1. Definitions

1.1. AC control signal means an alternating current (AC) signal that is supplied to the ballast using additional wiring for the purpose of controlling the ballast and putting the ballast in standby mode.

1.2. Average total lamp arc power means the average of the total lamp arc power (as defined and measured in section 2.6.1) of the ballast units tested.

1.3. Cathode heating refers to power delivered to the lamp by the ballast for the purpose of raising the temperature of the lamp electrode or filament.

1.4. DC control signal means a direct current (DC) signal that is supplied to the ballast using additional wiring for the purpose of controlling the ballast and putting the ballast in standby mode.

1.5. Dimming ballast means a ballast that is designed to vary its output and that can achieve an output less than or equal to 50 percent of its maximum electrical output.

1.6. F34T12 lamp (also known as a “F40T12/ES lamp”) means a nominal 34 watt tubular fluorescent lamp that is 48 inches in length and one and a half inches in diameter, and conforms to ANSI C78.81 (Data Sheet 7881-ANSI-1006-1) (incorporated by reference; see §430.3).

1.7. F96T12/ES lamp means a nominal 60 watt tubular fluorescent lamp that is 96 inches in length and one and a half inches in diameter, and conforms to ANSI C78.81 (Data Sheet 7881-ANSI-3006-1) (incorporated by reference; see §430.3).

1.8. F96T12HO/ES lamp means a nominal 95 watt tubular fluorescent lamp that is 96 inches in length and one and a half inches in diameter, and conforms to ANSI C78.81 (Data Sheet 7881-ANSI-1017-1) (incorporated by reference; see §430.3).

1.9. High-frequency ballast is as defined in ANSI C82.13 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3).

1.10. Instant-start is the starting method used in instant-start systems as defined in ANSI C82.13 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3).

1.11. Low-frequency ballast is a fluorescent lamp ballast that operates at a supply frequency of 50 to 60 Hz and operates the lamp at the same frequency as the supply.

1.12. PLC control signal means a power line carrier (PLC) signal that is supplied to the ballast using the input ballast wiring for the purpose of controlling the ballast and putting the ballast in standby mode.

1.13. Programmed-start is the starting method used in programmed-start systems as defined in ANSI C82.13 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3).

1.14. Rapid-start is the starting method used in rapid-start type systems as defined in ANSI C82.13 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3).

1.15. Reference lamp is a fluorescent lamp that meets certain operating conditions as defined by ANSI C82.13 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3).

1.16. Residential ballast means a fluorescent lamp ballast that meets FCC consumer limits as set forth in 47 CFR part 18 and is designed and marketed for use only in residential applications.

1.17. RMS is the root mean square of a varying quantity.

1.18. Sign ballast means a ballast that has an Underwriters Laboratories Inc. Type 2 rating and is designed and marketed for use only in outdoor signs.

1.19. Wireless control signal means a wireless signal that is radiated to and received by the ballast for the purpose of controlling the ballast and putting the ballast in standby mode.

2. Active Mode Procedure

2.1. Where ANSI C82.2 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3) references ANSI C82.1-1997, the operator must use ANSI C82.1 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3) for testing low-frequency ballasts and must use ANSI C82.11 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3) for testing high-frequency ballasts. In addition when applying ANSI C82.2, the standards ANSI C78.81, ANSI C82.1, ANSI C82.11, and ANSI C82.13 must be used instead of the versions listed as normative references in ANSI C82.2.

2.2. Instruments

2.2.1. All instruments must be as specified by ANSI C82.2 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3).

2.2.2. Power Analyzer. In addition to the specifications in ANSI C82.2 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3), the power analyzer must have a maximum 100 pF capacitance to ground and frequency response between 40 Hz and 1 MHz.

2.2.3. Current Probe. In addition to the specifications in ANSI C82.2 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3), the current probe must be galvanically isolated and have frequency response between 40 Hz and 20 MHz.

2.3. Test Setup

2.3.1. The ballast must be connected to a main power source and to the fluorescent lamp load according to the manufacturer's wiring instructions and ANSI C82.1 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3) and ANSI C78.81 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3).

2.3.1.1. Wire lengths between the ballast and fluorescent lamp must be the length provided by the ballast manufacturer. Wires must be kept loose and not shortened or bundled.

2.3.1.2. If the wire lengths supplied with the ballast are of insufficient length to reach both ends of lamp, additional wire may be added. Add the minimum additional wire length necessary, and the additional wire must be the same wire gauge as the wire supplied with the ballast. If no wiring is provided with the ballast, 18 gauge or thicker wire must be used. The wires must be separated from each other and grounded to prevent parasitic capacitance for all wires used in the apparatus, including those wires from the ballast to the lamps and from the lamps to the measuring devices.

