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Ballasts

Metal Halide Lamps require electrical ballasts to regulate the arc current flow and deliver the proper voltage to the arc. Probe start metal halide bulbs contain a special ’starting’ electrode within the lamp to initiate the arc when the lamp is first lit. Pulse start metal halide lamps do not require a starting electrode. To generate a high-voltage pulse to the operating electrodes, a special starting circuit referred to as an ignitor is used.