How To Articles
Interesting articles about HID Lighting
How Does HID Lighting Work? By Diane Newsom
HID, or high definition, lamps are typically required when high levels of light are needed to cover large areas. They are the lights you see at
ballgames and theme parks, at stadiums and in gyms.
There is a high demand for HID lamps because of their efficiency on a wide scale and their ability to clearly cover huge areas. They come in
several versions: mercury vapor lamps, metal halide lamps, and standard high-pressure sodium lights.
Mercury vapor lamps were the first commercially available high definition lamps (HID). They are swiftly becoming outdated by newer more
efficient counterparts like high-pressure sodium lamps and metal halide lamps.
High-pressure sodium lamps generally emit a more yellowish light, but are available with whiter light. They are usually the most efficient, and
thus most commonly used, type of HID light. Metal halide lamps produce a beautifully white, natural light, but are also less efficient.
How do HID lamps produce light?
High intensity discharge lamps produce light when the gases inside the fused alumina tube are heated to the point of evaporation. Tungsten
electrodes are kept in the alumina tube, and when the metal elements begin to heat up, they strike the tungsten electrodes, creating an arc of
light.
Similar to fluorescent lights, HID lamps need a ballast (a device used to start gas discharge in a lamp and limit the flow of electrical current) to
even start producing heat. If they don’t have the ballast, the reaction won’t begin, and there won’t be any light.
What are tungsten electrodes?
Tungsten is a chemical element that is known for its high melting point and robust physical characteristics. It is used widely in electrical
applications like lighting because of these properties. It is a hard, non-alloy metal that ranges in color from steel gray to tin white. It is shaped,
or “drawn” into the very thin metal wires you see inside a light bulb.
What applications are there for HID lamps?
There are numerous applications for HID. They are in high demand in areas that require lots of lights, like stadiums, football fields,
warehouses, parking lots, roadways, sidewalks, and more.
However, they have come into habitual use in smaller areas as well, such as department stores, houses, indoor gardening, and a number of
other applications. Because of their bright, natural light, HID lamps can also cause those extra bright headlights blinding you across the road.
They are such a powerful light source, in fact, that high definition lights have come into use on the airbus 380- super jumbo airplane.
Diane Newsom writes for the uk Lights. Please visit us for more information on website to buy HID Lighting.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Newsom
How To Maintain Your Ballast And Help Lengthen Its Life By Susan Slobac
Smart individuals who practice hydroponic gardening understand the value of using HID lamps and HPS lights. Each of these types of lights
that are used in the greenhouse or home require a ballast for their proper function. Correct maintenance of your hydroponics equipment will
help ensure its long life, thereby saving you money.
High Intensity Discharge lights are favored by horticulturists and gardeners because they produce more light and a greater intensity of light
than other types of lamps. These lights consist of a quartz or alumina inner tube within a glass lamp. Inside this tube you will find tungsten
electrodes, gas, and metals. When you turn the electricity on, an electrical arc flows over the electrodes. The gas inside the tube helps illuminate
the lamp initially, and the metal produces a continuous light as long as the electricity stays on. A ballast is used to control the flow of the
electrical current to the HID bulb. With no ballast, uncontrolled current would flow into the bulb unchecked, blowing up the bulb, so the
ballast is vital to its proper operation.
When you are using artificial light indoors to grow plants, what you are trying to do is imitate the light that would ordinarily come from
natural sunlight. Plants use this light to produce food for the plant, to ensure its proper growth and reproductive functions. Light falls into
two broad spectrums in relation to plant growth. The blue spectrum is used by plants when they are in the early stages of growing. The red
and orange spectrums facilitate a plant's ability to produce flowers, which occurs in later stages of growth. In terms of led grow lights, none of
this light would be possible without the use of a ballast.
Although magnetic ballasts were first used with HID lights, electronic and digital ballasts have gained in popularity. They offer a greater degree
of control over the electrical current, with the electrical and digital units helping the light systems to function at a greater efficiency for a lower
cost than is possible with a magnetic ballast. They are less bulky and have a lower weight than magnetic ballasts, and also run much quieter
and start quicker than the magnetic units.
As is typical with many types of electronic circuitry, one aspect of maintenance of the ballast that is crucial is to run the ballast at the proper
temperature level. To neglect this one simple fact is to greatly reduce the life of your ballast. You can lengthen the effective life of the electrical
ballast by ensuring that the ambient temperature is cooler than the recommended fixture temperature. You can as much as double the life of
your ballast easily by cooling the air around it.
