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Associate

Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
Posts: 26

Electronic Ballast Runs HPSV But Not MH Lamp

07/10/2009 10:16 AM

We have an electronic ballast that perfectly ignites and runs a 250w HPSV lamp.But when the same ballast is connected to a 250w MH lamp, the lamp flashes periodically but does not run. In other words, ignition takes place but the arc is not sustained. What could be the reason ? Both lamps work equally well when run with a conventional core and coil ballast and superimposed ignitor.

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Guru
United States - Member - New Member

Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Alabama
Posts: 1604
Good Answers: 63
#1

Re: Electronic Ballast Runs HPSV But Not MH Lamp

07/10/2009 11:34 AM

MH bulbs and SV bulbs are not made the same way and neither are the ballast that run them.

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Power-User
New Zealand - Member - Kiwi

Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Posts: 328
Good Answers: 29
#2

Re: Electronic Ballast Runs HPSV But Not MH Lamp

07/10/2009 4:37 PM

With an old-fashioned inductor ballast, you would probably get away with this, albeit with a mismatch that wouldn't do your MH bulb a lot of good.

Your electronic ballast is a lot smarter than an inductor ballast, and almost certainly has protection circuitry built into it, and it is this protection that is stopping the lamp from operating.

IIRC, sodium bulbs operate with a terminal (that's across the bulb ternimals) voltage of about 90V when new, and this rises to around 130V when the bulb is on its last legs. A MH bulb operates at about 145V when new, again rising as the bulb ages. The protection circuit will pick up on this and kill power to the bulb if it is too high.

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paulusgnome
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