Comparison of Magnetic Ballast and Electronic Ballast (2024)

FAQs

Comparison of Magnetic Ballast and Electronic Ballast? ›

Additionally, electronic ballasts are more environmentally friendly, as they produce less heat and noise than magnetic ballasts. Electronic ballasts clearly outperform magnetic ballasts in terms of efficiency, versatility, and overall lighting quality.

Electronic ballasts are composed of several electronic components which act together as a switching power supply. The electronic ballast can send an electrical current up to 50,000 pulses per second to the lamp compared to 100 to 120 pulses per second by the magnetic ballast (USEPA, 2003).

Fortunately, compatibility isn't really an issue, as most electronic ballasts have been designed to replace existing magnetic ballasts. A preferable electronic ballast is the T8 model. This option has several advantages over the T10 and T12, including improved lighting efficiency.

Instant Start Ballast

This is the most efficient type of ballast. With instant start ballasts you must know the burn time of your lamps. Instant-start is a good choice for applications where the lamps burn for 6 hours or more.

An electronic ballast can be smaller and lighter than a comparably rated magnetic one. An electronic ballast is usually quieter than a magnetic one, which produces a line-frequency hum by vibration of the core laminations.

Higher Energy Efficiency

Electronic ballasts are known for their superior energy efficiency compared to magnetic ballasts. Electronic ballasts convert electricity more efficiently, resulting in less energy loss during conversion.

Many manufacturers have already ceased production of magnetic ballasts in anticipation of the phase-out. Energy efficient ballasts are a cornerstone in the effort to decrease energy consumption.

Ballast factor determines the light output of the lamps. For example, lamps powered by a . 88 ballast factor will produce less light than if they are powered by an equivalent ballast with a factor of 1.2. The ballast factor is primarily a determination of light output, but it also has an impact on energy consumption.

Flickering fluorescent tubes can cause the ballast to overheat and fail prematurely! Causes of Ballast Failure: Premature ballast failure is usually caused by the surrounding environment. Heat and moisture are enemies #1 and #2 to your ballast.

Consider Lighting Requirements and Lamp Compability

Before choosing ballasts, check your lamp types. Different ballasts are designed for different lamp types, such as T5, T8, or T12 fluorescent lamps and HID lamps. Be sure to check the manufacturer's specifications for recommended lamp types and wattages.

How can you tell if an electronic ballast is bad? ›

When a ballast starts failing, it will typically buzz or causes the bulbs to flicker. These issues can sometimes happen while it is operating as expected, so it's important to check the equipment before assuming a replacement is necessary.

Philips Advance fluorescent electronic and magnetic ballasts are designed and manufactured to engineering standards correlating to an average life expectancy of 50,000 hours of operation at maximum rated case temperature.

There are three main ballast start types: Instant Start Ballasts (IS), Rapid Start Ballasts (RS) and Programmed Start Ballasts (PS). Understanding these three features is critical when designing an application or device that utilizes UV-C lamps.

Method One - Use your smart phone camera. Stand under the light or a place close to the light and point your cell phone camera at the light. If you can see some strong dark strips flickering in your camera, it must be a magnetic ballast based light. Otherwise it should be an electronic ballast based light.

As is suggested by the name, they are intended to work with electronic ballast installations. So they won't function without ballasts or with magnetic ballasts.