HID Ballast Compare: AC Ballast vs DC Ballast

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In this video, I will compare the HID light output between an AC ballast and a DC ballast.
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[@rep.6853]

Thanks for the info, i’m little panic when change my ballast HID to DC. This video solve my problem

[@julianmerlo2335]

Hello , you can show me how connected the multimeter ? a clamp goes to the bulb and the other ? multimtro it is turned on after the lamara on or before? by 23000V . thanks greetings.

[@davedaves3540]

Thanks for the very helpfull video. I'm looking for a kit for my car and I thought the thin ballasts must have some problem or disadvantage.

[@fwh79FOXR6]

Good video! Thanks for the info.

[@BlondynCh]

I simply got an OEM toyota ballasts with D2S D2R bulb adapter for my headlights and could not possibly be happier with it BTW. My mom has a sienna with 170k miles on it (OEM xeonon lights) and I just installed new set of bulbs on them cuz they got dim after 12 years !!

[@isaiahwolf666]

you ran the AC ballast using DC power because it was on the headlight of your truck meaning from the battery of your truck? I ask because I have a set of LEDs that has a ballast that originally was running on AC I want to put those LEDs on my truck Power them from my battery which is DC will this ruin my ballast?

[@robertb2887]

Thank you . This is exactly the problem I’m having . I have 4300k bulbs that are blue . I just checked the ballasts , and they are DC.

[@crosby87762]

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO!!!

[@mohamedaboel-mgd171]

I'M sorry about my question what is the difference between both abbreviations A/C & D/C refer to?!

[@CHan-fi7yj]

Hi, thanks for sharing an indepth compare and contrast for the Slim line ballasts and the larger AC ballasts. I just completed my retrofit with Generic Mini H1's but decided to cheap out on the bulb and ballasts. Very bad choice as I'm using the slim line dc ballasts and 4300k cheapo bulbs from ebay. One thing to note with cheap bulbs is that they are not at a perfectly perpendicular angle which required me to use aluminum tape to level off the base of the bulb so it would sit straight inside the projector. Next, the ballasts that I'm using are giving off extreme amounts of flicker so I decided to take a look on Amazon and Ebay for a solution. Amazon sells Zenex standard sized ballasts for $22 each with free shipping which is an awesome deal. These ballasts are the exact same as the ones you're testing so I just wanted people to know about that option. Now as far as slim ballasts go, there are some high quality manufacturers in China that sell great quality slim ones like Hyluxtek and DLT which marks their 35w ballast as F3

[@dial2fast]

After doing many research on my own to find a good HID brand, I realize it's very difficult as peoples understanding and experience with these vary so much. Many people just plug them in and seeing brighter light and say job done, great product. On many car forums, if people ask about Ebay HID kits, they are told it's all junk and don't buy them, and the conversation stops. On top of that, those China manufacturers are rebranding them to so many different labels and copying some that may be of better quality. They almost never tell you it it's a AC or DC ballast. So I ended up sucking it up and buying several to try and seeing which one works best. Hopefully the seller takes return so you can return it (of course don't damage it).

[@mattjk88]

I measured mine with a cheap meter, 55w kit - got 120V AC once it had settled. But it read about 5v DC too!

[@umairabbasi7290]

hi could you please tell that how we know that this is ac hid kit or dc hid kit is it written somewhere or what thanks .

[@nirodha7028]

Where does the 27kV come in when it only outputs 85V rms? I am not into xenon but looking for a HV AC continuous powersupply which uses primary DC and this looks promissing. But I need the 26kV. Can you explain?

[@Hollyweed1]

Wow what a great review and on point explanation. Subscribed.

[@dial2fast]

+Hollyweed Thank you!

[@charlespuette8234]

Were you able to determine if either AC of DC ballasts interfere with radio reception? I noticed in the past that with the older larger ballats( mine was Xentec brand) they would interfere with radio reception. When I switched to a slimmer Xentec ballast, it went away. I'm currently running a retrofitted set of Matsushita ballasts for my lows and Xentec for my fogs. The Matsushitas also don't interfere.

