Hid Bulb Ballast

A ballast is essential in hid lighting technology because it provides the voltage to start the bulb and it also helps in maintaining an adequate flow of electrical current to the bulb.

Hid bulb ballast.

Too much power and your lamp will die out faster and may actually explode. Typically the hid ballast sometimes with the addition of a capacitor and igniter serves to start and operate the lamp in a controlled manner. Hids lights must be capable of turning on and off quickly in order to function without overheating. Instead i started this bulb using a special matsushita super high voltage ignitor for an acura tl car from about 1999 that is wired to a e26 socket pigtail commonly used in led.

Hid ballasts also act as dc to ac converters. Just like other parts of your vehicle the hid bulb ballast is also not exempted from getting damaged over time especially if it s exposed to moisture. Full light output is reached after the arc tube temperature rises and the metal vapors reach final operating pressure. You won t find the same type of circuitry in other vehicle lights.

In order to sustain this brightness an hid bulb ballast must be used to regulate its voltage. This is because the xenon gas inside the bulb needs time to cool down before it starts receiving a strong high voltage current again that turns the light back on. The hid ballast has special circuitry installed that helps restart the lamp quickly after turning it off. Hid lamps require a ballast to operate.

An hid bulb gives off a higher light intensity compared to other types of bulbs. Here is an ebay aftermarket 10000k 75w automotive xenon hid lamp running on a us 70w m98 psmh ballast without the usual 3 wire ignitor wired to the ballast circuit. If you do not use the ballast there will be nothing to regulate the electrical power and the bulb may use more energy and burn out quickly.