Fixed output and dimmable electronic control gear
Wiring and installation instructions
&nbsp Table of contents
Table of contents
General info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Terminals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Insulation and dielectric strength testing of luminaires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Protective earth connection for luminaires of protection class 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Cable lengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Cable Routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Sensor cables in the installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
"Master/slave" option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
"Switching between lamp and ECG" option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Radio interference suppression recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Glow switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3-phase operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Electromagnetic compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
RGB applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
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&nbsp Wiring and installation instructions
Wiring and installation instructions for electronic control gear
General info
Tridonic electronic ballasts comply with the specifications of the major lamp manufacturers and will operate all the
specified lamps as intended.
The specific installation and start-up guidelines of individual lamp manufacturers must be followed in order to achieve
full performance from the lamps.
Tridonic electronic ballasts for installation in luminaires have type of protection IP 20.
Built-in ballasts are components for luminaires and may only be installed and put into operation by a specialist or under
instruction from a specialist.
All the wiring and cabling work may only be carried out with the power disconnected.
Electronic ballasts from Tridonic are protected for one hour against offset voltages of up to 320 V.
Mains and control cables may be routed together.
Switching is possible via the mains or powerless via the digital interface.
The D1/D2 control lines can be reverse-connected.
To avoid failures due to ground faults the wiring must be protected against mechanical loads from sharp-edged metal
parts (e.g. cable penetrations, cable holders, metal frames, etc).
Terminals
Tridonic ballasts are equipped with three different types of terminal depending on the ballast.
Insulation piercing terminals for "lp" units
Insulation piercing plug-in terminals for T8 units
Compact plug-in terminals for compact units
Both the plug-in contacts and the insulation piercing contacts are designed for automatic wiring. The insulation piercing
contacts may only be fitted manually using a special tool for repair work and individual connections.
Caution
Electronic ballasts from Tridonic must be connected in accordance with the device circuit diagram (as
indicated on the unit or data sheet).
Notice
How a terminal is connected differs between different types of terminals.
Read the following instructions carefully!
Plug-in terminals for "lp" units
These terminals can be connected in two different ways.
Rigid wire with a cross-section of 0.5 to 0.75 mm² must be used exclusively for the plug-in contact and 0.5 mm² for the
insulation piercing contact.
The overall diameter including insulation must not exceed 2.5 mm for plug-in terminals and 2 mm for insulation piercing
contacts.
Wire preparation length is 8-9 mm. The wire can be removed with a detaching tool, or by carefully turning it and pulling
it vertically.
In theory, the two types of connection can be used at the same time. However the current must not exceed 4 A.
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&nbsp Wiring and installation instructions
Wire preparation length:
Detaching the terminals:
Insulation piercing plug-in terminals for T8 units
These terminals can also be connected in two different ways.
The wiring is designed exclusively for rigid cables with a cross-section of 0.5 to 1.5 mm² for the plug-in contact and
0.5 mm² for the insulation piercing contact.
Wire preparation length is 7.5 - 8.5 mm.
The terminal can be disconnected by operating the lock using the detaching tool or a small screwdriver and gently
pulling the wire.
The plug-in contact and the insulation piercing contact can be used at the same time. However the current must not exceed
4A.
Wire preparation length:
Detaching the terminals:
Terminals for ballasts for compact lamps
Stranded wire with end sleeves or solid wire with a cable cross-section of 0.5 to 1.5mm² can be used.
Wire preparation length is 9 mm.
The terminal can be disconnected by operating the lock and gently pulling the wire.
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&nbsp Wiring and installation instructions
Wire preparation length:
Detaching the terminals:
Insulation and dielectric strength testing of luminaires
Electronic ballasts for lamps are sensitive to high-voltage transients. This must be taken into consideration when subjecting
luminaires to routine testing during manufacture.
According to IEC 60598-1 Annex Q (for information only!) and ENEC 303-Annex A, each luminaire should be subjected to an
insulation test for 1 second at 500 VDC. The test voltage is applied between the linked phase/neutral conductor terminal and
the protective earth terminal. The insulation resistance must be at least 2 MOhm.
As an alternative to measuring the insulation resistance, IEC 60598-1 Annex Q describes a dielectric strength test at 1500 V A
C
(or 1.414 x 1500 VDC). To avoid damaging electronic ballasts, this dielectric strength test should be performed exclusively
for type testing. This test should certainly not be used for routine testing.
