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Like in any electric device, the ballast has in relationship with its installation and operation a series of conditions that have to be acomplished, been the most important are the following:
A wrong ballast connection can damage the equipment and can harm people.
Each TRANSMAGNECA ballast has an sticker where is drawn the connection diagram of the ballast and the other system components. This connection diagram has to be strictily followed to garantee a safety operation.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The connection and intallation of the ballast has to be done by authorized people following de given diagrams.
IMPORTANT NOTE: the two terminals of the lamp can not be interchanged. If you change the lamp's connection can surge problems at startup. Changing the two input connection can origin startup problem either.
The extreme heat is the worst ballast's enemy.
The ballasts are electromagnetic devices that generate heat during their normal operation. This heat produces an operation temperature encrease known as "Delta T" which becomes stable after three or four hours of operation. Because this, the illumination device or holding cabinet where the ballast is going to be installed, has to be able to disipate the heat coming from the ballast. Is recommended to hold tight the ballast directly to the metallic case of the illuminating device leaving enough space for the air to flow, so the heat can be disipated.
Another component is the ambient temperature. So the ballast's operating temperature is the sum of two values:
Operating temperature = Delta T + Ambient temperature
The TRANSMAGNECA ballast are designed for an operating emperature of 105°C. The wire used is of the 180°C class. The paper or cardboard, the tape and the varnish all support at least 155°C. Care should be taken so that the ambient temperature wont be higher than 50°C. Besides you have to be careful in not placing the ballast in some way that the heat of the lamp reaches it by radiation or convection to the holding case, to aviod an exesive rise of the temperature.
Some places where frequently are placed illuminating devices, such as:
· Close to metallic roofs · Outdoor place with direct sun impact (close to the sea and desertic zones) · Industrial ambients (with ovens close by, etc.)
The ambient temperature can reach or even exceed 50°C, in these cases the ballasts are exposed to an operating temperature higher than 105°C, what is going to reduce their operating life. For each 10°C of increment on the ambient temperature, the ballast's life is reduced by a half.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Is recomended to check carefully the design of the illuminating device, the ballast holding and the ambient temperature, because these are the most important issues to achieve a long illuminating system life.
The line voltage can affect the life of the ballast, the lamp and the light output of the system.
The TRANSMAGNECA made ballast is designed to hold line voltage variations of ±5%. Applying a voltage higher than the nominal voltage, the ballast's temperature rises, so its life decreases. It has to be tell that for each 1 volt rise in the voltage, the operating temperature can rise 1°C. In the same way, a voltage 5% lower than the nominal will cause a decrease from 10 to 20% of the lamp power and the luminic output. Even though can damage the startup devices (Ignitors or starters). Following is shown a table with the maximum voltage allowed for the ballast usage.
Maximum & minimum voltage allowed tables
| Nominal line voltage (V) | + 5% Maximum (V) | -5% Minimum (V) |
| 120 | 126 | 114 |
| 208 | 218 | 197 |
| 220 | 231 | 209 |
| 240 | 252 | 228 |
| 277 | 291 | 263 |
| 380 | 399 | 361 |
| 440 | 462 | 418 |
| 460 | 483 | 437 |
| 480 | 504 | 456 |
IMPORTANT NOTE: Is recomended before installing the illuminating device to the voltage, make a measure with the right instrument (Voltimeter) and verify that the voltage isn't 5% higher or lower than the nominal voltage. Is recomended to take various measures during the day and night.
The use of a lamp not specified, could damage seriously the ballast an the lamp.
Every TRANSMAGNECA ballast has an sticker where besides the connection diagram, is specified the kind of lamp to be use. Is epecified in the upper right corner. when are used ballasts designed for starter operated lamps (sodium and some metal-halide) care have to be taken for not to use an old lamp or at the end of its life. Under this condition, the current flowing thru the ballast is almost twice the current under normal operation and the starter keeps on trying to start the lamp until it stops operating. In this situation the ballast ages fast and can get damaged in shot time.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The ballast should be connected to the lamp specified on the sticker, and this shouldn't be aged or at the end of its useful life.
A poor tightening of the ballast, the resonant caracteristics of the materials where it's placed to or a high line voltage cause excesive noise.
The ballasts are electromagnetic devices made of iron sheets. these are thin metallic sheets over where the copper wire coil is placed. Because of the electromagnetic field aroud the coil contracts and expands during each electrical cycle, the sheet attract and repel each other, and because this process, they vibrate, what produces the device to buzz, if there isn't taken care in the design of the ballast. The TRANSMAGNECA ballasts are electricaly designed for the effect described before doesn't produce excesive noise. Besides they are deeped in dielectric varnish that gets between the sheets and stops the vibrating effect.
But are external factors that can cause the ballast to make noise:
Bad tightening of the ballast to the illuminating device · Poor illuminating device desing, like loose parts · High line voltage · Holding material
All the mentioned above depend on the way the illuminating system is installed.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The ballast should be placed with all its bases to the illuminating device, and check for loose parts or bad tighten and not to place this in acousticaly resonant surfaces (wood ceilings, metal sheets, etc.)
A wrong handling of the ballast, strong hits or falls, a bad storage and/or transport can decalibrate and deteriorate the equipment.
The TRANSMAGNECA ballasts are adjusted to operate correctly, but may decalibrate if are hitten or handled improperly. The ballasts should be handled and stored having in mind that they are fragile equipment.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The ballasts should be handled carefully, avioding hits and falls, as too violent movements transporting them.
