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Re: Are IceCap Ballasts Truly Electronic??



>something. There are two fat coils sitting in the middle of the circuit
>board with the words "tinicoil" on them. I don't know much about
>electronic ballasts, but I was always under the impression that "true"
>electronic ballasts did not have coils. Am I mistaken, or are IceCaps
>not "truly" electronic?

Yes, it is electronic, and electronic ballasts DO have coils. The coils
(actually probably a transformer) is used to step the voltage(s) up/down to
what is needed by the bulbs in use. The "electronic" part generates the
higher frequency (30-40 kHz I think, but I don't know the specifics of the
Icecap's switching frequency) used to drive the transformer and the lights.
The higher frequency allows the use of a smaller transformer and for lower
losses in some other parts. There are other niceties provided as well.

In a conventional ballast, the ballast is usually a big autotransformer and
is used to provide the correct operating voltage to the bulb and limit the
current. Traditional (non-electronic) ballasts use tricks in the magnetic
structure of the transformer core to accomplish this rather than the
electronic "smarts" in an electronic ballast.

     -Bill

*****************************
Waveform Technology
UNIX Systems Administrator

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