Self-oscillating dimmable electronic ballast for fluorescent lamps

This letter presents a low-cost solution for converting the popularly adopted nondimmable electronic ballast circuit for fluorescent lamps with self-oscillating series resonant inverter into a dimmable one. The dimming function is achieved by increasing the switching frequency of the inverter from the natural frequency of the resonant tank, so that less energy is coupled to the lamp. Control of the switching frequency is based on deriving an adjustable dc current source from the inductor in the resonant tank to control the operating point of the saturable chokes for driving the switches in the inverter. The overall circuit does not require any integrated circuit. A 17-W prototype has been built and tested. Theoretical predictions have been verified with experimental results. The lamp can be dimmed to 10% of the full brightness.