Re: HV & ballasts

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "davep by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <davep-at-quik-dot-com>

Tesla list wrote:

> Original poster: "Jim Lux by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" 

><jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net>
 
> You just gave me an idea!
> I've been thinking about how to build a "variable ballast

>inductor" that has discrete steps. The idea would be inductors

>switched with relays (ss or electromechanical)... I've always

>been stopped by the pain of building the set of inductors.

> What about using fluorescent ballasts just as that... series

>ballast inductors for a polepig type supply...


	Well, rough numbers:
	40 watt, 4 foot tube, means a ballast to handle
	0.4A (roughly).  Anyone building 0.4A input coils?

	A manyness in Parallel, probably a complex series
	parallel mesh.  Need to design the switching control
	to avoid overloading the inductors.  Need to find a
	manyness of same value, to keep design simple.

> Especially, if you find some of the big ones used in factories

>for the high output 8 foot tubes


	Rule of thumb: 10W per foot of tube.  So that's getting
	on to 1A per ballast.  But.  Most such are 'rapid start'
	single pit tubes, with internal resonant circuit to
	make the spike.  I have this Sneaky Suspicion this would
	make them Very Complicated (==unstable) to work with.
	(and, sometimes, even with two pin lamps, electrically,
	the tubes only use open tube and the rapid start
	ballast.)

>(which are being replaced....)... We used to have a bunch at my

>former work which were 160W (I can't recall if it was 2 tubes at

>160 each (i.e. 320 W all told) or 2 80W tubes..).


	>I think it will be 2x 80W.


> Say they are 320W ballasts... 


	My recollection ( I think good) is that the
	WATTAGE rating is of the ASSEMBLY (lets skip VA
	for a bit??), that is ballast plus lamp.  Lamps run
	40-60VAC, IIR, with the remainder across the ballast.
	I Dunno if they run two lamps in series, i think not:
	stability problems).

	If I'm doing this right in my head, easiest way to
	figure it would be to work with the current: 80W
	implies a bit under 0.8A at 120V (and some industrial
	fluorescents are set up for 240 or 277, so know what's
	being got....)  ANYway, work with the current is
	easiest, i think.

 
> This means that they have to be able to take a continuous current

>of 3-4 Amps (120V fixtures).


	I think otherwise.  cf above.  160W for the assembly,
	means 2x 0.8A ballasts.  Measure one & be sure...

> I think the tubes probably have a voltage drop of 50-60 volts

>after start, so the ballast is dropping some 60 volts


	Concur, unless a 240V or 277 (maybe even 480) ballast.

> and must


	??
	8)>>

> therefore have an impedance of around 10-30 ohms...


	For the 0.8A case ('80W' tube (Yes.  The tube only
	actually dissipates about 40W.  I believe they are
	RATED the other way...)) I think more like 60V/0.8A=
	70 ohmish???.


> I imagine that ballasts are available for the carting away...

> When they get marginal in start performance, they just get

> replaced (obviously, you don't want the ones that exploded,

>overheated, failed catastrophically, etc.)...


	Certainly possible, but I'd check the numbers a bit.
	And i have this image of a manyness in parallel.

	best
	dwp