Rapid start vs program start ballast

James Electronic Email : Sales ballastrus. Instant start ballast apply high voltage across the lamp with no preheating of the cathode. Other I. Instant-start electronic ballasts are the most popular type of electronic ballast today because they provide maximum energy savings and they start lamps without delay or flashing.

Since they do not provide lamp electrode heating, fluorescent ballast consume less energy than comparable rapid-start, program rapid-start or programmed-start ballasts. As a result, they provide the most energy efficient solution to fluorescent lamp ballasting.

The instant-start ballast uses 1. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:. Email required Address never made public. Name required. Follow Following. Sign me up.

Already have a WordPress. Rapid start ballasts are normally wired in series so if one lamp fails, all remaining lamps in the circuit cease to operate. Because rapid-start ballasts are grounded, there is typically no actual wire connecting the ballast and reflector — in place of this, contact is made through metal parts of the fixture requiring.

To help with the starting operation, contact between the ballast and metal surface is required about the entire length of the lamps, and of course for safe operation, grounding properly is required. The initial voltage is typically less than that of an instant ballast which will normally use a voltage between volts for F32T8 lamps. With these ballasts, the initial voltage powers an electrical arc inside the lamp and will continue to warm the electrode despite the lamp turning on which creates power drain of between one and half through two watts per lamp.

Older fluorescent light fixtures utilized a magnetic ballast to control the flow of electricity through the light bulbs. If you have an older fixture, you can switch from a magnetic ballast to an electronic ballast in a few minutes with some basic hand tools.

Fluorescent ballasts are manufactured for three primary types of fluorescent lamps: preheat , rapid start, and instant start. Preheat Operation Lamp electrodes are heated prior to initiating the discharge. A 'starter switch' closes, permitting a current to flow through each electrode.

Rapid - Start Linear Lamp Sockets Rapid - start sockets can accept 4 wires 2 for wires from the ballast and 2 for wires to another socket. Note: Instant- start sockets , which can only accept two wires, MUST be replaced with 4-pin rapid - start sockets. Fluorescent Lamp. T8 lamps are designed as rapid- start lamps, as are T12 lamps, and they are capable of being operated on rapid start , programmed rapid start or instant start ballasts.

Electronic T8 ballasts are most commonly instant - start configurations, where there is no cathode heating. All fluorescent tubes need ballasts to operate, but not all LEDs do. Fluorescent lights require a high voltage burst to get started and then something to regulate the power that comes to the tube — the ballast takes care of all of this.

Most T8 LED bulbs do not need a ballast. The only type of LED tube that does require a ballast is plug-and-play tubes. Used as a direct replacement for a fluorescent tube in a fixture, plug-and-play LED tube lights are installed without any rewiring to the fixture, keeping the fluorescent ballast. The most common types are T12, T8, and T5.

Lamp diameter is determined by ballast type. What is the difference between rapid start and instant start ballast? Category: sports sailing.