[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Lights of America "Ballast"
Re:
>At Home Depot around here they sell a $7-10 cheapie by "Lights of America".
>It doesn't have a recognizable ballast but there is this little plastic black
>box (maybe 1/2" x 1" x 1 1/2") inline with the wires inside the channel
>which I suspect is an electronic ballast. No idea how it works though.
>I have used them around the house. They have a different startup signature
>too - sort of a short delay, then a "snap" sound (like a HV spark) and the
>light is on all at once rather than the slightly more gradual ramp-up that
>you usually see.
As I recall, when I use to work as an engineer for the power products
division of Motorola in the early '80's, Lights of America was a start up
company. They used a small device, about the size of a small power diode,
that was called a SIDAC. It is a thyristor that produces a high voltage
spike after a certain trigger voltage is reached. My guess is that they are
using a similar device today.
Lights of America succeeded, but their quality has never been consistent.
At the price that they charge, their testing facilities meet only the
regulatory requirements of UL, etc...
***************
Augustine Rodriguez
Rice Lake, WI, USA