Type testing:
Type testing of the luminaire is performed according to IEC 60598-1 Section 10. The wiring for protection class 1 luminaires
is tested at a voltage of 2xU +1000 V. In order not to overload the ballast all the outputs of the ballast are connected to one
another.
Uout is used for measuring the voltage for luminaires with ballasts with Uout > 250 V:
For Uout 480 V the voltage for the type test is 2000 W. (Routine testing is always performed at 500 V DC)
Protective earth connection for luminaires of protection class 1
Exposed metal parts of protection class 1 luminaires must be provided with a permanent and reliable earth connection.
A protective earth is not required for ballasts with a plastic casing.
Tridonic electronic ballasts do not need a function earth to perform their basic function.
In the case of dimmable ballasts, only a limited dimming range is possible if the ballast does not have an earth connection.
In critical luminaires, an earth connection can considerably improve radio interference suppression.
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&nbsp Wiring and installation instructions
Definition of terms:
Protective earth:
Connecting the earth conductor to the protective earth terminal protects the relevant component in
accordance with the requirements of protection class I against the occurrence of harmful voltages at
exposed metal parts.
Function earth:
Connecting the earth conductor to the terminal for function earth can change/improve the function of the
relevant component (e.g. it may improve the starting and EMC properties). In protection class 2 luminaires
the special wiring requirements must be taken into account when connecting a function earth.
Tridonic ballasts with metal casings enable connections to be made to protective earth via the fastening screws. The
connection must comply with IEC 60598-1.
Cable lengths
Dimmable electronic ballasts operate the lamps at a frequency of up to approx. 100 kHz. To prevent the lamp parameters
from being affected by leakage currents the capacitance of the internal cables must not exceed the specified values.
The leakage current is determined by the cable capacitance and the voltage potential.
The lamp connections on the unit indicated by an asterisk (*) have a high voltage potential with respect to earth and
are known in the trade as "hot connections".
The maximum cable capacitance and the resultant maximum cable length are generally lower for hot lamp connections
than for "cold connections".
For optimum starting properties these hot cables should always be shorter than the "cold connections".
For typical luminaire wiring a maximum of 100 pF per metre of cable is assumed.
Maximum cable lenghts for Tridonic ballasts:
Ballast
Cable length, hot*
Cable length, cold
PC Pro
1m
2m
Pca EXCEL,
EXCITE, ECO
1m
2m
PC PRO SR
1m
1m
PC Basic
0.5 m
1m
*) precise cable capacitances and cable lengths see the relevant data sheets.Cable routes
Cable Routes
For multi-lamp ballasts the hot and cold lamp cables should be wired as symmetrically as possible (the difference in cable
capacitance between hot and hot cables or between cold and cold cables must be kept as low as possible and must not
exceed 50 pF).
The hot connections and the cold connections should be laid separately from one another.
For standard single-core 0.5/0.75 mm² cables the typical cable capacitance is 30 to 80 pF/m.
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&nbsp Wiring and installation instructions
Luminaires with multiple electronic ballasts:
If more than one ballast is used in a luminaire the mutual interference can be reduced by taking appropriate measures. The
measures are different for luminaires with a dimming circuit from those for luminaires with several dimming circuits (RGB
control). Generally speaking, lamps that are controlled by different ballasts must be spaced a suitable distance apart. Lamp
manufacturers currently recommend a spacing of approx. 20 mm from lamp to lamp.
One dimming circuit per luminaire
If several dimmable ECGs are used in a luminaire the best results are achieved if the hot cables are tied and laid separately
from the cold cables.
During dimming the lamp operating frequency is increased to more than 100 kHz.
The influence of the cable capacitance then quickly increases. As the lamp current is greatly reducing in dimmed mode the
influence of the cable capacitance on the lamp characteristics increases disproportionately.
Multiple dimming circuits per luminaire
If the ballasts are controlled separately in a luminaire the lamp cables of the individual ballasts must be routed separately.
Otherwise mutual interference of the different frequencies can lead to flickering and to lamps going out at low dimmer
settings.
Cable length symmetry is important here (all lamp cables the same length).
Sensor cables in the installation
If sensor cables (e.g. infra-red or light sensors) are laid parallel to the lamp cables, shielded cables should be used for the
sensor cables as they operate with low currents and are therefore susceptible to interference.
"Master/slave" option
A master/slave circuit is not recommended for dimmable ECGs as the different cable lengths lead to very different behaviour
in operation.
"Switching between lamp and ECG" option
Special applications such as emergency lighting call for disconnection or switching of the cables between the ECG and the
lamp.
