Wiring diagram of DRL lamps

Wiring diagram of DRL lampsDRL — mercury arc fluorescent lamp. Special ballasts are used to connect such lamps to the network. They differ from the ballasts used to connect fluorescent lamps. For the control device for fluorescent lamps, see here: Why you need a starter and a choke in the circuits for turning on fluorescent lamps

The diagram for connecting the DRL lamp to the network is shown in Figure 1.

When the EL lamp is connected to the network, a discharge occurs between the closely spaced main and auxiliary electrodes, which ionizes the gas in the burner and ensures the ignition of the discharge between the main electrodes. After lighting the lamp, the discharge between the main and auxiliary electrodes stops.

The ballast device in the form of a choke LL limits the current of the lamp and stabilizes it when the mains voltage deviates within the permissible limits. Resistors R1 and R2 limit the amperage when lighting the lamp.

DRL lamp connection diagram

Rice. 1. Connection diagram of the DRL lamp

At the moment of ignition, the current of the lamp is 2 — 2.6 times higher than the nominal one, but as the burner burns, it constantly decreases, the voltage of the lamp increases from 65 to 130 V, the power of the lamp and its radiation flux increase. Lighting the lamp lasts 5-10 minutes. In operating mode, the temperature of the outer flask exceeds 200 °C.

Relighting of the DRL lamp is done 10 to 15 minutes after it goes out and cools down.

Chokes for DRL lamps

Rice. 2. Chokes for DRL lamps

In addition to DRL lamps, there are DRVL lamps — arc mercury-tungsten fluorescent lamps. It is a kind of DRL lamps. Outwardly, they do not differ from DRL lamps, but inside the bulb there is a ballast device in the form of a tungsten spiral connected in series with a gas discharge gap. The tungsten coil, limiting the current of the arc discharge, complements the phosphor emission with the red part of the spectrum.

Unlike DRL lamps, which require a metal-intensive and expensive ballast device to connect the lamp, DRVL lamps are directly connected to the mains.

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