# Car xenon kit: analog or digital ballast?



## cyberc (Apr 5, 2010)

Hi everybody from Italy.
I am a really ignorant in electronics.
I would know, how can I distinguish an analog xenon ballast from a digital one? 

Thanks in advance for your replies.


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## fyrstormer (Apr 5, 2010)

Ballasti digitali sono molto piu piccoli, ma anche sono piu sensitivo ai danni electrici.


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## dodge_911 (Apr 5, 2010)

fyrstormer said:


> Ballasti digitali sono molto piu piccoli, ma anche sono piu sensitivo ai danni electrici.


Lemme see if I can get this right :
Digital ballasts are smaller, but also more sensitive to electric currents...
(mind you, I don't speak Italian and can't be arsed to Google Translate )


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## XeRay (Apr 5, 2010)

cyberc said:


> Hi everybody from Italy.
> I am a really ignorant in electronics.
> I would know, how can I distinguish an analog xenon ballast from a digital one?
> 
> Thanks in advance for your replies.


 
Just because it is Digital does not mean it is better. Digital of itself is NOT better. It is the complete product that makes it better or not.

Some digital ballasts are better than most Analog ballasts. Many Analog ballasts are better than some digital ballasts.

Digital is NOT a "silver bullet" for ballasts as many sellers claim.


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## nasa779 (Apr 5, 2010)

Xenithxenons.com... lol they have a great warranty


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## cyberc (Apr 6, 2010)

Is it true that digital ones need less than 10A while analag ones need 20A to start up?


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## XeRay (Apr 6, 2010)

cyberc said:


> Is it true that digital ones need less than 10A while analag ones need 20A to start up?


 
That is not a direct correlation. Its all in the ballast design, not if it is digital or not.


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## cyberc (Apr 7, 2010)

Is this digital?






Which elements influence the consumption of amperes? 


XeRay said:


> That is not a direct correlation. Its all in the ballast design, not if it is digital or not.


Me, customer, How can I choose a ballast with a low absorption to ignite?


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## XeRay (Apr 7, 2010)

That is not enough info to answer your question. Cant see the control circuits.


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## cyberc (Apr 7, 2010)

Where re these control circuits? Back? Here an other photo:


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## zelda (Apr 7, 2010)

In a Hella OEM Ballast is much more electronics, the cpu is a Motoral 68000.
Such cpu was used in a old mac computers 

I read, it tooks around 10 years for develompent, to make the ballast handy for a car.

When switch your car hid on, the ballast goes each time thru around 20 steps. Such as controlling, is the bulb hot?, reverse polarity on bulb, switching down to lower voltage etc.

zelda


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## XeRay (Apr 7, 2010)

We cant see much on those photos, we need to see the back side.


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## cyberc (Apr 8, 2010)

XeRay said:


> We cant see much on those photos, we need to see the back side.


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## fyrstormer (Apr 8, 2010)

dodge_911 said:


> Lemme see if I can get this right :
> Digital ballasts are smaller, but also more sensitive to electric currents...
> (mind you, I don't speak Italian and can't be arsed to Google Translate )


Electrical damage, but yes. 

I barely speak Italian myself. It's a shame how I've let myself slip in the, oh, 12 years since I last _needed_ to use it.


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## XeRay (Apr 8, 2010)

That is a "bare bones" ballast I would not use it as something to emulate, I cant even be confident I see the control circuit section in the photos.


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## cyberc (Apr 9, 2010)

Excuse me, I dont undertstand.
Summarizing: it could be a digital ballast but you are not sure?

Thanks.


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## XeRay (Apr 10, 2010)

cyberc said:


> Excuse me, I dont undertstand.
> Summarizing: it could be a digital ballast but you are not sure?
> 
> Thanks.


 
Cannot be sure.


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## divine (Apr 10, 2010)

Hopefully I word this so google translate works well.


I believe that you don't mean Xenon, because Xenon does not need a ballast.

With HID, it is most often a Magnetic or Electronic ballast.

With a low powered lamp like you would see in a car, a magnetic ballast is uncommon. A magnetic ballast will not perform as well. A magnetic ballast will use more power, it will start up slower, it will restart slower.

I have not seen enough to tell them apart. If I had to guess I would say the one you are showing is electronic because the transformer is smaller than the full power of the lamp and it is using a lot of electronics and a transistor in the final stage (the output).


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## cyberc (Apr 11, 2010)

Thanks to everybody. :wave:


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## XeRay (Apr 11, 2010)

That IS an electronic ballast, NOT magnetic. He is wondering if it has digital or analog controls.

Xenon short arc do use and need a ballast.

Xenon filled incandescent bulbs do not need a ballast.


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## cyberc (Apr 11, 2010)

How can I measure the amps consumption of a ballast?
Using a multimeter? What kind of multimeter?
I dont know how to realize the electric connection for this purpose.
Can anybody post a picture or a little scheme?


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## cyberc (Apr 12, 2010)

XeRay said:


> That IS an electronic ballast, NOT magnetic. He is wondering if it has digital or analog controls.
> 
> Xenon short arc do use and need a ballast.
> 
> Xenon filled incandescent bulbs do not need a ballast.



Excuse me for my ignorance. Analog or digital controls of what? Of the voltage?


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## XeRay (Apr 12, 2010)

cyberc said:


> Excuse me for my ignorance. Analog or digital controls of what? Of the voltage?


 
When someone calls a ballast Digital or Analog, it is the output controls which they are speaking about. 
These circuits control the initial DC voltage to start the bulb and the AC voltage and current during the rest of the operation.


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## cyberc (Apr 13, 2010)

XeRay said:


> When someone calls a ballast Digital or Analog, it is the output controls which they are speaking about.
> These circuits control the initial DC voltage to start the bulb and the AC voltage and current during the rest of the operation.



Ok. A digital ballast controls the voltage through what? Through a microprocessor? On the contrary, an analog one through what?


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