What Does a Ballast Resistor Do?
- Definition. WordNet Search defines a ballast resistor, most commonly found in an automobile ignition system, as a device "inserted into a circuit to compensate for changes, [such] as those arising ...
- Function. ...
- Use in Automobiles. ...
- Additional uses. ...
How hot should a ballast resistor get?
The ballast resistor for a stock coil should be a nominal 1 .0 ohms as measured cold, that value, as measured may vary slightly, but should be darn close. Improper resistance of the coil and/or ballast resistor could cause problems. And yes, a good ground to the orange box case is important.
What is the purpose of the ballast resistor?
What is a 'Ballast Resistor' and do I need it?
- 390fastback. Another question on the painless wiring kit for my 68. ...
- fastbackfolk
- pprince. You need the resistor to reduce the voltage in order for the points not to burn up quickly. ...
- 2ndGen. I've always associated actual ballast resistors with Mopar vehicles. ...
- 390fastback. ...
- 2ndGen. ...
- cmayna. ...
- 390fastback. ...
- cmayna. ...
- cmayna. ...
How do you wire a ballast resistor?
How to Connect a Ballast Resistor
- Determine if Ballast Resistor Is Needed. In many of today's vehicles, the ballast resistor is not needed. ...
- Locate Ballast Resistor along Firewall. The best location for the ballast resistor to be connected is close to the coil along the firewall. ...
- Drill Holes for Securing Resistor. ...
- Install Ballast Resistor. ...
- Connect Wires to Positive. ...
Do all ignition coils need a ballast resistor?
Why do ignition coils need ballast resistor? In simple terms, the ballast resistor in a Mopar limits the amperage, or current flow, through the coil while the engine is running, thereby extending the life of the coil and breaker points of the distributor. Quite simply, if your distributor has breaker points the answer is yes; if not, the answer ...
Is a ballast resistor necessary?
And while ignition coil life may be compromised without a resistor, the additional secondary voltage (at the spark plug) is increased which generally improves power. So does your application require a ballast resistor? Quite simply, if your distributor has breaker points the answer is yes; if not, the answer is no.
What happens if you dont use ballast resistor?
If the ballast resistor is not working properly, the vehicle will not start. Since it is an electrical system, it is something best left to the professionals to handle. The only way to have the vehicle up and running again is with a ballast resistor replacement.
How do I know if my coil needs a ballast resistor?
To check if there's an internal ballast resistor in your coil, there are two things you need to do: 1) remove any cover covering up your coil, and 2) check if your ballast has 3 wires coming out of it. If the ballast doesn't have the ballast resistor built inside, then there should be three wires coming out of it.
Does a ballast resistor lower voltage?
The ballast resistor, supplies the needed voltage during the start up, and then immediately after the arc is established, it reduces the voltage in addition to regulating the current flow.
How do I test a ballast resistor?
0:031:01Ballast Resistor - How to Test - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipTake one lead from your voltmeter connect it to the side coming from the ignition switch. Take theMoreTake one lead from your voltmeter connect it to the side coming from the ignition switch. Take the other week when we voltmeter connect it to ground. Now reach in the car. And turn the key to the on.
How many volts should a ballast resistor have?
To test your ballast resistor you need an ohm meter or multimeter set to ohms. Remove the connectors from both sides of the resistor. The ohms should read between 1.8 and 5 ohms. You should be getting 9 volts to the positive side of the coil.
What does a fuel pump ballast resistor do?
0:332:35Fuel Pump Ballast Resistor - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThis goes into the circuit just to drop the voltage may be from 12 volts to 10 volts or somethingMoreThis goes into the circuit just to drop the voltage may be from 12 volts to 10 volts or something like that and all it does is cut down on the noise.
Where does a ballast resistor go?
Note: Ballast resistors are usually located bolted to the firewall if your distributor and/or coil is at the rear of the engine. If your distributor is located near the front or side of the engine in the case of an inline-4 cylinder, then it's probably right near the ignition coil or distributor.
How do you bypass a ballast resistor?
5:4912:28Pertronix flamethrower and ballast resistor bypass on the ... - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe perfect thickness for these jumpers. And then all i'm going to do is unplug them from theMoreThe perfect thickness for these jumpers. And then all i'm going to do is unplug them from the ballast. Resistor. Straight across and we should be able to just throw the key. In.
Why does my ballast resistor get hot?
Old style Ballast resistors get hot, its the way they work and why they are mounted the way they are. Basically if you were to remove the filler you would find a wire coil, usually a fairly thick gauge and the current flowing through this is creates the resistance. A By-product of this is heat.
What does a resistor do?
A resistor is an electrical component that limits or regulates the flow of electrical current in an electronic circuit. Resistors can also be used to provide a specific voltage for an active device such as a transistor.
What does a 12 volt resistor do?
If a component in your circuit requires less voltage than the rest of your circuit, a resistor will create a voltage drop to ensure the component does not receive too much voltage. The resistor will create a voltage drop by slowing down, or resisting, the electrons as they try to flow through the resistor.
