Philips Electromagnetic Lamp manual

Main ballast functions In chapter 2.1 of this Guide: General aspects, section 2.1: Main ballast functions, the main functions of ballasts ha ve been described.The term ‘ballasts’ is generally r eser ved f or current limiting devices, including resistors, chok e coils and (autoleak) transformers. Other pieces of auxiliar y equipment ar e compens[...]

In the case of electromagnetic contr ol gear , a combination of preheating and a high ignition peak is obtained by using a normal chok e ballast and a preheat starter or an electronic ignitor . Energy is supplied to the discharge in the form of electrons. The lamp curr ent, just lik e the mains voltage, is sinusoidal, with a frequency of 50 or 60 H[...]

that the no-load voltage need be no mor e than 25 to 30 per cent higher than the lamp voltage. This is also the proportion of the pow er dissipated by the ballast compar ed to the total circuit pow er . 2 Capacitor ballasts A capacitor used as a ballast causes only v er y little losses, but cannot be used by itself, as this would giv e rise to very[...]

The most important value for stabilisation is the ballast impedance . It is expressed as v oltage/current ratio in ohm ( Ω ) and defined for a certain mains voltage, mains frequency and calibration cur r ent (normall y the nominal lamp curr ent). Chok es can be used for vir tuall y all discharge lamps, pro vided that one condition is fulfilled: t[...]

- rated voltage, capacitance and tolerance of separate series capacitor . In the documentation can be found: - weight, - ov erall and mounting dimensions, - pow er factor ( λ , P .F . or cos ϕ ), - compensating capacitor value and v oltage for λ = 0.85 or 0.9, - mains curr ent nominal and during running-up, both with and without pow er factor co[...]

Another value mark ed on the ballast is the coil temperature rise ∆ t. This is the differ ence between the absolute coil temperature and the ambient temperature in standar d conditions and is measured by a method specified in IEC Publ. 920 (EN 60920). Common values for ∆ t are fr om 50 to 70 degrees in steps of 5 degr ees. The coil temperature [...]

As in some applications the po w er consumption is of prime importance, there ar e low-loss ballasts for the major lamp types ‘TL ’D 18, 36 and 58 W ( BT A**L31L W). The 18 and 36 W L W ballasts are bigger than the standard types, resulting in lo wer ballast temperatures and 25 to 30 per cent less ballast watt losses. Due to practical restricti[...]

starting process again until the lamp ignites. If the lamp will not ignite (end of life) the starter will continue producing peaks (flick ering) until the mains voltage is s witched off or until the electrodes of the glow- switch starter stick together . In the latter case the shor t-cir cuit curr ent is continuously running through the lamp electr[...]

2 Electronic starters In principle the electronic starter or ignitor is working in the same manner as the glow-switch starter . But now the switching does not come from bi-metallic electr odes, but from a triac. The electronic cir cuit in the starter gives a well-defined pr eheat time (1.7 sec) for the lamp electr odes and, after the preheat, a wel[...]

Information about lamps can be found in the lamp documentation, where also the type of lampholder or lamp ca p is mentioned. Be sure to use the appr opriate lampholder , as there are man y different types. Lamp types with differ ent wattage are in principle not interchangeable in a certain circuit, ev en though they ma y hav e the same lamp cap and[...]

T o do things well, some aspects hav e to be considered: - First of all, capacitors for discharge lamp cir cuits hav e to fulfil the requir ements as specified in IEC publications 1048 and 1049.The use of PCB (chlorinated biphenyl) is f orbidden. - It is recommended that ca pacitors which hav e some approval marks, such as VDE, KEMA, DEMK O or ENEC[...]

Capacitors for lighting a pplications must hav e a discharge resistor connected across the terminals to ensur e that the capacitor voltage is less than 50 V within 1 minute after switching off the mains po wer . In special cases the voltage le vel must be 35 V within 1 second, see IEC 598-8.2.7. Filter coils In some countries, including Belgium, th[...]

