Phases Of Bulb Operation: Notes
- Starting phase - the bulb requires an initial high voltage pulse of 18-25 kV to establish the arc.
- Warm up phase - Once the arc is established, the power supply to the bulb is regulated to 2.6 amps generating a lamp output of 75 watts. This is the period of operation where the xenon gas begins to brightly illuminate. The warm up phase stabilizes the environment in the bulb ensuring continual current flow across the two electrodes.
- Continual phase - once the warm up phase is completed, the system switches to a continuous mode of operation. The supply voltage for the bulb is reduced and the operation power required for continual bulb illumination is reduced to 35 watts which is less than a conventional halogen bulb.