Flicker Index
Senior Member
- Location
- Pac NW
- Occupation
- Lights
Back when we transitioned from copper, enamel, oil and steel to electronic ballasts, failure rates skyrocketed. As T12 obsoleted and T8 solid state high frequency ballasts matured, they became reliable.
As L.E.D. type surfaced, the failures that plagued 80s and 90s electronic ballasts returned.
This could be glass vs brass issue. There isn't a whole lot of difference between LED ballasts and T8 electronic ballasts.
There are a few electrolytic capacitors per fixture in L.E.D. and T8 lighting and these can spoil with temperature and time; then solid state ballasts are prone to "glass" type failure. They may live nearly an eternity in sea water picked in a jar in the office, but can shatter in an instant in impact, or a power surge.
Coil and core may fail if submerged in sea water, but they don't "shatter" in day-to-day power surges short of a sustained over-voltage or a lightning strike. Unfortunately, many China sourced L.E.D. apparatuses shatter solely due to poor practices of purchasing agent and design engineer, akin to throwing eggs in a box and shipping it across the globe without having a clue as to real world ordinary conditions compared to the lab bench or in the office.
As L.E.D. type surfaced, the failures that plagued 80s and 90s electronic ballasts returned.
This could be glass vs brass issue. There isn't a whole lot of difference between LED ballasts and T8 electronic ballasts.
There are a few electrolytic capacitors per fixture in L.E.D. and T8 lighting and these can spoil with temperature and time; then solid state ballasts are prone to "glass" type failure. They may live nearly an eternity in sea water picked in a jar in the office, but can shatter in an instant in impact, or a power surge.
Coil and core may fail if submerged in sea water, but they don't "shatter" in day-to-day power surges short of a sustained over-voltage or a lightning strike. Unfortunately, many China sourced L.E.D. apparatuses shatter solely due to poor practices of purchasing agent and design engineer, akin to throwing eggs in a box and shipping it across the globe without having a clue as to real world ordinary conditions compared to the lab bench or in the office.