There ar e other advantages to be gained from emplo ying filter coils. The parallel capacitor can cause tr oublesome switching phenomena to occur , which can give rise to v er y large curr ent surges. Although these surges are of onl y ver y short duration (a few milliseconds), they are ne vertheless sufficient to cause switching rela ys to stick o[...]

This can be seen in Fig. 111, which is showing the lamp current I l , the lamp voltage V l (both in phase with each other) and the sinus form of the mains voltage V m . The pow er factor of the circuit can be calculated by dividing the total wattage by the pr oduct of mains voltage and curr ent. In formula: P. F. = ( W l + W b )/(V m .I m ) (1) Wit[...]

ballast, the capacitor curr ent is leading 90 electrical degrees to the capacitor v oltage (which is the mains voltage). So the capacitor curr ent has the opposite direction of I l sin ϕ (see Fig. 114). Maximum compensation is achiev ed when the current thr ough the capacitor I c = I l sin ϕ ; then the pow er factor is 1. This is purely theoretic[...]

The series capacitor has an impedance which is twice the normal ballast impedance, resulting in a po wer factor of appr ox. 0.5 capacitive for one branch. T ogether with the pow er factor of 0.5 inductive f or the other branch, the total pow er factor of the two branches is appr ox. 0.95. With a normal 230 V supply , the voltage acr oss the capacit[...]

Mains voltage 90 % 100 % 110 % Circuit Ind. Cap . Ind. Cap. Ind. Cap . Z ballast ( Ω ) 440 440 400 400 360 360 Z capacitor ( Ω ) 800 800 800 Z result ( Ω ) 440 360 400 400 360 440 Theref ore the beha viour of the inductive and capacitive branch of a duo-circuit is diff er ent at mains voltage deviations and de viations of the ambient temperat[...]

Parallel connection of two lamps on a common ballast is impossible because of the negative characteristic of the fluor escent lamp. All the curr ent would flow thr ough the lamp with the lower ar c voltage. Moreo ver , once the first lamp is ignited the lamp v oltage is too low for the ignitor of the second lamp to ignite this lamp . Neutral interr[...]

This mak es 1000 + 250 = 1250 Ω . So the curr ent will be 400 / 1250 = 0.32 A. The voltage acr oss R1 will be 0.32 . 1000 = 320 V (V = I . R), so the pow er in R1 will be 320 . 0.32 = 102 W . The voltage acr oss the four parallel resistors is 0.32 . 250 = 80 V , so the pow er in each resistor is 80 . 0.08 = 6.4 W . Now it is seen that the smaller[...]

N S S B B ‘TL’D ‘TL’D C B C L N La V B C L N La La V V B C La L N 37 5 126 3.6 Neutral interruption and r esonance Electrical diagrams Fig. 121. Resonance in a star -networ k. 1) One lamp, inductive or compensated with electronic or glow-switch starter ‘TL ’, ‘TL ’D , ‘TL ’E, ‘TL ’U, PL-L, PL-T , PL-T(S)(C) 4-pins 2) T wo la[...]

B C La La L N B B C L N La V La V B B C L N La V La V V V La La B C * C L N La La B C * C L N La La V V B C L N La B C L N La V V 5 127 3.7 Electrical diagrams 7) Duo-circuit, four lamps, with electronic or glow-switch starter ‘TL ’D , PL-L 4) T wo lamps, inductive or compensated without starter PL-S, PL-C (star ter incorpor ated) 5) One or two[...]

Mains voltage interruptions and shor t-circuiting For various r easons, the supply v oltage can be subject to deviations; theref ore a certain degree of deviation fr om the rated value has been tak en into account everywhere. With gas-discharge lamps deviations of up to +/- 10 per cent of the rated supply v oltage normally hav e no detrimental effe[...]

The second reason f or the presence of harmonics in the lamp current is the h ysteresis of the ballast coil. With the aid of the relationship between ballast v oltage and ballast current (B-H curve of the ballast coil, see Fig. 124), the resulting cur rent can be found for an y ballast voltage. Even with a pur e sine-wav e ballast voltage there wil[...]

