Benefit Of PCB Electronic Ballasts Over Electric Ballast
                     Benefit Of PCB Electronic Ballasts Over Electric Ballast
Paul Adam
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A ballast is the big bulky box like structure on fluorescent lamps. The electric 
ballasts of the past have been replaced by PCB based electronic ballasts. The 
conglomeration of PCB technology and electronics has been helpful in achieving 
this.
What a ballast does
The ballasts are used to limit the electric currents in fluorescent lamps. The 
lamps are filled with mercury vapor. Due to negative resistance characteristics 
of the mercury vapor, it draws heavy currents in the lamps, which can destroy 
the lamp. For limiting these dangerous amounts of electric current, ballasts are 
used.
Electrical ballasts
The traditional ballasts used to be either inductive or resistive in nature. 
Inductive ballasts produced high voltages across discharge tubes that ionize the 
gas and limits the amount of current to save the lamp. One of the major 
disadvantages with the ballasts was the frequency at which the lamp operates. 
The electrical ballasts operating at low frequencies affected the performance of 
the lamps. Flicker could be observed in the lamps due to low frequency 
operation. Also, the windings used to be under constant stresses producing an 
irritating humming noise during their operation.
PCB based electronic ballasts
But now the tide has changed and with the development of solid state 
electronics and PCB technology, electronic ballasts are replacing the electrical 
ballasts and the the latter is on the verge of extinction.
The electronic ballasts are based on the principles of SMPS technology, pulse 
width modulation or frequency modulation techniques. The electronic 
components in the form of switching devices like MOSFETs, IGBT or transistor 
and diodes, transformers, etc. are embedded on a PCB. These circuits in 
addition to limiting the amount of current, increase the frequency of the power to 
high levels. As a result, flicker in the lamp is reduced and buzzing sound from 
the ballasts is also eliminated. Due to absence of preheating technique, the 
lamp life is increased.
Advantages of PCB electronic ballasts
With the advent of PCB electronic ballasts, which are relatively small sizes of 
the components, the electronic ballasts have become smaller and lighter than 
electric ballasts.
The lamps have become sleeker and the thickness has been reduced giving the 
same illumination.
They are comparatively inexpensive due to mass production techniques and low 
cost of the components.
Flicker and buzzing in the fluorescent lamps is reduced considerably.
They are more efficient than the electrical ballasts and result in saving of power 
and lead to long life of lamps.
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