Chip Capacitors for Lighting Ballasts

With the introduction of new regulations in 2005 extending across the European Union, USA and Japan, the use of the older style electromagnetic ballasts will no longer be permitted (except for repairing existing installations until 2010).
Today, new designs incorporate high frequency electronic ballasts to provide the electrical power to preheat the lamp electrodes, strike the lamp, provide the running power and control the discharge current. High frequency electronic ballasts provide the added advantage of increased luminous flux from the fluorescent lamp which negates the need for a starter, thus saving energy and costs.
Syfer’s new surface mount capacitor range is available in the popular 1206 case size, providing both low cost and space-saving advantages over earlier designs. The devices are manufactured from the stable C0G/NP0 dielectric, providing a low and stable ESR and a wide operating temperature range of –55°C to +125°C. This makes the capacitors particularly suitable for the ballast operating frequencies of 20kHz to100kHz.
The range is offered in capacitance values up to 1nF, with a maximum peak to peak voltage of 600V over a wide operating frequency range. These devices are capable of withstanding a dv/dt in excess of 5kV/µs, ideal for ballasts which can produce voltage waveforms to very high dv/dt levels. The voltage waveforms used may be of several varying types, depending on application.

Production volumes are available on normal lead times.