International requir ements hav e been made for the proportion of the harmonics in supply mains curr ents. According to EN 60921, for lighting equipment ha ving an input power >25 W the maximum percentage of harmonics for the input curr ent are: second harmonic: 5 % third harmonic: 30 . P .F . %, where P .F . = power factor of the cir cuit fifth[...]

Electromagnetic interfer ence Discharge lamps do not only emit visible radiation, they also generate radio-frequency energy in the radio spectrum. This can cause disturbance of the operation of electr onic equipment such as computer k eyboards, television or radio r eceivers, hence the name radio interference . As the luminaires in which the lamps [...]

Fig. 126 shows an example of a delta filter used for suppr essing radio interfer ence . The apex of the filter m ust be connected to the ground. More complicated filters ar e used in three-phase networks. Av oid ear th looping (all earth terminals to one point) and create maximum distance betw een audio and lighting cabling. If audio and lighting c[...]

Ambient and operating temper atures T emperature is of prime importance for the proper functioning of discharge lamps (Fig. 127a/b). In general, fluorescent lamps ar e very sensitive to changes in the ambient temperatur e (see section 3.6: Effects of temperatur e). For the total system the ambient temperatur e also is of great importance , due to t[...]

Once ignited, the lamp warms up its surroundings and, after run-up, the low ambient temperatur e has less influence on the electrical performance. Still, the light output varies with the actual tube wall temperature. Capacitiv e cir cuits give less light at low temperatur es than inductive cir cuits due to the constant-current characteristic of the[...]

2) Gear a) Ballasts The main ballast temperature parameters t w (maxim um permissible coil temperature) and ∆ t (coil temperatur e rise in standard test) are described in section 5.1.6. Ballasts are normall y mounted dir ectly inside a luminaire. The actual ballast coil temperature in practice depends on the cooling properties of the ballast surr[...]

In outdoor applications a natural air cir culation around the luminaire is assumed, which gives a cooling effect of about 10 ºC. The same luminaire with an indoor ambient temperatur e limit of 25 ºC , will in practice ha ve an outdoor ambient temperature limit of 35 ºC. If for outdoor luminair es an ambient temperatur e t a is given, it refers t[...]

Due to the constant-curr ent characteristic of the capacitiv e circuit, the influence of mains voltage de viations is less than with the inductive circuit (see Fig. 130). Electrical wiring The electrical wiring in a luminaire m ust be such as to ensure its electrical safety . This necessitates gr eat care both in the choice of wir e used and in its[...]

The diameter (or rather the cross-sectional ar ea) of the wire must be matched to the strength of the cur rent flowing thr ough it. A wire whose area is too small has a r esistance that is too high and it will become warm, the resulting heat loss r educing the efficiency of the luminaire. A minimum nominal cr oss-sectional area of 0.5 mm 2 is laid [...]

protection can be obtained b y cov ering the insulation with a glass-fibre sleev e . In order to k eep the chances of heat damage to the insulation to a minimum, the wiring run is so chosen as to a void as far as possible an y ‘hot spots’ in the luminaire, such as ballast or lampholders. The cable fasteners used to hold the wiring in place shou[...]

Dimming Dimming can be defined as the r eduction of the luminous flux of a lamp , either continuousl y or in steps, by r educing the operating cur rent.This is not alwa ys possible without adversely aff ecting the performance of the lamp . Basically , dimming is achiev ed in one of the f ollo wing wa ys (see Fig. 134): - by switching a (variable) r[...]

- with the th yristor circuit the moment of curr ent suppressing must be differ ent for the inductive and the capacitiv e branch due to the phase shift, which is impossible to r ealise in one and the same device. During dimming only the lamp cur rent will decr ease and the capacitor curr ent will remain the same. The result is that the power factor[...]

