China manufacturer of magnetic ballasts for metal halide flood lights & hps flood lights

A fluorescent lamp ballast is a device used with a gas discharge lamp to provide the necessary starting and operating electrical conditions.

A fluorescent lamp or fluorescent tube is a low pressure mercury-vapor gas-discharge lamp that uses fluorescence to produce visible light. An electric current in the gas excites mercury vapor which produces short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor coating on the inside of the bulb to glow. A fluorescent lamp converts electrical energy into useful light much more efficiently than incandescent lamps. The luminous efficacy of a fluorescent light bulb can exceed 100 lumens per watt, several times the efficacy of an incandescent bulb with comparable light output.

Fluorescent lamp fixtures are more costly than incandescent lamps because they require a ballast to regulate the current through the lamp, but the lower energy cost typically offsets the higher initial cost. Compact fluorescent lamps are now available in the same popular sizes as incandescents and are used as an energy-saving alternative in homes.All gas discharge lamps, including fluorescent lamps, require a ballast to operate. The ballast provides a high initial voltage to initiate the discharge, then rapidly limits the lamp current to safely sustain the discharge. Lamp manufacturers specify lamp electrical input characteristics (lamp current, starting voltage, current crest factor, etc.) required to achieve rated lamp life and lumen output specifications.