The following must be taken into consideration:
Switching from the ECG to the emergency lighting unit must not be pole-dependent.
On switching back from the external supply to ECG operation it is recommended that the lamp cables be switched
back to the ECGs before power is returned to the ECGs. For example emergency lighting units with an additional
mains contact (5-pin technology) may be used. This prevents the ECG circuit breaker from responding.
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&nbsp Wiring and installation instructions
Radio interference suppression recommendations
For standard luminaire wiring Tridonic ECGs are fully RI suppressed provided the following wiring guidelines are followed:
Keep the wiring for the hot ends as short as possible
Do not run power cables together with lamp cables (minimum spacing: 5-10 cm)
Keep the power cable short within the luminaire
Do not run power cables close to the ECG or lamp
Earth electronic ballasts
Procedures for critical luminaires:
Twist the lamp cables
Twist the power cable in the case of through-wiring
Keep lamp cables well away from earthed metal surfaces
Multiple ECGs in a luminaire:
Tridonic units are designed so that in typical luminaires they comply with the limit values for RI suppression even if multiple
ballasts are used.
Checks must be carried out in the complete luminaire however.
Glow switches
Glow switches are not approved for controlling switchDIM. The current through the glow lamp may affect the control system.
3-phase operation
Luminaires or luminaire groups that are connected in three-phase star circuits with a common neutral conductor may be
exposed to excessively high voltages if there is a break in the neutral conductor. This voltage may cause electronic ballasts
to fail.
Wiring of luminaires in a 3-phase star circuit:
Correct connection of the neutral conductor in an installation is extremely important for the uniform distribution of the load in a
3-phase system.
The following graphics show the correct (left) and incorrect (right) wiring and possible effects:
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&nbsp Wiring and installation instructions
The voltage shift may be due to an imbalance in the load distribution among the three phases.
This may be the result for example of unbalanced distribution of the luminaires or dimming of the luminaires.
The luminaire circuit with the smaller load is exposed to increased voltage; undervoltage is measured at the luminaire circuit
with the higher load.
If the neutral conductor is correctly connected it will equalise the unbalanced load
Notice
For luminaires or luminaire groups in three-phase star circuits the installation-side mains connection
may only be made at the luminaire terminal.
It is important to make sure that the neutral conductor is properly connected to all the luminaires and
makes reliable contact.
Three-phase star circuits should be protected by a common automatic three-phase circuit breaker.
Measuring the insulation resistance
In new systems the loads must not be connected for measuring the insulation resistance at 500 VDC
as in accordance with VDE 0100 T600 Section 9 the test voltage is applied between the neutral
conductor (N) and all three external conductors (L1, L2, L3) and the protective earth (PE).
In existing systems it is sufficient, without disconnecting the loads, to conduct an insulation test
between the external conductors (L1, L2, L3) and the protective earth (PE). The neutral conductor (N)
and the protective earth (PE) must not be electrically connected in any way when this is done. During
this insulation test (500 VDC against PE) the neutral conductor isolating terminal may only be opened
if the mains voltage is disconnected.
Make sure the N conductor is correctly connected before putting the system into operation.
Do not interrupt the N conductor while the lighting system is in operation.
Electromagnetic compatibility, low-voltage directive (CE label)
Tridonic ballasts comply with the requirements of the relevant electromagnetic compatibility directive and the low-voltage
directive. Evidence of compliance can be provided on request in the form of a conformity declaration. This can also be
downloaded from http://www.tridonic.com/
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&nbsp Wiring and installation instructions
RGB applications
Colour control applications involving dynamic dimming are becoming more and more popular.
These involve colour chases and continual changes in luminous intensity to produce the desired effects.
Constant changes in lamp output lead to permanent shifts in the cool and hot spots in the lamp. Frequent rapid dimming in
dynamic colour control applications means that the lamps do not achieve a stable operating state.
Dimmable ballasts from Tridonic have been used from the very start for this operating mode.
The associated changes in lamp performance must be taken into consideration when designing the installation.
Current standards and specifications cover static operation or slow (e.g. daylight-dependent) dimming.
We have compiled the following information so even dynamic applications can be implemented without any problems.
Even a rapid change in output has no adverse effects on the ballasts.
Notice
To prevent premature lamp failures due to high switching cycles it is important when programming
dynamically controlled installations to ensure that the minimum dimming setting is selected for the
short and medium dark phases of individual lamps so that the lamps are not switched to often.