2.3.1.3. The fluorescent lamp must meet the specifications of a reference lamp as defined by ANSI C82.13 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3) and be seasoned at least 12 hours.

2.3.1.4. The ballast must be connected to the number of lamps equal to the maximum number of lamps the ballast is designed and marketed to operate.

2.3.1.5. Ballasts designed and marketed to operate both 4-foot medium bipin lamps and 2-foot U-shaped lamps must be tested with 4-foot medium bipin lamps.

2.3.1.6. With the exception of sign ballasts (described in section 2.3.1.7 and its subsections), ballasts designed and marketed to operate both T8 and T12 lamps must be tested with T8 lamps.

2.3.1.7. For sign ballasts (as defined in section 1.18):

2.3.1.7.1. Use a T8 lamp as specified in Table A of this section for sign ballasts that are designed and marketed to operate only T8 lamps.

2.3.1.7.2. Use a T12 lamp as specified in Table A of this section for sign ballasts that are designed and marketed to operate only T12 lamps.

2.3.1.7.3. Use a T12 lamp as specified in Table A of this section for sign ballasts that are designed and marketed to operate both T8 and T12 lamps.

2.3.1.8. Test each ballast with the lamp type specified in Table A of this section that corresponds to the lamp diameter the ballast is designed and marketed to operate. Test each ballast with only one lamp type.

2.3.2. Power Analyzer

2.3.2.1. The power analyzer test setup must have n + 1 channels where n is the number of lamps a ballast operates. Use the minimum number of power analyzers possible during testing. A system may be used to synchronize the power analyzers, and all power analyzers must be synchronized in time.

2.3.2.2. Lamp Arc Voltage. Leads from the power analyzer should attach to each fluorescent lamp according to Figure 1 of this section for rapid- and programmed-start ballasts, Figure 2 of this section for instant-start ballasts operating single pin (SP) lamps, and Figure 3 of this section for instant-start ballasts operating medium bipin (MBP), miniature bipin (mini-BP), or recessed double contact (RDC) lamps. The programmed- and rapid-start ballast test setup includes two 1000 ohm resistors placed in parallel with the lamp pins to create a midpoint from which to measure lamp arc voltage.

2.3.2.3. Lamp Arc Current. A current probe must be positioned on each fluorescent lamp according to Figure 1 for rapid- and programmed-start ballasts, Figure 2 of this section for instant-start ballasts operating SP lamps, and Figure 3 of this section for instant-start ballasts operating MBP, mini-BP, and RDC lamps.

2.3.2.3.1. For the lamp arc current measurement, the full transducer ratio must be set in the power analyzer to match the current probe to the power analyzer.

Where: Iin is the current through the current transducer, Vout is the voltage out of the transducer, Rin is the power analyzer impedance, and Rs is the current probe output impedance.

2.4. Test Conditions

2.4.1. The test conditions for testing fluorescent lamp ballasts must be done in accordance with ANSI C82.2 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3). DOE further specifies that the following revisions of the normative references indicated in ANSI C82.2 should be used in place of the references directly specified in ANSI C82.2: ANSI C78.81 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3), ANSI C82.1 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3), ANSI C82.3 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3), ANSI C82.11 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3), and ANSI C82.13 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3). All other normative references must be as specified in ANSI C82.2.

2.4.2. Room Temperature and Air Circulation. The test facility must be held at 25 ±2 °C, with minimal air movement as defined in ANSI C78.375 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3).

2.4.3. Input Voltage. Disregard the directions in ANSI C82.2 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3) section 4.1, and use the following directions for input voltage instead. For ballasts designed and marketed for operation at multiple voltages that are not residential ballasts, test the ballast at 277V ±0.1%. For residential ballasts designed and marketed for operation at multiple voltages, test the ballast at 120V ±0.1%. For sign ballasts designed and marketed for operation at multiple voltages, test the ballast at 120V ±0.1%. Ballasts designed and marketed for operation at only one input voltage must be tested at that specified voltage.

2.5. Test Method

2.5.1. Ballast Luminous Efficiency.

2.5.1.1. The ballast must be connected to the appropriate fluorescent lamps and to measurement instrumentation as indicated by the Test Setup in section 2.3.

2.5.1.2. The ballast must be operated at full output for at least 15 minutes but no longer than 1 hour until stable operating conditions are reached. Once this condition is reached, and with the ballast continuing to operate at full output, measure each of the parameters described in sections 2.5.1.3 through 2.5.1.9 concurrently.