[@dial2fast]

I know the older AC ballast emits a high pitch sound but never had any issue with radio.

[@1111Rider]

Thankiu sir your video was very knowledgeable 🤗

[@carlosdaudet6821]

Good video. To add some info, a dc ballast also delivers less current, so the same bulb produces less lumens using a dc ballast than using an ac ballast. In my particular case, with a blue vision halogen bulb you get more illumination from your headlight than using xenon with dc ballast

[@coskuarsiray]

very informative. thanks for sharing.

[@dial2fast]

Thank you for your comment

[@InCountry6970]

I was under the impression that HID bulb color (kelvin rating) was a function of the chemical makeup of the salts in the bulb tube. Yes/No ?

[@Grandpasaab]

Thanks alot! Some days ago one of my ballast broke, they were dated at 2005. I had AC ballast, i bought couple days ago a pair of new ballast which are way smaller and have plastic housings. i connected them and i had originally 3000k. with the new ballast they were more a green tint and less brighter. i already contacted the store but no reply but i think thanks to your video i found out why. Those newer ballast are just way different than the older ones. But what is your opinion? are the newer DC ballasts better or not?

[@bondovwvw]

The older large ones were very good. They were mostly sold by DDM and other companies. If you buy a newer cheaper one off eBay and its lower wattage it will change the color.

[@RobHTech]

I can't figure out which company uses an AC ballast. Morimoto? XenonPro? Innovited? Does anyone know?

[@fabianyee]

I can confirm about the difference in color temperature between DC and AC ballast. I had retrofitted with DC HID ballast some 7 years ago.. The left side stopped working, so I replaced it with an AC ballast and the light output is warmer (less blue)... So I decided to replace both DC ballasts to the AC ballasts.. In fact, the 3000K HID bulbs which came as a set with the AC ballasts looked more yellow than the halogen bulbs when lighted up...

[@ariffadliprakoso6426]

Which one is brighter, the ac or dc?

[@blackpower143hp]

very good video.!!!!

[@anishbabu77]

Good info. have you happen to check which of then lights faster? I mean the delay in the bulb to achieve the maximum brightness on cold start

[@dial2fast]

The ones I have tried all take a bit of time to get to full brightness, and typically slower than OEM HID.

[@bosan116]

dial2fast did ac ballast get warmed the bulb quicker than the dc ballast?

[@Tenkaichibudokai22]

Can you convert a DC ballast to an AC ballast?

[@Constitutionallycorrect]

what frequency is the output?

[@pat14lang]

the larger ballast says DC on the label? i've been told you can't use certain HIDs with DC or AC ballast. some HIDs are made specifically for AC or DC.

[@dial2fast]

+patrick lang The HID bulbs can be used on either AC or DC ballasts.

[@mattisafool]

Good video. like you im not sure i agree with DC ballast will cause premature bulb failure but interesting non the less

[@djp1234]

Very good review. I wish we had more smart people like this on youtube.

[@theuncanspan]

I have a 30000K deep blue bulb and I'm trying to reproduce an accurate blue color and I'm currently using a 55W ballast. So would choosing between a 35W AC vs DC make any difference in color temperature? To sum it up: does AC vs DC affect color temp. Or is it just the wattage that just matters.

[@gloff8163]

30k should be almost pink, are you sure that you got 30k? Cyan starts from 7k-8k up to 15k kelvin. DC ballast can affect color temp, power delivery does not move color temp higher, only if bulb will get a lot of hours (800-1000 hrs) color temp would increase slightly (e.g. from 4300k to 5000k, yellow tone will dissapear, or 5k to 6k, blue would appear) and produce more UV wich can damage lens module reflector.

[@ne0tekk1]

Yea, the forum on hidplanet.com is really useful and helped me alot when I was first looking into it in 2007. China kits aren't all bad, and even the larger ballasts can be horrible. It all comes down to quality control and the components used.

[@lordtigranes9877]

Best deal for me is 35w ballast n 6k bulb.

