An analysis into the dimming control and characteristic of discharge lamps

This paper provides some qualitative insights into, and a quantitative analysis of, the interrelationship between the ballast circuit parameters and the physical processes inside the lamp arc under dimming conditions. Qualitative explanation is supported by experimental observations on the dimming characteristics of fluorescent and high-intensity-discharge (HID) lamps. This understanding enables engineers to choose the right combination of dimming technique and electronic ballast topology for different types of discharge lamps. Verified by experiments, the fundamental approximation technique is used to characterize the frequency-control and voltage-control dimming technique for series-loaded and parallel-load resonant circuits.