Re: [APD] Ballast electronic or magnetic?

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

This is what I suspected but the claim presented was more sweeping. The claim wasn't that the new ballast could get some bulbs to light that will no longer light on a potted coil ballast because they can produce a stronger sartup voltage and don't rely on filament preheating. The claim was that it would light dead bulbs. The phrasing squeezed credulity so tightly on could wondered if the shine was snake oil. I'm sure that's not what Sexton meant to do, hence my questions. 

Being careful about grand claims is important. One ballast maker said it's very expensive could light up a bulb to 100% illumination and require only half the power. Turns out what really happens is the ballast drives a VHO at about half power which yields about the same light output as an NO bulb. The bulb lasts longer but there's little if any savings -- especialy since VHOs cost so much more than NO bulbs and you need more of them to get VHO levels of output.

Have plants, have fun,
sh
 
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----- Original Message ----
From: Raj <rajendrakumargg at gmail_com>
To: aquatic plants digest <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
Sent: Saturday, December 2, 2006 12:28:02 AM
Subject: Re: [APD] Ballast electronic or magnetic?


>I am curious about the sweeping claim that it will light dead bulbs. What does it mean to say it works on a dead bulb? One with a broken filament? One with a gas leak? One with too little mercury left to vaporise? One that's broken in half or that has bad pins? I guess the better question is, "What are the necessary and sufficient bulb conditions for it to light a bulb?"

        These cold start electronic ballasts will light a tube light that fails to start up with a inductive ballast (goes "blink-blink" :-) ). It works with *some* tubes with blackened ends. As the tube ages further the units consume more electricity.. all other dead tubes will require a divine intervention!

Raj 

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