[@Khxlxd]

Are the F3/F5/F7 ballasts AC output?

[@hvaq]

+Khalid Ibrahim ac output

[@Khxlxd]

+hvaq thanks a bunch

[@kuba7329]

Hi I purchased a 4300k hid kit from ebay and installed it correctly with a slim plastic ballast that it came with but the light is blue about 6000k not white 4300K please help i dont know if i should buy a better ballast with light bulbs or just ballast?

[@Khxlxd]

What's the wattage?

[@kuba7329]

55w according to the ballast.

[@Khxlxd]

Jakob Korzekwa​ You could change the ballasts first. Try F5 ballasts on Amazon. They're faster than most ballasts + produce a whiter light output.

[@Khxlxd]

Note: they come as single ballast per purchase.

[@kuba7329]

+Khalid Ibrahim Thanks man. I really appriciate it.

[@Eggman147]

How do you feel about morimoto products. The Retrofit Source

[@dial2fast]

+Egi Dollani I have not used them before. Did a quick google search and the design seems pretty good, but not sure the quality.

[@travispfeifer1979]

Xentec makes a good ballast now. So far so good. Get the HD harness, upgrade to a 20a fuse for each headlight, and delete any fuses marked DRL. Will eliminate any "flicker".

[@SerenoOunce]

Xentec, Kensun, etc... all on the cheap end. Seen too many of them fail prematurely and also falsely label their products.

[@lordtigranes9877]

I stopped using 5k bulbs with the new 35w dc ballasts only use 5k with the 55w dc ballasts better light out

[@crosby87762]

Hey also where did you buy the larger ac ballasts?

[@dial2fast]

Ebay, but that was many years ago and the seller is no longer on there.

[@marcusmizerak]

OSRAM are OEM... Good quality, had them in my 07 Lexus IS 250 AWD. With PROJECTORS which they're made for.

[@Silvertarian]

Can I swap ballasts with out buying a new harness?

[@Khxlxd]

+Bulkbs I actually did that just fine.

[@-lm2vi]

Is it true that for ac ballast you need to use only AC lamp? And how I can know it which lamp is AC or DC? In your video you used same lamp for two different ballast?

[@dial2fast]

There is no AC or DC xenon lamp. It's the same bulb. Just different ballast.

[@-lm2vi]

@@dial2fast thanks for answer. There is information on the Internet that there are different types of lamps and AC lamps will not work well with DC ballast, flicker for example. However, I didn't find any confirmation. Maybe shouldn't mess around, buy AC ballast and enjoy...

[@distribiter]

@@-lm2vi buy the best ac ballast , is the Hylux. About 55 euros pair on ebay .

[@JimmyEatWorm]

I ran test and the small one pulls 35 watts and the big metal ballast pulls 55 to 60 watts that's what changes the color and the big ballast if you see in the video they are DC DC'S pull more power but burn your bulbs faster.

[@mattweston11]

Just a thought - maybe the "bluer" light output from the DC ballast is due to the voltage being substantially lower than the output from the AC ballast. Even though the RMS AC voltage was ~84 volts, the AC peak voltages will be quite a lot higher; somewhere in the region of +/-119v [84*sqrt(2)]. Meanwhile, the DC output has no peaks and is just a constant ~80v. I haven't had the opportunity to test any, but maybe some of the really cheap DC ballasts are trying to compensate for this by increasing the DC voltage. However, since it's always at the higher voltage (rather than varying from + peak to - peak as with an AC ballast); the bulbs are burning out quicker.

[@pac85]

Matthew Weston That sqrt(2) thing is only true for sine waves, the ac ballast actually outputs a square wave so the RMS and peak voltage are pretty much the same.

[@JayMcDonalds4life]

What if it says AC digital ballast?

[@Khxlxd]

then the world is falling apart

[@rjl8708]

Please link us a confirm AC ballast pls?