2.5.1.2.1. Stable operating conditions are determined by measuring lamp arc voltage, current, and power once per second in accordance with the setup described in section 2.3. Once the difference between the maximum and minimum values for lamp arc voltage, current, and power do not exceed one percent over a four minute moving window, the system is considered stable.

2.5.1.3. Lamp Arc Voltage. Measure lamp arc voltage (volts) using the setup described in section 2.3.2.2.

2.5.1.4. Lamp Arc Current. Measure lamp arc current (amps) using the setup described in section 2.3.2.3.

2.5.1.5. Lamp Arc Power. The power analyzer must calculate output power by using the measurements described in sections 2.5.1.3 and 2.5.1.4.

2.5.1.6. Input Power. Measure the input power (watts) to the ballast in accordance with ANSI C82.2 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3), section 7.

2.5.1.7. Input Voltage. Measure the input voltage (volts) (RMS) to the ballast in accordance with ANSI C82.2 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3), section 3.2.1 and section 4.

2.5.1.8. Input Current. Measure the input current (amps) (RMS) to the ballast in accordance with ANSI C82.2 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3), section 3.2.1 and section 4.

2.5.1.9. Lamp Operating Frequency. Measure the frequency of the waveform delivered from the ballast to any lamp in accordance with the setup in section 2.3.

2.6. Calculations

2.6.1. Calculate ballast luminous efficiency (BLE).

Where: Total Lamp Arc Power is the sum of the lamp arc powers for all lamps operated by the ballast as determined by section 2.5.1.5, Input Power is as determined by section 2.5.1.6, and β is equal to the frequency adjustment factor in Table A.

2.6.2. Calculate Power Factor (PF).

Where: Input Power is determined in accordance with section 2.5.1.6, Input Voltage is determined in accordance with section 2.5.1.7, and Input Current is determined in accordance with section 2.5.1.8.

3. Standby Mode Procedure

3.1. The measurement of standby mode power need not be performed to determine compliance with energy conservation standards for fluorescent lamp ballasts at this time. On or after December 2, 2015, if a manufacturer makes any representations with respect to the standby mode power use of fluorescent lamp ballasts, then testing must also include the provisions of this test procedure related to standby mode energy consumption.

3.2. Test Conditions

3.2.1. The test conditions for testing fluorescent lamp ballasts must be established in accordance with ANSI C82.2 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3). The test conditions for measuring standby power are described in sections 5, 7, and 8 of ANSI C82.2. Fluorescent lamp ballasts that are designed and marketed for connection to control devices must be tested with all commercially available compatible control devices connected in all possible configurations. For each configuration, a separate measurement of standby power must be made in accordance with section 3.3 of the test procedure.

3.3. Test Method and Measurements

3.3.1. The test for measuring standby mode energy consumption of fluorescent lamp ballasts must be done in accordance with ANSI C82.2 (incorporated by reference; see §430.3).

3.3.2. Send a signal to the ballast instructing it to have zero light output using the appropriate ballast communication protocol or system for the ballast being tested.

3.3.3. Input Power. Measure the input power (watts) to the ballast in accordance with ANSI C82.2, section 13, (incorporated by reference; see §430.3).

3.3.4. Control Signal Power. The power from the control signal path must be measured using all applicable methods described below.

3.3.4.1. AC Control Signal. Measure the AC control signal power (watts), using a wattmeter (W), connected to the ballast in accordance with the circuit shown in Figure 4 of this section.

3.3.4.2. DC Control Signal. Measure the DC control signal voltage, using a voltmeter (V), and current, using an ammeter (A), connected to the ballast in accordance with the circuit shown in Figure 5 of this section. The DC control signal power is calculated by multiplying the DC control signal voltage and the DC control signal current.

3.3.4.3. Power Line Carrier (PLC) Control Signal. Measure the PLC control signal power (watts) using a wattmeter (W) connected to the ballast in accordance with the circuit shown in Figure 6 of this section. The wattmeter must have a frequency response that is at least 10 times higher than the PLC being measured in order to measure the PLC signal correctly. The wattmeter must also be high-pass filtered to filter out power at 60 Hertz.

3.3.4.4. Wireless Control Signal. The power supplied to a ballast using a wireless signal is not easily measured but is estimated to be well below 1.0 watt. Therefore, the wireless control signal power is not measured as part of this test procedure.

[80 FR 31983, June 5, 2015, as amended at 81 FR 25600, Apr. 29, 2016]