Magnetic vs. Electronic Ballasts—An Easy Way to Tell Which You Have! (2024)

FAQs

How do I know if I have an electronic or magnetic ballast? ›

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.

An electronic ballast is far more energy efficient than a magnetic ballast. In fact, on average you can expect to use 20% less energy. This advantage can greatly reduce operational cost.

Electronic Ballasts

Compared to their magnetic counterparts, they're smaller, lighter, more efficient and—by supplying power at a much higher frequency—less likely to cause flickering or buzzing sounds. Overall this makes for a more efficient lighting system.

T12 vs T8 Fluorescent Tubes

The main difference between T8 and T12 tubes is the tube's diameter. T12 tubes are 1.5" in diameter while T8s are just one inch. All other things—socket sizes, lengths, distance between pins—are the same.

The act mandated a number of changes in energy policy, including an extension of previous ballast efficiency factor (BEF) standards. These standards are now applied to magnetic ballasts used to light various fluorescent lamps, effectively causing the phase-out of these ballasts in 2010.

The major factor of difference between electricity and magnetism is that electricity is the outcome of the presence and motion of charges thus associated with static or moving charges. On the contrary, magnetism is specifically associated with the charges in motion.

Electronic Ballast Compatible LED Fluorescent Replacement Tubes are a fairly new option. 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.

They are superior in almost every way to the old-style magnetic ballasts. First, they are much more efficient than magnetic ones, as they have finer control over the way the power comes in and goes out of the unit. The efficiency is also partly because they run much cooler.

Reliable integrated circuit electronic ballasts are available in Canada only at 120 volts and 277 volts (US standard). Electromagnetic ballasts are available in 120 and 347 volts. The primary advantage of electronic ballasts is that they draw less power and therefore provide energy savings.

There are two basic types of fluorescent ballasts: magnetic (low frequency) and electronic (high frequency).

Can I put a T8 ballast in a T12 fixture? ›

Waveform Lighting's T8 LED tube lights feature compatibility with all ballast configurations (ballast, ballast bypass single ended, ballast bypass double ended), so they can safely be used in T12 fixtures as long as the T12 ballast is bypassed or removed.

Check the Ballast with a Multimeter

Turn the multimeter to its ohm setting. If you have multiple options available, you'll want it on the X1K option. Insert one probe into the wire connector while holding the white wires together. Touch the other probe to the ends of yellow, red, and blue wires coming from the ballast.

Ballasts for T8 lamps are available for 120 volt (V), 277 V, 240 V, or 347 V operation. Ballast types include magnetic, which operate the lamps at 60 hertz (Hz), cathode-disconnect (also 60 Hz lamp operation), and electronic.

A ballast is commonly used in fluorescent lighting to regulate the current of a lamp and the voltage to start one. The use of electronic light ballasts initially rose in usage during the early to mid 1990's.

And there are two types of ballasts in each family: magnetic and electronic. Magnetic ballasts are the older ballast technology.