[@dial2fast]

Yo Stop I bought these off ebay, and typically I don't post ebay links because these sellers come and go. But I found this one. Check it out. Keep in mind, I am not affiliated with the seller so don't come to me if there are any problems: @221717497576

[@faresnar09]

Valued information........ thump up

[@TheCalvinSkinner]

So multimeters measure RMS voltage for AC current. This just means that your measurement of 85v AC is the equivalent of 85v DC in comparison of power. This just makes it easier to compare AC and DC values. Because an AC circuit has a changing voltage, a sine wave, and at any moment in time the AC voltage is different from the last. The multimeter does not show you the actual peak voltage of the sine wave. The multimeter value is actually 70.7 percent of the peak AC voltage. This is basically just the average voltage of the sine wave. In conclusion my best guess is that the AC ballast is actually delivery more power than the DC ballast because the 85v is greater than 80v but also partly because the AC ballast is actually delivering more than 85v for a portion of the signal's period. Also AC circuits behave differently than DC circuits in other ways, look into impedance if you care to. Impedance is just resistance but with AC signals instead of DC signals.

[@pixihypermoto]

is there a different in bulbs too?

[@dial2fast]

Some people say there is. I have yet to find different bulbs.

[@ronil_singh]

No The bulb only have xenon gas in it.The colour depends on the ballast. Suppose your bulb is 5000k but you switched to a new ballast which is 8000k.So it will surely give you 8000k because it depends on the current from the ballast that is drawn to the bulb which makes the bulb heat up and glow on different temperature. More the current the more bluer it will become. It depends totally on the ballast.

[@1marcelfilms]

So this is why my 4300k looks just like 5000k and my 3000k looks like green

[@stanthology]

You have better videos than any others I have seen. Most don't stick to the point of the title. The rambling unprepared ones are bad. I would like you to show where the VOM is hooked up to the HID bulb for testing the voltage output of the two ballasts. Also, the setting of the VOM. (AC volts DC volts.) I could barely see them. (bad eyes) Maybe put a sheet of white paper behind the ballast and wiring to clarify the test. I have some knowledge of testing but a total greenhorn would be confused and discouraged in his efforts. Explain the "hook on" testing probe accessories because of the huge difference they make. I was astonished when I finally broke down and bought some. The difference was like day and night I like the way you stretch out the wires for clear visual understanding. Most other videos have a wannabe nerd , "This is my relay and wires." Then he throws it still coiled up onto a pile of wires looking like spaghetti plus parts in a non-understandable heap. Then he drags some other wires out of the spaghetti pile , "This is my wire to the headlight." then throws it back into the same heap.

[@dial2fast]

I explained it better in another video of how I test the voltage. Click on this video and go to 3:40 kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5fWYWSMd86Lfq8

[@Ricovette]

I'm a little confused here... You're saying that the top is an "AC" Ballast, but I don't see it marked "AC" anywhere... I'm trying to find a really good Ballast and that's why I'm asking... BTW, thumbs up on this upload... Thanks in advance... Rico

[@ammarazman6246]

it states there 85V RMS. RMS is used to measure AC output. So basically 85V RMS = 85V DC

[@Ricovette]

Thanks Ammar... I'm new to the HID world... Learn something new every day... Stay safe... Rico

[@lordtigranes9877]

Ricovette if you want true 5k light use 55w ballast or 6k bulb with 35w ballast

[@jayakumarr7856]

My dc ballast lasted only upto 3hrs after installation, but luckily i bought the whole kit with huge discounted price. I can now buy an ac ballast probably a 75w

[@bblando65]

Most of the big boxy ballasts are 55w, whereas most slimlime ballasts are 35w....are you sure you're not comparing apples to oranges here and showing a 55w compared to a 35w ballast?

[@W.Vanderbilt]

Is this Ron Jeremy giving thus review? Sounds just like him😆

[@nghty89]

Hmm HID's in a halogen housing.

[@surgeonso4345]

rocknroller1999 HIDs can be used in reflectors. GMT 800 Escalades came from the factory with them.

[@knulleriboy]

Jordan Herring yes but those reflector housings are made specifically for xenon bulbs. Not the same as normal halogen reflector housings.

