What is a ballast?
What Does A HID Ballast Do？
Many people know that when refitting a xenon headlight lamp, in addition to using a good bulb, it is also necessary to select a suitable lens and ballast. Only these three main parts can give full play to the advantages of the xenon lamp. That is to say, the three main parts are indispensable for refitting xenon lamps! We have seen the function of the lens before, so what is the function of the stabilizer? Today we will take you to learn about xenon ballast.
Car Xenon light modification, what are the functions of the ballast?
The headlight ballast, another name, is called an electronic ballast. Its working principle is that when the power is turned on, the high-voltage pulse that raises the low-voltage automobile power supply to more than 20,000 volts through a transformer is used to activate the xenon in the xenon bulb in an instant. The xenon in the arc generates a color temperature of 3000-12000K, thereby activating the lighting of the xenon light. The appearance of the ballast has also fully led a new era of lighting technology, which can make the xenon lamp operate more stably, and the lighting configuration of the car headlight has also risen to a new level.
There are two common ballasts, one is a single ballast, which is a combination of a ballast and a high-voltage starter; the other is a split ballast, which is a split of a ballast and a high-voltage starter. Of course, the principles and functions of these two ballasts are the same.
General xenon ballasts have the performance of cold start current < 6.5A, and the start speed is fast. The circuit is designed with the function of automatic supply current, which is often called the function of secondary supply power supply. It can be used for xenon lamp bulbs produced by different manufacturers with different tube pressures. In addition, the ballast also has the performance of wide voltage design, generally 7.5V-18V, which can ensure the normal start-up of low voltage and high voltage. When hot starting or changing the light, the starting current is less than 5A, which reduces the load on the power supply of the car due to frequent dimming, and the impact of the car on the power supply of other electrical equipment.
When using a HID ballast, there will be many reference indicators, including starting voltage, working voltage, typical current, output power, cold starting current, hot starting current, working efficiency, working temperature range, etc. In general, the ballast is the most complex and technical component in the entire HID lighting system. The quality of the stabilizer directly determines the experience of using the xenon headlights, and also determines the performance of the xenon headlights.
Through the above introduction, we know that the ballast is an essential component when refitting the xenon lamp. When refitting xenon lamps, we should not only pay attention to the quality of the lamps, but also protect the bulbs. The use of ballasts can greatly increase the service life of HID. It can be said that only a HID system with high stability and long life can be regarded as a cost-effective product.
Do led headlight bulbs need ballasts?
Most models of LED headlights do not require ballasts. But in reality, a detailed analysis based on a specific model is still required. In simple terms, the principle of the ballast is to immediately turn the 12V current into a high voltage, and it must also keep the high voltage stable. With the help of this high voltage, the HID bulb is activated to generate strong light between the two poles, so that the bulb reaches high brightness lighting. The HID and high-pressure gas discharge lamps that we often mention in our daily mouth are the most commonly encountered xenon lamps, whose key components are HID bulbs, ballasts, power adapter cables and accessories. There are two types of ballasts, single ballasts and split ballasts. The function of the ballast is that the cold start current is less than 6.5A, and the commonly used ballast is 8.5A~9A or even higher performance, and the starting speed is fast. With voltage design and wide voltage performance, it can ensure the normal startup of low voltage and high voltage. During hot start or dimming power supply, the starting current is less than 5A, which reduces the power load on the car due to frequent dimming and power relationship with other electrical equipment in the car. Low current start avoids bulb aging or light decay and reduces interference with other car electronics.