Two varieties of such lamps exist.
High pressure sodium vapour lamp ignitor.
This evenings experimentation consists of attempting to start a high pressure sodium hps lamp with a microwave oven transformer at 2kv.
Only high pressure sodium and pulse start metal halide fixtures have ignitors.
I must apologise fo.
A high pressure sodium ballast is responsible for regulating the pressure in light fixtures that use high pressure sodium gas to produce the light.
The sodium vapor strikes an arc over 240 c.
Sodium bulbs can last up to 20 000 hours.
There is an ignitor built into the ballast which sends a pulse of high voltage energy through the arc tube.
This pulse starts an arc through the xenon gas.
Typically these lights are used on sides of industrial buildings and in some street lamps.
They emit bright yellow light.
High pressure sodium lights are used for illuminating large outdoor areas.
An ignitor is used when high pressure is necessary to strike an arc through certain materials and get the temperature up very quickly inside it.
The heavy duty transformer or ballast is also long lived if the bulbs are changed out before they burn out.
High pressure sodium lamp hps lamp.
They are also commonly found in an indoor garden setting.
Low pressure and high pressure low pressure sodium lamps are highly efficient electrical light sources but their yellow light restricts applications to outdoor lighting such as street lamps where they are widely used.
These types of lights are commonly found outside.
Neither mercury vapor nor standard metal halide fixtures need ignitors to strike an arc through the lamp.
They are used for things such as security lighting.