Originally posted by Big Daddy Kane:
Originally posted by Goonz SVT:
Originally posted by NO 4 EVR:
I kinda know what they are, and I have read the wiki article before, but I still dont understand something with HIDs

This is an arc type light method if I am not mistaken? so is it just a bright electical current passing jumping a gap between two conductors spaced slightly apart? Something like this????? guess I need a pic or technical explanation



yes, regulated current comes through the ballast into the bulb..



Uh oh... check out this smart guy!

The ballast does 2 things, starting and regulating.

Since there is a gap between the 2 electrodes in the tube, there is a lot of resistance. The starting part of the ballast provides a spike of voltage to overcome the gap.

Then the regulating part of the ballast kicks in. It is like a constant current type transformer that, obviously, keeps the current constant to maintain the arc (while the voltage can vary). You need this regulation since the resistance of the lamp goes down quick once you've initiated the arc. So if there isn't any regulation, the bulb will just keep drawing power until it destroys itself (or destroying the power source).

Ballast on Wikipedia



im sorry for not knowing alot about HID's

#0009