Improved simulation accuracy and reduced design time for electronic ballast designs which incorporate fixed frequency controller ICs

Abstract

While computers are useful tools for simulation and verification purposes, "breadboarding" during the development phase of electronic ballast circuits is unavoidable. Designers do not have the confidence to totally eliminate the hardware breadboarding steps for at least two reasons. One is that discrete electronic component models as well as fluorescent lamp models either do not exist or are not sufficiently accurate. The second is that many iterations of computer simulation are generally required to match the resistive lamp impedance curve when detailed lamp models don't exist and resistive lamp models are used. However, with the development of new integrated circuits designed specifically for fluorescent electronic ballasts, the lamp and non-IC component models become less important, especially if the IC controller operates at a fixed frequency and if certain network criteria are met. As a result, the extensive hardware breadboarding phase can be drastically reduced. One design example is presented and summary results are tabulated. Some key waveforms from simulation and measurement are compared. Then, the design is expanded to the entire family, the circuit parameters of which are calculated.