Interference due to coupling between the lamp circuits of individual ECGs (e.g. from a lamp operating
at 100% to one that is heavily dimmed) can be prevented by ensuring that there is adequate spacing
between the lamps and that the wiring is also suitably spaced. The effects include flickering, stepped
dimming, disconnection of the lamps and changes in the electrode temperature.
There should be a minimum spacing of 20 cm between the lamp circuits (lamp and cables) of different
ECGs.
If this is not possible the wiring should be carefully installed so coupling between the lamp circuits is
reduced to a minimum:
Twist the cables of heating circuits with one another or make sure that they lie close together. This is
particularly important if neighbouring ECGs are being operated at the lowest dimming setting.
Lay lamp cables close to the appropriate lamps so that the area covered by the lamp circuit is as
small as possible. The lamp circuits of two ECGs must not overlap. This is especially important for
colour control applications in which neighbouring ECGs are dimmed to different levels.
There should be as large a spacing as possible between the lamp cables of two ECGs. All “hot” lamp
cables should lead to one side of the luminaire and be as short as possible; the “cold” cables should
lead to the other side. The mains and control cables should lead from the “cold” side.
All the mains and control cables may be routed together.
To ensure that RI suppression is not impaired there should be a large spacing between these cables
and the lamp cables.
In addition, it is recommended that the leakage current between the lamp electrodes and luminaire metal should be kept as
low as possible by ensuring adequate spacing. Make sure in particular that the luminaire metal is not bowed, otherwise the
minimum spacing may be compromised.
The distance between the lamp and the metal should be greater than 3 mm.
For outdoor RGB applications the thermal behaviour of fluorescent lamps must be taken into account. At temperatures lower
than +10 °C the lamp voltage of T5 lamps may reach unacceptably high values
at low dimmer settings, leading to disconnection of the lamps. Since the luminous flux of the lamps falls dramatically at low
ambient temperatures the effect can be compensated by increasing the dimming commands. This can be programmed by
adapting the minimum dimming level.
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&nbsp Wiring and installation instructions
Examples of correct wiring in an RGB application:
Three 1-lamp ECGs:
The lamp cables are twisted and laid close to the relevant lamps.
There are no overlapping lamp circuits. The "hot" side is on the right, the "cold" side on the left.
Three 2-lamp ECGs:
The lamp cables are twisted and laid close to the relevant lamps.
Overlapping of the three lower lamp circuits is kept to a minimum. The "hot" side is on the right, the "cold" side on the left.
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&nbsp Wiring and installation instructions
Example of incorrect wiring in an RGB application:
The lamp cables of all the ECG are laid together. The lamp circuits are also overlapping.
The lamp circuits of the lower three lamps are overlapping.
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&nbsp Wiring and installation instructions
Instructions for installing in luminaires
Ballasts must be installed in luminaires in accordance with EN 60598.
Electronic ballasts are temperature-protected; the maximum ambient temperature is indicated on the unit.
Ballasts with a maximum fault temperature of 130 °C and a normal maximum surface temperature of 90 °C meet the
requirements for the F symbol without any additional measures. Compliance with these requirements is necessary for
direct mounting on materials that have normal flammability (e.g. wood).
The device temperature and therefore the reliability and life of the unit are directly dependent on the mounting location.
The component temperature is reduced if the underside of the unit is in full contact with cooling luminaire parts. Care
must be taken when mounting on luminaire parts that are at high temperature for example as a result of direct heat
from the lamp.
The life of the unit is determined by the temperature of the components. The rated life specified for ballasts in data
sheets relates to the relevant rated ambient temperature Ta and the resultant temperature at the reference point Tc.
These values are determined under standard IEC conditions. In assessing the limit values in luminaires that deviate
from the standard conditions, alternative measurement methods must be used.
By direct measurement of the temperature on critical components
By determining Ta:
By carrying out a reference measurement of the maximum surface temperature of a non-powered “reference
component” of similar dimensions to the ballast
or by operating the lamps via external ballasts and measuring the maximum surface temperature of the non-powered
ballast used in the luminaire
(the measurement error is approx. 2 to 5 °C because of the slightly altered thermal balance of the luminaire.)
Recommended distances between lamp, reflector and control gear
According to the relevant standards, the minimum spacing between the lamp and the reflector should be 3 mm.
Tridonic recommends at least 6 mm however. A smaller spacing between a metal reflector and other metal parts may lead to
higher leakage currents and therefore to incorrect operation of the lamps.
Under certain circumstances this may lead to premature failure of the lamps.
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