast-compatible or “plug-and-play” LEDs that are designed to replace linear fluorescents, compact fluorescents, or HIDs. Incandescent and halogen lamps do not require a ballast.
What does a ballast do in a light fixture?
Simply put, the ballast is the heart of a fluorescent light fixture sending energy (pumping blood) through the lamp. A ballast provides the correct amount of voltage to start the lamps and regulates the amount of current that flows to them once they’re on.
What does a ballast mean in plain English?
So, what is a ballast in plain English? Let’s lose the technical jargon. To put it simply, a ballast is the functional heart of a fluorescent or HID light source. Just as a heart regulates blood flow to your body, a ballast ensures that a lamp stays lit by managing the distribution of energy throughout the fixture.
What kind of ballast does a CFL use?
Ballast factor depends on both the ballast and the lamp type; a single ballast can have several ballast factors depending on lamp type. compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) – A family of single-ended fluorescent-discharge light sources with small-diameter [16-millimeter (5/8-inch) or less] tubes.
Do you need a ballast for a HID lamp?
All fluorescent and HID light sources require a ballast for proper operation. Dimming ballasts are special ballasts which, when used together with a dimmer, will vary the light output of a lamp.