Stroboscopic effect and striations For this subject, see also section Lamps, 3.10. 1. A fluorescent lamp operating on an alternating cur rent will exhibit a fluctuating light output, because the lamp extinguishes and restrik es ev er y half cycle of the supply . So this light ripple has a fixed (mains) frequency and can cause the str oboscopic effe[...]

2. The light ripple can also ha ve an effect on the quality of camera pictures.This phenomenon ma y become a pparent when CCD colour cameras operate in auto-shutter mode and the lighting of the area is predominantl y with fluorescent lamps, The auto-shutter mode is normally selected when cameras ar e equipped with manual or fix ed iris lenses and t[...]

frame is shot during the non-saturated excitation of the fluorescent light, see Fig. 139. It can be said, that the light at this point in time is not white and the light output is less. If the phase of the camera shutter remains constant with respect to the mains phase, the automatic light control and the white balance circuits in the camera will c[...]

depends on sev eral factors, including lamp position, supply voltage, temperature, age of the lamp (electrode) and also of the lamp curr ent wa ve form (peak factor). 4. Striations are noticeable as a pattern of mor e or less bright regions in the long discharge tube of fluorescent lamps. The pattern can mov e through the discharge tube. It can app[...]

The same applies to main cir cuit break ers (MCB’ s). Although the switching characteristics of MCB types ar e laid down in recommendations lik e CEE-19-2 nd edition, the various characteristics of differ ent types and brands can differ considerably . Circuit br eakers ar e tested and calibrated to carry 100 per cent of their rated curr ent in op[...]

Information on what lighting load a certain MCB can handle ma y be given b y the MCB supplier , pr ovided information about the cabling la y-out, lamp type and circuit is a vailable. As a guide , a practical value for the figure (1) of the 10 A MCB type C represents 1500 W lighting load with the conv entional gear . 2 Non-standard conditions A fluo[...]

3) Shor t-circuiting of the ignitor At the end of the lifetime of a glow-switch starter the bimetal electrodes will stick together and will not re-open again. Then the short-circuit curr ent will continuously flow thr ough the lamp electr odes, resulting in strong lamp end black ening and a hot ballast. This effect often can be found in practice if[...]

Earth leakage currents in lighting cir cuits depend on the quality of all system components and on the circumstances (humidity , dust, age). With respect to luminair es, IEC 598 restricts these currents to 0.5 or 1 mA, depending on the insulation classification. The ear th connection ma y consist of an earth lead or the capacitance between the lumi[...]

- tube black ening, - lamp type and wattage must corr espond to that required b y ballast label, - lamp orientation designation incorr ect for application (base up, base down). 1B: Visual inspection of components - damaged ballast, star ter or ca pacitor , - evidence of moistur e or excessive heat, - loose, disconnected, pinched or fra yed leads, -[...]

Fault IV: lamp flickers. • Possible cause: - lamp operating voltage too high, end of lamp life , - low supply v oltage , check ballast connection, - burning position out of specification. Fault V: strong black ening of lamp, light output reduction. • Possible cause: - ov erload operation, - wiring / ballast defect, - capacitor acr oss lamp inst[...]

If the mains curr ent is about half the lamp current, the capacitor is in order , resulting in a pow er factor of appr ox. 0.9. 2) Disconnect capacitor fr om circuit and discharge by short-circuiting terminals. Check capacitor with ohmmeter set at highest r esistance scale . If the meter indicates a very low resistance which then graduall y increas[...]

For saf ety and g ood ignition, earthing of the luminaires and the electrical system can be essential. Check the system’ s current to real earth (see section 5.3.18: Ear th leakage). The v oltage between r eal ear th and the neutral conductor is not limited b y saf ety regulations, but lies normally between 0 and 6 V . Apart from these electrical[...]

Non-standard supply v oltages In combination with the corr ect gear , fluorescent lamps can function perfectly on a wide range of suppl y voltages. The luminaire itself is not limited to certain supply voltages either . For non-standar d voltages appr opriate gear components should be selected: - Ballasts ha ve to be designed f or the pr oper suppl[...]