In this article, Susan Slobac discusses maintaining and caring for your ballast. Since discovering how easy it is to grow food all year round,
indoor gardening has become a way of life for her. Susan features seasoned advice to help aid you in choosing the right hydroponic gardening
equipment for your needs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Slobac
Testing a Transformer - How To Accurately Test A Transformer By Jestine Yong
There is two types of transformers in the market- linear transformer and switch mode power transformer. The transformers design is different.
Sometimes it is just referred as ac transformer. Linear transformer mostly used in radio, project kits, VCD and etc while switch mode
transformer can be found in Monitor, Tv, Fax and so on.
A transformer consists of two or more coils wound on the same core. For power transformers, the core material is usually iron. For a radio-
frequency transformer, the core material is usually ferrite or air. The basic property of a transformer is to change AC voltage. A transformer
cannot change direct current voltage. A step down transformer has a lower AC output voltage at its secondary winding than the AC input
voltage to its primary winding. Conversely, a step up transformer has a higher secondary than primary voltage. The transformer laminations
or coating of shellac, enamel or varnish is to insulate adjacent turns from shorts between winding. I will not go too details about how
transformer work and transformer calculation as you can read more details from most electrical and electronic transformers books.
How to test transformers: Transformer failures are relatively rare in most electronic equipment, compared with other components. If too much
current goes through a coil or winding, the winding heats up and can either open up completely, or the insulation between turns of wire can
break down, causing the coil to be partly or completely shorted.
Just like a coil, you can check continuity of any primary or secondary transformer winding. The actual value of DC resistance you read is
rather meaningless, but at least you will know whether a winding is open. Checking linear transformer is quite straight forward. Apply the ac
voltage to the primary winding and expect output voltage at the secondary side. No or low output voltage means the transformer winding has
open or shorted winding. Look for any evidence of overheating, such as darkened or blackened areas or a burnt smell.
About how to test a power transformer-it is a little bit complicated. You cannot apply ac voltage to the equipment and expect the desire output
at the secondary side without connect to load otherwise over voltage will happen (because you have removed all the secondary load) and will
blow the power section which consist of power fet, pwm ic and etc. Switch mode power supply are designed to run with load while linear
transformer can be test without load.
The best way to test a switch mode power transformer is first remove it from the board. Check only the primary winding as secondary winding
failures are exceedingly rare. How do we know which one is the primary winding? Trace from the big filter cap the positive pin to see where the
circuit goes. It will go to one of the pin of the transformer. Then look for the power fet middle pin which is the Drain and it will lead to another
pin of the transformer. This two pins is the primary winding of the transformer. Checking the resistance of the primary winding only can
reveal whether it is open but it cannot check if it has developed a shorted winding. Only by using a ringer test you will know if it shorted or
not. A shorted turn in the primary winding can cause the power section to blow.
The cheapest ringer tester that i came across is Dick Smith LOPT METER or flyback tester. Just connect the probes to the primary winding and
the result are instantly seen from the Led bar graph. 4-8 bar represent a good winding, 1-2 bar represent partial short and if the led goes off
means there is a heavy short in the winding. Besides checking the transformer it can be use to check B+ COIL, horizontal yoke coil and flyback
primary winding and ballast (choke).
The expensive ringer tester is from sencore equipment. Sencore LC102 and LC103C besides checking capacitor it also have the capability to check
all kind of winding. Whether it is a low voltage transformer, high voltage transformer, current transformer, pulse transformer, electric
transformer, custom transformer this equipment will be able to check and test it.
If you do not wish to invest on this tester you may use a light bulb to check it. Remove one of the primary winding pin and connect a 60 watt
light bulb. One end to the circuit while the other to the transformer pin. If the bulb light and didn't goes off suspect a shorted winding and if
the light goes off, the winding is ok.
Transformer repair is not easy and it require a good skill to do it. Most of the transformer repairer preferred to rewind bigger winding such as
fan, car alternator and starter. Switch mode power transformer is a little bit difficult to rewind because of the small size and low price.
Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and a writer. For more information about how you can test electronic components like a professional please
visit his website at http://www.testingelectroniccomponents.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jestine_Yong
You can also find more info on Outdoor Low Voltage Lighting and Outdoor Solar Landscape Lighting. Outdoorlightinghelp.com is a
comprehensive resource to know about Outdoor Lighting.
