Electronic Ballasts for Fluorescent Lamps
Electronic ballast from Tridonic Atco is noted in particular for its excellent economy, exceptionally level of lighting comfort and impressive. The wide range of units in the PC family, which comply with the requirements of CELMA energy efficiency classes A2 and A3, offer minimum power consumption and cover all the relevant applications with T5, T8 and compact fluorescent lamps.
The PC PRO, PC Basic, PC INDUSCTRY and PC FOX versions all have characteristics tailored to their specific applications and requirements.
Electronic control gear (ECG) operates lamps with high frequency voltages and currents (over 40kHz) - a frequency range that does not interfere with infra-red remote controls for example which operate at 236kHz. Since the ignition voltage is generated internally there is no need for additional starters. With a power factor greater than 0.95 there is also no need for a capacitor to compensate for reactive power.
Impressive Economy
High-frequency operation of fluorescent lamps leads to an increase in luminous flux of around 10% or for the same luminous flux around 10% less power consumed. What's more, ECGs offer energy savings of up to 25% in the lighting system compared with conventional control gear. ECGs ensure that the lamp electrodes are preheated in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications, that the ignition voltage is sufficiently high and that the discharge current is limited. There is also added value from ease of installation, wiring and operation. Hot restarts under defined conditions protect the flourescent lamps, increase their life significantly compared with conventional starter operation and allow frequency on/off switching throughout their life.
This in turn reduces the costs for replacing the lamps and for maintaining the lighting system thanks to longer maintenance intervals. Thanks to their high-quality components, intelligent circuit design and extensive testing under rated conditions, PC control gear from Tridonic Atco achieve an average life of 50,000 hours -with a probability of failure of less than 10% in other words, an average failure of 0.2% per 1.000 hours of operation. These properties of PC ballast from Tridonic Atco, namely energy efficiency, long equipment life and long lamp life thanks to defined operation, ensure that lighting systems operate at high levels of economy.
Lighting Comfort and Quality
High-frequency operation of fluorescent lamps results in a more constant gas discharge than is the case with conventional control gear. This in turn ensures there is no cathode flickering (even at low temperatures) and no stroboscopic effects. The resultant improvement in the quality of light makes the lighting system more comfortable on the eye. Further improvements in the quality of light are provided by the application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) developed specifically for Tridonic Atco for optimum lamp management. It ensures that the lamps ignite reliably with no annoying flickering or noise. The lamps are automatically shut down if they develop a fault or when they come to the end of their lives - without flickering and without wasting energy on futile attempts to restart them. Replacement lamps are automatically started.
The ASIC also ensures that the luminous flux remains constant irrespective of fluctuations in the mains voltage in the 198 v to 254 v range.
For Emergency Lighting Systems
As PC electronic control gear can be operated on either AC or DC there is no need for a separate emergency lighting system.
Optimum Mechanical Design
ECGs weigh much less than electromagnetic control gear. Their IDC (Insulation Displacement Connection) terminals enable the wiring to be completed quickly either automatically or manually).
Constant High Quality
The consistently high quality and reliability of PC control gear from Tridonic Atco are guaranteed by the use of high-grade materials together with manufacturing processes certified to ISO 9001. Fully automatic manufacture also ensures constant reproducible quality. All the ECGs are subjected to 100% final testing and safety testing.
Standards and Approval Marks
PC ECGs from Tridonic Atco are ENEC certified, carry the CE mark and meet all the relevant European standards relating to safety, operation and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)
PC PRO with Intelligent Monitoring
The PC PRO family of ECGs combine the benefits of modern electronics with the advantages of compact casing design. The one to four lamp versions are designed to operate T8 fluorescent lamps from 18W to 70W, T5 HE lamps from 14W to 35W, T5 HO lamps from 24W to 80W and compact fluorescent lamps from 9W to 70 W. The integrated Intelligent Voltage Guard (IVG) is an innovative prevention mechanism that constantly monitors the mains voltage at the control gear to protect it against possible damage due to overvoltage or undervoltage. At mains voltages above 300V the lamps start to flash on and off so the installer can immediately take appropriate action. If the mains voltage falls below 150V the lamp circuit is automatically disconnected to protect the control gear from being irreparably damaged.
PC Basic for Small System Wattages
For system wattages of up to 25w, compact electronic PC Basic control gear is an excellent choice because it offers so many benefits. These include operating temperature range from -25°C to +50°C or +60°C and a service life of 50,000 hours. Together with the long life of the fluorescent lamps thanks to gentle hot restart, this translates into low maintenance costs and impressive economy for the lighting system as a whole. There are just seven versions of PC Basic for operating the entire wattage range from 4W to 26W. The linear sl variant, a compact casing design and a board version are all available. An additional DIN VDE 0108-complaint version has been designed specifically for use in emergency lighting systems.
PC Industry for Demanding Applications
PC T8 Industry and PC T5 Industry ECGs are designed to operate 36W and 58W T8 lamps and 49W, 54W and 80W T5 lamps in harsh environments. For example they are designed for a life of 100,000 hours at a maximum ambient temperature of +60°C. This means that these ECGs with their integrated Intelligent Voltage Guard circuit will last more or less as long as the luminaire.
The control gear is also designed to withstand voltage peaks of up to 4kV. Long lamp life and high levels of operational reliability for the lighting system throughout the life of the luminaires are therefore guaranteed. As a result particularly of the long lamp life, maintenance intervals are longer and maintenance costs lower.
PC FOX with DALI Intelligence
PC FOX digital control gear with the DALI interface are designed primarily for large lighting systems that are integrated in a higher-ranking control system such as a building control or building management system. The DALI functionality of the non-dimmable "Fixed Output Extended" units, which includes individual addressibility and fault reporting, is particularly useful if luminaires or luminaire groups have to be switched on and off centrally, the system status has to be displayed and faults have to be logged. Because of its DALI interface, PC FOX control gear is ideal in combination with dimmable PCA units for providing the application-specific and therefore cost effective means of performing all the lighting tasks in complex buildings with productions and office areas.