Hello LEXUS Pilots!!

This time, I succeeded in the new experiment. It is "Intensification of HID Ballast's Output Power", it can be put in another words as "High-Wattaged Ballast".

High-Wattaged Ballast is also used at the Le Mans 24 hours.

(Now I have begun to study English again. So my English may be strange, and my reply will be late. Please pardon me.)

 

By regulation of ECE99 (Electronic Commerce Europe), the nominal output power of Ballast is specified as 35W. Ballast controlls its output power as nominal. Therefore, brightness can not be changed by exchanging Burner like a halogen lamp.

However, the output power (brightness) can be adjusted flexiblely by modifying a part of control circuit.

This is a block diagram of the Ballst circuit.


This is a block diagram of the control circuit.


I succeeded in changing the output power of Ballast from 25W to 65W.

 

This is a Ballast for modification.


This is an inside of the ballast.


Shave off a tip resistor by mini-drill.


Cut in a volume resistor for control the output power (brightness).


Attach a heat sink. It gets very hot during operation as it can not touch.

 

These are results of the experiment.

Output: 25[W](watt), Brightness: 4,200[cd](candela), x0.4 of the nominal brightness.


Output: 30[W], Brightness: 6,400[cd], x0.7 of the nominal brightness.


Output: 35[W], Brightness: 9,400[cd], This is the nominal brightness.


Output: 40[W], Brightness: 12,000[cd], x1.3 of the nominal brightness.


Output: 45[W], Brightness: 14,600[cd], x1.6 of the nominal brightness.


Output: 50[W], Brightness: 16,700[cd], x1.8 of the nominal brightness.


Output: 55[W], Brightness: 18,600[cd], x2.0 of the nominal brightness.


Output: 60[W], Brightness: 20,400[cd], x2.2 of the nominal brightness.


Output: 65[W], Brightness: 22,600[cd], x2.4 of the nominal brightness.


At output 65W, it's brightness is extraordinary, like hell fire.

You can play baseball games at midnight.

 

This modification of Ballast is very dangerous. Ballast has a circuit which generates very high voltage (no less than 25000V).

If the modification goes wrong, it will cause an electric shock and vehicle fire. Therefore, you should not do this DIY, if you do not have sufficient knowledge and experience about electronics. Even though your experiment ends in failure, I have no responsibility.

 

Do you have the site in English? I can't read Japanese.

 

Sorry, I have no page in English. So, use the translation engine please. Click the link at the upper right of my page. These are links to Excite and Altavista. Though you will use the translation engine, it becomes very strange English.

 

Amazing. The new ballasts that came out only had 55W.... but 65W....hot damn....When (what wattage) does the ballast begin to require the heat sink, 45W? 55W? 65W?

Once again Soaristo, break the light barrier.

Can you translate the text in pictures you posted above?

 

The site that sells the 55W:

http://www.supremepower.com/category...ht-stage3.html

 

Sorry. I do not know what wattage does it require the heat sink, because I have not experimented. But, considering about the heat margin, I think that it requires the heat sink at 45W or more, if you will use it for a long time.

O.K., I will add explanation to the figures above. Wait for a while please.

 

The meaning of Japanese (Chinese characters) is as follows.

This is the block diagram of the Ballast.

Ballast consists of "Inverter" (INV) which supplies electric power to the lamp, and "Igniter" (IGN) which starts the lamp.
(PS stands for Power Supply. DL stands for Discharge Lamp.)

This is the block diagram of the Inverter.

Inverter consists of "Balancer" (BLS), "Generator of Square Wave" (SQR), and "Controller" (CTR).
BLS adjusts the electric power. It transforms V1 (Direct-Current from PS) into V2 (Direct-Current which is required for DL).
SQR has a switching device. It transforms V2 (Direct-Current) into VL (square wave) by changing ON/OFF state at high speed.
CTR controls BLS and SQR, in order to satisfy the electric power for DL.

This is the block diagram of the Controller.

Controller consists of "Voltage Detecter" (VDT), "Current Detecter" (IDT), "Reference Wattage Generator" (WREF), "Divider" (DIV), "Error Amplifier" (EA), and "Pulse Width Modulator" (PWM).

Controller detects the lamp voltage and the lamp current, and it controls the electric power by feedback...

I will explain the operation of the Controller next time.

 

Soaristo,

Very good explanation. Please also include the procedure of the circuit/part that you modified to achive vary wattage output. The resistor that you replaced may not be the same in different brand of ballast, but the idea is the same. What is the size of the potentiometer that you used to change the power output ??

Most owners in this forum have the Philips ballast which should be similar to the one that you modified.

Thanks,

Ching-Ho Cheng

 

Hell I'd do it if someone could prove to me I'd still get 5 years of bulb life LoL!

 

How did you mount the heat sink to optimize heat reduction? Did you mount it like a CPU and greased the ballast? Or did you drill holes in the heat sink? What type of heat sink is it? Email me at tankthang@hotmail.com if you can.
Thanks

 

Yes, I applied "heat conductive greases" to the heat sink, like a over-drive CPU. And I pasted the heat sink on the ballast with adhesives. It is usual aluminum heat sink for Amplifier etc.