How Does HID Lighting Work? By Diane Newsom
HID, or high definition, lamps are typically required when high levels of light are needed to cover large areas. They are the lights you see at
ballgames and theme parks, at stadiums and in gyms.
There is a high demand for HID lamps because of their efficiency on a wide scale and their ability to clearly cover huge areas. They come in
several versions: mercury vapor lamps, metal halide lamps, and standard high-pressure sodium lights.
Mercury vapor lamps were the first commercially available high definition lamps (HID). They are swiftly becoming outdated by newer more
efficient counterparts like high-pressure sodium lamps and metal halide lamps.
High-pressure sodium lamps generally emit a more yellowish light, but are available with whiter light. They are usually the most efficient, and
thus most commonly used, type of HID light. Metal halide lamps produce a beautifully white, natural light, but are also less efficient.
How do HID lamps produce light?
High intensity discharge lamps produce light when the gases inside the fused alumina tube are heated to the point of evaporation. Tungsten
electrodes are kept in the alumina tube, and when the metal elements begin to heat up, they strike the tungsten electrodes, creating an arc of
light.
Similar to fluorescent lights, HID lamps need a ballast (a device used to start gas discharge in a lamp and limit the flow of electrical current) to
even start producing heat. If they don’t have the ballast, the reaction won’t begin, and there won’t be any light.
What are tungsten electrodes?
Tungsten is a chemical element that is known for its high melting point and robust physical characteristics. It is used widely in electrical
applications like lighting because of these properties. It is a hard, non-alloy metal that ranges in color from steel gray to tin white. It is shaped,
or “drawn” into the very thin metal wires you see inside a light bulb.
What applications are there for HID lamps?
There are numerous applications for HID. They are in high demand in areas that require lots of lights, like stadiums, football fields,
warehouses, parking lots, roadways, sidewalks, and more.
However, they have come into habitual use in smaller areas as well, such as department stores, houses, indoor gardening, and a number of
other applications. Because of their bright, natural light, HID lamps can also cause those extra bright headlights blinding you across the road.
They are such a powerful light source, in fact, that high definition lights have come into use on the airbus 380- super jumbo airplane.
Diane Newsom writes for the uk Lights. Please visit us for more information on website to buy HID Lighting.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Newsom
How To Maintain Your Ballast And Help Lengthen Its Life By Susan Slobac
Smart individuals who practice hydroponic gardening understand the value of using HID lamps and HPS lights. Each of these types of lights
that are used in the greenhouse or home require a ballast for their proper function. Correct maintenance of your hydroponics equipment will
help ensure its long life, thereby saving you money.
High Intensity Discharge lights are favored by horticulturists and gardeners because they produce more light and a greater intensity of light
than other types of lamps. These lights consist of a quartz or alumina inner tube within a glass lamp. Inside this tube you will find tungsten
electrodes, gas, and metals. When you turn the electricity on, an electrical arc flows over the electrodes. The gas inside the tube helps illuminate
the lamp initially, and the metal produces a continuous light as long as the electricity stays on. A ballast is used to control the flow of the
electrical current to the HID bulb. With no ballast, uncontrolled current would flow into the bulb unchecked, blowing up the bulb, so the
ballast is vital to its proper operation.
When you are using artificial light indoors to grow plants, what you are trying to do is imitate the light that would ordinarily come from
natural sunlight. Plants use this light to produce food for the plant, to ensure its proper growth and reproductive functions. Light falls into
two broad spectrums in relation to plant growth. The blue spectrum is used by plants when they are in the early stages of growing. The red
and orange spectrums facilitate a plant's ability to produce flowers, which occurs in later stages of growth. In terms of led grow lights, none of
this light would be possible without the use of a ballast.
Although magnetic ballasts were first used with HID lights, electronic and digital ballasts have gained in popularity. They offer a greater degree
of control over the electrical current, with the electrical and digital units helping the light systems to function at a greater efficiency for a lower
cost than is possible with a magnetic ballast. They are less bulky and have a lower weight than magnetic ballasts, and also run much quieter
and start quicker than the magnetic units.
As is typical with many types of electronic circuitry, one aspect of maintenance of the ballast that is crucial is to run the ballast at the proper
temperature level. To neglect this one simple fact is to greatly reduce the life of your ballast. You can lengthen the effective life of the electrical
ballast by ensuring that the ambient temperature is cooler than the recommended fixture temperature. You can as much as double the life of
your ballast easily by cooling the air around it.
