NALMCO Certified Apprentice Lighting Technician (CALT) Practice Exam

Which of the following is not a fluorescent ballast type?

1. Preheat

2. Rapid start

3. Instant start

4. High pressure sodium

The correct answer is: High pressure sodium

The correct answer is high pressure sodium, as it does not belong to the category of fluorescent ballast types. Fluorescent ballasts are essential components in fluorescent lighting systems, and they serve one primary function: to provide the necessary voltage to start the lamp and regulate the current once it is operational. Preheat, rapid start, and instant start are all types of ballasts that specifically match the operating characteristics of fluorescent lamps. Preheat ballasts allow the electrodes in a fluorescent lamp to be heated before striking an arc, which enhances starting efficiency. Rapid start ballasts work by providing a low voltage that preheats the electrodes to facilitate easier starting. Instant start ballasts, on the other hand, apply a high voltage directly to the lamp without the need for preheating or warming the electrodes, allowing for quick startup. High pressure sodium, however, is a different type of lighting technology that operates using a sodium vapor process and is commonly used in street lighting and industrial applications. It employs its own specific ballast types designed to work with the electrical characteristics of sodium vapor lamps, thereby clearly separating it from the fluorescent category.