HID Ballast Teardown

HID Ballast Teardown
High-intensity discharge lamps (HID lamps) are a type of electrical gas-discharge lamp which produces light by means of an electric arc between tungsten electrodes housed inside a translucent or transparent fused quartz or fused alumina arc tube. This tube is filled with noble gas and often also contains suitable metal or metal salts. The noble gas enables the arc's initial strike. Once the arc is started, it heats and evaporates the metallic admixture. Its presence in the arc plasma greatly increases the intensity of visible light produced by the arc for a given power input, as the metals have many emission spectral lines in the visible part of the spectrum. High-intensity discharge lamps are a type of arc lamp. - Wikipedia
A previous ballast video: • Xenon Ballast Repair
I do have some bits and pieces on my web store at backofficeshow.com
Please note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As such links to Amazon products within this video may fall under this. Thanks to all of you who use these links and help support the channel - you are fantastic!
Thanks you lovely people, and keep on tinkering!

[@planeguy737-1]

finally an hid ballast that doesn’t have a 40+ pin microchip inside of it

[@savneetsinghrairai6823]

A fly by transistor 😂

[@rhiantaylor3446]

I love the fact that these boxes are called "12v 35W Ballast" rather than "Danger 2000v" .

[@backofficeshow]

Yeah, it's not the voltage that will kill you, it's the *ballast* 😂

[@Ratchet_effect]

It was a Transformer 'Potted In Disguise' 😂👍🏻

[@backofficeshow]

😂 love it!

[@petersmith5199]

You have to keep it after all that work!

[@backofficeshow]

Into the box of shame it goes!

[@Dr_Mario2007]

In my opinion, HID lamps are still decent especially in a portable Halogen spotlight being modified - I have a modified Cyclops Thor Colossus spotlight with this setup, with a minor difference, I went with different metal halide bulbs for longer bulb lifespan. Went with that configuration as LEDs still suck in certain reflectors due to the optical geometry. The cheaper electronics in the HID ballast is kinda why I went for Hylux A2088 for that spotlight as I needed something reliable and robust for that. And I decided to look at the 35 - 39 Watts ceramic metal halide bulb to use with this ballast, I looked at specifications on both car HID bulb and CMH bulb of the same wattage, turns out they have the same power requirements so that thing works fine, lasts much longer on a battery charge than the original Halogen bulb, basically with the same brightness (42 Watts, rather than 140 - 160 Watts from the original 140 Watts H4 Halogen bulb so CMH lamp lasts 1 1/2 hours on 12 Volts 6.6 Amps hour Lithium-ion battery pack). And by the way, as my modified Halogen spotlight is fitted with OLED multimeter just to monitor the battery voltage, I have seen ignition current hit up to 20 Amps for a split second (which is apparently quick enough not to blow automotive 7.5 Amps fuse I put in for obvious safety reasons).

[@SquareOneForge]

Looking at the bulb through a welding shield?

[@jonathanmartins7744]

Would love to see a teardown of a 400w Dimmable HID Ballast

[@PatanGPuluh8]

hello sir i want to ask. what is the voltage for the smd zener diode on the hid ballast?

[@JVHShack]

For those of us that live in the USA, don't buy these except for off-road usage. According to federal regulations, they are illegal for on-road use if it isn't marked in some way with a valid "D.O.T." number. I was a vehicle safety inspector in Texas a few years ago and I gave a fail more than once because of these devices.

[@backofficeshow]

I'm pretty sure this is the case in most countries, definitely here as well

[@Dr_Mario2007]

Yet perfectly fine for use in modified Halogen spotlights (which I have since modified my Thor Cyclops Colossus to implement metal halide bulbs instead of the original Halogen bulbs - and I also found most 35 Watts digital AC ballasts to also work with the 35 - 39 watts ceramic metal halide bulbs too). Just don't point the modified spotlight at the planes though (I am sure it's Illegal to point the powerful flashlights at the planes as is the laser pointers).

[@parasyte25]

It didn't work because you reversed the input supply polarity. The transistor probably was not there to begin with.

[@waitfor0]

I use the Chinese model, inside the controller, there is a burnt resistor, and I searched for the schematic to find out what the ohm value of this resistor is, but I couldn't find it. can you help me please

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

Cars that use them can really blind you at night.

[@Steve_R]

Could you turn it into a high power bug zapper?

[@backofficeshow]

Now you are talking! That's a great idea 😂

[@landondavid5773]

I'd like to know as well

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

What about dunking it in a pot of D-Limeolene.

[@MechanicForGMCCars]

hello does some one know exactli how xenon interact with 80s GM cars? I have some unusual problems I noticed lot relays share ground and positive paths in my fuse box I have as relays 4 pin rear windscren defroster ,6pin windscren wiper,2 pin head lights on buzzer,3pin blinker relays ,futher more I do have hei ignition system who uses pick up coil,4 pin e core igniton coil with the 4 pin ignition module,also have positive linear voltage regulator it does not have diode in the dashboard basicali so does not have the Delco 12si alternator any diode to the field wire as well. Now the problem is my engine cinde of starter self to acelerate for some odd reason the trothel cabel on my carburetor who is a pierburg 2e3 gets contrapted like the entire engine is magnetised for some reason it stops doing that if I remove blow by hose and the metalic air filter housing and if still it does that I shut off the head lights . So mostli that happens is I dont use the head lights who are xenon bulbs with out ballast. I did notice that my 4 pin defroster relay shares pin86 with split wire to the Delco 12si field excitation wire and that relay became eventuali leaki my baterry was dead after some time I ques the internal diode got fried for some reason . So those 80s GM are prity much shiti lay out . There was another problem as well before that problem my 3 pin blinker got kinde of corrosion on rear bulb holder circuet wire got green staff on the leads from bulb holder leading to chassys ground the effect car baterry stayed longer alive under colder conddition and bether fuel economi if I turned on all 4 blinkers the engine refused to stop it behaved similar like Hit and Miss engine? So can some one explain to my how that acured those 2 problems and how can I posibli ceap usefull problems to my advantage. Basicali some times I can see shoting sparks from my bulbs xenon to the engine and the buzzing blinker relay was cinde of cool staff . So Im not shure my self what happened exactli but the fuel economi was nice . Just the self acelerating engine part was anoying cant use my xenon bulbs any more . So my question wuld by can xenon bulb act similar like wacum tubes basicali and how they can interact with other relays in the car if their internal diodes get fried? I have honestli unusual problems so I need kinde of variabel more circuet for those things. I might by wrong but the blinker relay acted similar to some sort of baterry voltage booster honestly I liked that effect.