In this article, Susan Slobac discusses maintaining and caring for your ballast. Since discovering how easy it is to grow food all year round,
indoor gardening has become a way of life for her. Susan features seasoned advice to help aid you in choosing the right hydroponic gardening
equipment for your needs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Slobac
Testing a Transformer - How To Accurately Test A Transformer By Jestine Yong
There is two types of transformers in the market- linear transformer and switch mode power transformer. The transformers design is different.
Sometimes it is just referred as ac transformer. Linear transformer mostly used in radio, project kits, VCD and etc while switch mode
transformer can be found in Monitor, Tv, Fax and so on.
A transformer consists of two or more coils wound on the same core. For power transformers, the core material is usually iron. For a radio-
frequency transformer, the core material is usually ferrite or air. The basic property of a transformer is to change AC voltage. A transformer
cannot change direct current voltage. A step down transformer has a lower AC output voltage at its secondary winding than the AC input
voltage to its primary winding. Conversely, a step up transformer has a higher secondary than primary voltage. The transformer laminations
or coating of shellac, enamel or varnish is to insulate adjacent turns from shorts between winding. I will not go too details about how
transformer work and transformer calculation as you can read more details from most electrical and electronic transformers books.
How to test transformers: Transformer failures are relatively rare in most electronic equipment, compared with other components. If too much
current goes through a coil or winding, the winding heats up and can either open up completely, or the insulation between turns of wire can
break down, causing the coil to be partly or completely shorted.
Just like a coil, you can check continuity of any primary or secondary transformer winding. The actual value of DC resistance you read is
rather meaningless, but at least you will know whether a winding is open. Checking linear transformer is quite straight forward. Apply the ac
voltage to the primary winding and expect output voltage at the secondary side. No or low output voltage means the transformer winding has
open or shorted winding. Look for any evidence of overheating, such as darkened or blackened areas or a burnt smell.
About how to test a power transformer-it is a little bit complicated. You cannot apply ac voltage to the equipment and expect the desire output
at the secondary side without connect to load otherwise over voltage will happen (because you have removed all the secondary load) and will
blow the power section which consist of power fet, pwm ic and etc. Switch mode power supply are designed to run with load while linear
transformer can be test without load.
The best way to test a switch mode power transformer is first remove it from the board. Check only the primary winding as secondary winding
failures are exceedingly rare. How do we know which one is the primary winding? Trace from the big filter cap the positive pin to see where the
circuit goes. It will go to one of the pin of the transformer. Then look for the power fet middle pin which is the Drain and it will lead to another
pin of the transformer. This two pins is the primary winding of the transformer. Checking the resistance of the primary winding only can
reveal whether it is open but it cannot check if it has developed a shorted winding. Only by using a ringer test you will know if it shorted or
not. A shorted turn in the primary winding can cause the power section to blow.
The cheapest ringer tester that i came across is Dick Smith LOPT METER or flyback tester. Just connect the probes to the primary winding and
the result are instantly seen from the Led bar graph. 4-8 bar represent a good winding, 1-2 bar represent partial short and if the led goes off
means there is a heavy short in the winding. Besides checking the transformer it can be use to check B+ COIL, horizontal yoke coil and flyback
primary winding and ballast (choke).
The expensive ringer tester is from sencore equipment. Sencore LC102 and LC103C besides checking capacitor it also have the capability to check
all kind of winding. Whether it is a low voltage transformer, high voltage transformer, current transformer, pulse transformer, electric
transformer, custom transformer this equipment will be able to check and test it.
If you do not wish to invest on this tester you may use a light bulb to check it. Remove one of the primary winding pin and connect a 60 watt
light bulb. One end to the circuit while the other to the transformer pin. If the bulb light and didn't goes off suspect a shorted winding and if
the light goes off, the winding is ok.
Transformer repair is not easy and it require a good skill to do it. Most of the transformer repairer preferred to rewind bigger winding such as
fan, car alternator and starter. Switch mode power transformer is a little bit difficult to rewind because of the small size and low price.
Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and a writer. For more information about how you can test electronic components like a professional please
visit his website at http://www.testingelectroniccomponents.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jestine_Yong
You can also find more info on Outdoor Low Voltage Lighting and Outdoor Solar Landscape Lighting. Outdoorlightinghelp.com is a
comprehensive resource to know about Outdoor Lighting.
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