Definitions Flashcards
Group that generates voluntary product performance standards for many U.S. industries.
ANSI (American National Standards Institute)
Circuitry used to detect and limit arcing of ballast output leads.
Anti-Arc
Circuitry used to prevent striations or spiraling in energy-saving lamps due to low temperature or low current operation.
Anti-Striation
Circuitry used to restart the lamps without resetting the power to the ballast.
Auto-Restrike
Device for starting and regulating fluorescent and high intensity discharge (HID) lamps.
Ballast
Marking on ballast that shows compliance with Federal Ballast Energy Law.
Circle-E
The amount of light that the lamp produces after it has operated for approximately 40 percent of its rated life. Also called Mean Lumens.
Design Lumens
A device that produces light by using an electric arc, rather than a filament, to create illumination.
Discharge Lamp
Lumen output per unit of power supplied to the lamp, measured in lumens per watt.
Efficacy
Emission of visible light by the absorption of energy from another source.
Fluorescence
Measure of light level on a surface that is being illuminated.
Foot Candles
Emission of visible light by a heated material.
Incandenscence
Electromagnetic or electronic ballast that ignites the lamps without heating the lamp filaments.
Instant Start Ballast
Fluorescent lamp that requires no filament heating before igniting and producing light.
Instant Start Lamp
The decrease in lumen output of a light source over time. Also called Lumen Maintenance.
Lumen Depreciation
Electromagnetic ballast that requires separate starter in order to ignite the lamp.
Preheat Ballast
Electronic ballast that provides precise heating of the lamp filaments and tightly controls the pre—heat duration before applying starting voltage to ignite the lamp.
Programmed Start Ballast
Electromagnetic or electronic ballast that provides both filament heating and starting voltage to the lamp at the same time in order to ignite the lamp.
Rapid Start Ballast
Fluorescent lamp, which has single pin contacts, that requires no filament heating to ignite.
Slimline Lamp
Spiraling or swirling of fluorescent lamps at initial turn on or energy-saving lamps at low temperature or low current.
Striation
Industry standard names for fluorescent lamps (T= tubular with the number that follows representing the diameter in 1/8 inch increments).
T12, T10, T8, T5
Electromagnetic ballast that starts and operates preheat lamps similar to a rapid start lamp. No separate starter is needed to ignite the lamp.
Trigger Start Ballast
A type of ballast circuit that includes a transformer to change the input voltage up or down to meet the voltage requirements of the lamp. The output windings of the transformer, called the secondary, share a portion of the primary winding.
Autotransformer Ballast
Method of describing the “color” of a lamp’s light output. See also Color Temperature.
Chromaticity
An international system used to rate a lamp’s ability to render an object’s color. The higher the CRI (0-100
scale), the truer colors are rendered.
Color Rendering Index (CRI)
The term used to describe the “whiteness” of a lamp’s light output. Color temperature is expressed in degrees Kelvin (°K) because it is related to the physical temperature of the filament in incandescent lamps.
Color Temperature
Another term for an electromagnetic ballast.
Core and Coil Ballast
If the power to an operating HID lamp is turned off and then immediately turned on, the HID lamp does not re-light immediately like an incandescent lamp.
Hot Restart Time
A device used within the ballast circuit to generate high-voltage electrical pulses needed to start high pressure sodium and some metal halide lamps
Ignitor (starter)
The total power input to the ballast which includes lamp watts and ballast losses. The total power input to the fixture is the value to be used when calculating cost of energy and air conditioning loads.
Input Watts
The median time it takes for a lamp to burn out.
Life [Average Rated]
The measure of the efficacy (efficiency) of a lamp. The amount of light (lumens) produced
by each lamp watt.
Lumens/Watt [lpw], also Luminous Efficacy
Initial light output of a new lamp. For HID lamps the initial lumen rating is based on the light output of the lamp after it has be seasoned (burned or “aged”) for 100 hours.
[Initial] Lumens
Lamp light output (lumens) measured at 40% of rated lamp life for fluorescent, compact fluorescent and metal halide lamps and 50% of rated life for mercury and HPS lamps.
[Mean] Lumens
The voltage measured at the lamp socket (HID or CFL) or across the lamp holders (fluorescent) when the lamp is not present. The open circuit voltage is generated by the ballast and is needed to start a lamp when power is turned on.
Open Circuit Voltage [OCV]
The orientation of an HID lamp in a lighting fixture such as base up, base down, horizontal, or universal.
The light output, operating life, and sometimes the safety of many HID lamps are affected by the burning position of the lamp.
Operating Position or Burn Position
The measure of the ability of a ballast or ballast circuit type to control (regulate) a lamp’s operating wattage as the input voltage varies from nominal.
Regulation, lamp wattage