[@Pileot]

See that light spilloff around the top of the beam? That is blinding oncoming traffic, its because you are using HID bulbs in a halogen housing / reflector / projector. The difference is the traditional lights tend to have the brightest part of the bulb in the center of the lighting element. The HID bulbs will have the brightest part of the light coming from the points on the arc - at the ends of the lighting element. This means the reflector will be slightly off. Depending on your local it may be UNLAWFUL to use one of these kits because they blind oncoming traffic. Do it right - get a HID projector and have it mounted in your headlight assembly, or buy an aftermarket assembly that has the HID projector built in. Sure, these kits may be cheap, but they are also DANGEROUS for oncoming traffic and cause accidents. They also give a false impression of more light - the light spilloff tends to make things immeadiately in your area (5-10 feet) LOOK brighter because thats where all the light is going. Things in the distance, +30 feet out will be darker because not as much light is getting where it needs to go. Again, depending where you live you may be fined or worse for using kits like this, or worst case scenario you cause an accident because traffic around you can't see where they are going. A proper headlight will have a hard line where the beam cuts off and next to no spill above that line. Please, you did a lot of research into types of HID kits, go the extra mile and put them in a proper housing.

[@01ghostmechanic01]

Absolute truth. I'm sick of these idiots running HID conversions in halogen housings. No matter where he is, if he's in the US it's illegal. Now we have all these LEDs floating around too. Same thing for the most part. They scatter light & blind the oncoming traffic yet do little for the driver of those cars. Don't get me wrong, there are good LED bulbs that work fine in a halogen housing. Much better than a HID conversion. But you have to use some common sense & do some research before you buy them.

[@JM811Cars]

01ghostmechanic01 It is not illegal in the US to use HIDs in a reflector housing. Some cars it is possible to use HIDs in a reflector housing because they have a shroud around the light. To me, it seems to be the cars that are also sold in Europe, like my 2008 Vue for example. There is a shroud that covers the tip of the bulb and the bottom of the bulb, so there is no glare that reflect up into other drivers eyes... cars without the shroud, I agree needs to be in a proper housing

[@krayziesoulja5829]

@@01ghostmechanic01 I honestly DON'T care who I piss off as newer cars and trucks are WAY brighter then mine and mine are bright!

[@12vgs8606]

when you introduce yourself, "hi this is ?????", I hear something like "doctorsomething"; what are you saying?

[@chrisjones5177]

12vgs8606 Dial2fast is what he says.

[@windwalk8970]

Morimoto its the way to go.. the only one good

[@2009polostar]

Morimoto from The Retrofit Source.

[@SerenoOunce]

Which HID kit to buy? NONE! Always buy ballast and bulbs separately. Almost all those compact ballasts are garbage and many stating they are 55W are still just 35W and they slap a different sticker on it. Spend a bit more on a decent AC ballast. Bulbs not so important, just check reviews and get your preferred color temp. FYI, higher wattage = lower color temp. Unfortunately, the listings for a bulbs temp don't specify for what wattage so usually best to look for

[@islamcantres]

One thing you are not understanding is AC bulbs work with AC bulbs and DC work with DC bulbs

[@dial2fast]

+Islam Cantres Please enlighten me with differences between 'AC' bulb and 'DC' bulb.

[@islamcantres]

+dial2fast one is dc current for dc ballasts and one is ac current for ac ballasts.

[@islamcantres]

+dial2fast ac current alertnating current dc is firect current. think of this for reference you cant mix bulbs just like you cannot mix metal halide with high pressure sodium

[@mattmoreira210]

+dial2fast He doesn't know the difference either. He's just pretending to be smart.

[@DanielLearbuch]

@@islamcantres I dont know what you mean , i have high pressure sodium lights and i can put in metal halide bulbs without problems, the lights use the same balasts and starters like metal halide lights. ( see Philips sn58 ignitor , they work with son-t or cdm )

[@NAJEEM1000]

Your DC Bulb is 8000k and AC bulb is 5000k that is the difference