Metal Halide Ballast | 20 Watts to 1650 Watts

About Metal Halide Ballasts

Metal Halide ballasts come in varying electrical make up, sizes and shapes. We offer standard core & coil, f-can style, postline type, encased/weatherproof and electronic Most standard metal halide ballast are CWA type which means it is a constant wattage autotransformer these are the most popular ballast in the US and have changed little since the 1960's. CWA type ballast have two coils one acts as an autotransformer with multiple voltage input taps and a second provides inductance that in series with the capacitor will control the lamp current. Regulated Lag ballast use 3 coils and provide a high degree of power regulation for the lamp reducing spikes and voltage issues. These ballast are much heavier duty and contain more content to handle higher loads.

High Reactance Autotransformers (HX-HPF) are two coil ballasts which consist of a primary winding that provides the voltage transforming for the OCV requirements and a secondary coil for limiting the current. The ballast is heavier duty than its cousin the lag/reactor. Did you know? All metal halide lamps that are below 150 watts are inherently pulse start lamps and must run on a pule start system on these systems. Above this wattage please refer to the ANSI code on the lamp and on the ballast, these numbers will begin with a M, please match the M number on your lamp with the code on the ballast you are choosing, for help please selecting a ballast please call 1-888-988-2852.