ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area hps starter

hi all..
is it possible for a new hps ignitor to completely fail due to miswiring?
i now have the ballast wired correctly but it will not start.the lamp that i have is a 150w sylvania hps--which is new by the way.

Never experienced it but I guess its possible. Could be the ignitor was bad to begin with but thats a long shot. Do you know for sure the ballast is good? They rarely fail, its usually the ignitor that fails.

i purchased the S55 ballast new.it's wired up now,and it will fire up a 15w bulb but it won't light up my new lumalux lamp.

Gidday Danny,
Welcome to ECN!.
Have you discounted a faulty lampholder contact?

i will suggest that recheck the ingintor again and some ingitors have specal jumper wire have to be clipped off with certen wattage bulbs. i did see few of them myself and please post the manufacter of the starter itself so i can able steer ya right.

merci, marc

hi agian..
i managed to get the lumalux lamp to start.but i noticed some smoke coming out of the ballast(which can't be good),also the lamp won't stay on for more than 10 minutes.whats the problem with this?

I think my starter/ignitor is still good now that i've got it to light up.fyi the manufacturer of the ballast is powerlighting RU S55 150w HPS.
http://www.sonycams.com/forum/attachment.php?s=0a228b4e3479f60f5d95b70199a88200&postid=8450

Good to see you've got a result on this Danny.
Marc is our resident Sodium/HPS Man, if he doesn't know how it works, it doesn't exist!.

thanks trumpy

you got an email marc

For smoke, verify that the capacitor is not shorted.

HPS sockets need to hold off the ignitor voltage—they are typically rated for pulsed 4-5kV between mogul-/medium-based terminals.




[This message has been edited by Bjarney (edited 01-24-2004).]

First off, need to point out that there are TWO different "Flavors" of the 150 Watt HPS Lamp + Ballast.

One Lamp is a 55 Volt Lamp, the other one is 100 Volt.

S55 is the ANSI designation for the 55 Volt version of the 150 Watt HPS Lamp. It has a "Normal" Medium Base - such as the typical Medium base used on common type "A" Incandescent Lamps of 25-150 Watt power ratings @ 120-130VAC.

S56 is the ANSI designation for the 100 Volt version of the 150 Watt HPS Lamp. It has the "larger" Mogul Base - typical of most HID Lamps of >100 Watts power.

If the Ballast you are driving the Lamp with is not properly matched per the Lamp's Voltage rating (sounds like this may be the case), then the Lamp will suffer from continuous cycling (on-off-on-off-on-off...).
Also, does the non-functioning HPS Lamp work properly in another fixture? Verify this ASAP to rule out a bad Lamp.

The type of Pulse Ignitor is also critical for correct operation. Some Ignitors are intended to be used with 55 Volt Lamps, others are intended for 100 Volt Lamps - still others are meant for use on Metal Halide Lamps, being of Pulse-Start types.

The fact that Smoke is being let out of the Windings makes me wonder if the Ballast is connected properly, or if there's a failed section of a winding.
Could also be a poor contact point.

Anyhow, check these items, then reply back ASAP:

<OL TYPE=1>

[*] Is the Lamp's Base Medium or Mogul;


[*] Is the Ballast a CWA type (Constant-Wattage Autotransformer), or Straight Linear-Reactor;


[*] Is the Capacitor connected properly, or if unsure, does it connect to the Lamp or connect to the input;


[*] Is the Ignitor connected properly + the right one;


[*] With the Ignitor disconnected, what is the output voltage found at the Lamp Socket;


[*] How many Line inputs does the Ballast have.
</OL>

If the Lamp socket can fit a Medium based Lamp, will a 150 Watt Incandescent Lamp work in place of the HPS Lamp? (disconnect the Ignitor prior to this test).

If you need to verify proper connections or references, there are many HID Schematics at the Technical Reference section here at ECN.
Goto that area, select the "Menu For Technical Reference Section", then check the drawings listed for your type of Ballast.

Let me know if you are unsure of anything listed here, along with which Schematics to check, and I'll add more information for you - along with including links to the Schematics for verification.

Let us know whazzup ASAP!

Scott35