Kevin Lang
Well-Known Member
So...why do HID lights need ballasts? From an electrical standpoint, I can understand why, but they're just tubes of inert gas, so why don't they just have HV run through them?
Inert gas lights up instantly with proper HV, no need for all this ballast crap which wastes electricity...seems to me like using an AC inverter in your Trac to power an ultimately DC powered product, like using an inverter to turn yo' DC to AC just to have the laptop turn it back to DC, at large electrical costs.
To demonstrate, put a small fluorescent tube in contact with an old-school CRT tv screen, with the TV off. Turn the TV on--the spike of HV will cause the tube to flash on. If you want a bigger flash, put some tin foil on the tv, let it charge, and touch it to that..but be wary of the shock.
Alternatively, if you have one of those glass bulbs filled with neon/argon that are led size (I need some more), you can hold them up to the tv and they'll glow all day. And, hooking some tubes to a neon sign transformers lights them right up...though again be wary of shock, no one wants to ride the lightning.
Anyhow, I always thought HID did run on HV, but after looking into them a bit after perusing mjs3350's thread, I don't think they really do, which leaves me :wacko: :wacko:
Inert gas lights up instantly with proper HV, no need for all this ballast crap which wastes electricity...seems to me like using an AC inverter in your Trac to power an ultimately DC powered product, like using an inverter to turn yo' DC to AC just to have the laptop turn it back to DC, at large electrical costs.
To demonstrate, put a small fluorescent tube in contact with an old-school CRT tv screen, with the TV off. Turn the TV on--the spike of HV will cause the tube to flash on. If you want a bigger flash, put some tin foil on the tv, let it charge, and touch it to that..but be wary of the shock.
Alternatively, if you have one of those glass bulbs filled with neon/argon that are led size (I need some more), you can hold them up to the tv and they'll glow all day. And, hooking some tubes to a neon sign transformers lights them right up...though again be wary of shock, no one wants to ride the lightning.
Anyhow, I always thought HID did run on HV, but after looking into them a bit after perusing mjs3350's thread, I don't think they really do, which leaves me :wacko: :wacko:
)