Why is a ballast resistor used?
A ballast resistor is used in a device to compensate for changes and secure the other components of a network. When the current flowing through the resistor increase, the temperature also increases. And due to the temperature rise, the resistance also increases. Therefore, an increase in resistance limits the current flowing through the network.
Why is the ignition ballast resistor important?
It reduces the failure risk of the ignition coil. When the starter motor cranks the engine, the ignition ballast resistor helps to reduce the coil voltage and coil current. Therefore, low current causes a low-temperature rise. And it results in a long life of the ignition coil.
What voltage is used to supply the ignition coil?
If the ballast resistor is not connected with the ignition coil, the full supply voltage is applied to the ignition coil. Generally, the battery is used to supply the ignition system. And in most cases, the battery voltage will be 12V or 24V.
What happens to the voltage of a ballast when the current increases?
When the current passing through the lamp increase, the resistance of the ballast resistor increases. And it also increases the voltage drop across the resistor. When the current decreases, the temperature goes down and resistance decreases.
What happens to the resistance of a ballast resistor?
When the current flowing through the resistor increase, it increases the temperature of the ballast resistor. As a result, the resistance also increases. This type of ballast resistor is used in an incandescent lamp. When the current passing through the lamp increase, the resistance of the ballast resistor increases.
How to increase the life of an ignition coil?
To increase the life of the ignition coil, we need to reduce voltage. and to fulfill this purpose, we connect a ballast resistor with the ignition coil . So, to test the ballast resistor, we can measure the voltage across the ignition coil. If the ballast resistor is good, it reduced the voltage level to 7-8V.
What happens to the resistance when the current is flowing through the resistor?
If the current flowing through the resistor increases above the threshold value, the resistance increases. The resistance can then correspondingly decrease as the current decreases. In this way, the ballast resistor tries to maintain a constant current flowing through a circuit. The ballast resistor is different from the load resistor.
Why is a ballast resistor used?
A ballast resistor is used in a circuit to limit the current and hence prevent it from over current faults. Here, as the current in the circuit varies and increases above a particular threshold value, the resistance also starts to increase. This in turn decreases the current and protects the circuit from over current faults.
What are the advantages of using a ballast resistor?
The advantages of using this type of ballast resistors is that it gives a more precise current control than an appropriate fixed resistor . Another advantage is that the power lost in the resistive ballast gets reduced as a smaller portion of the overall power is dropped in the ballast compared to a fixed resistor.
What happens to the ballast resistor as the current increases?
As the current through the lamp increases, the ballast resistor gets heated up and the resistance thus increases with the rising temperature and the voltage drop across the resistor increases. If current decreases, the temperature of the ballast resistor goes down, its resistance and thus its voltage drop decreases.]
Why do cars have ballast resistors?
Nowadays car engines have a ballast resistor kit, along with the ignition kit, to protect the coils. Other application in the automotive area is the regulation of speed of a ventilation fan. In lamp circuits, these resistors are often used in series or in parallel to the lamp load. The two types of ballast resistor are fixed ...
How does an electric ballast work?
By doing so, they reduce the risk of either over voltage or over current in the circuit and thereby enhancing the stability of the system. Electric ballast varies greatly in complexity. It can be as simple as a resistor, capacitor, ...
What is an ignition ballast resistor?
Due to its application, such devices are called Ignition Ballast Resistor. Use of this device reduces the risk of coil failure. It is installed in the circuit between the primary voltage source for the ignition coil and the coil stud.
What is a self variable resistor?
Self-Variable Resistors: These type of ballast resistors have the property of changing the resistance according to the change in current like an increase in current would increase its resistance and a decrease in current will decrease its resistance. These ballast resistors are often used in incandescent lamps.
What is the purpose of a ballast resistor in a car starter?
Between the battery and the starter, a ballast resistor helps regulate the voltage.
What happens when a starter motor starts?
As the starter motor begins to crank the engine, it causes a significant drain on the battery. The ballast resistor allows the ignition system to operate at a lower voltage until the engine starts. After ignition, the alternator begins to recharge the battery, restoring the regular voltage.
How does a Ballast Resistor Work?
The working of the ballast resistor is, whenever the current flow through the resistor increase then the temperature will be increased. So because of this temperature increase, the resistance will be increased. Thus, the increases within resistance will restrict the flow of current throughout the network.
Ballast Resistor Types
These resistors are available in two types fixed resistors & Self- variable resistors.
LED Circuit using Ballast Resistor
We know that a light-emitting diode is a very sensitive device. So, if the voltage supply which is applied to this is above the rated voltage, then the diode may get damaged. To overcome this problem, a ballast resistor is employed within an LED circuit which is shown below.
What is a ballast resistor?
First, the ballast resistor is the long, white ceramic thing attached to the left side of the coil assembly. Basic function: the ballast resistor is a resistor contained in the primary ignition circuit wiring that lowers voltage after the engine is started to reduce wear on ignition components.
How many ohms does a ballast resistor test?
Sometimes a ballast resistor will test correctly at 3 ohms under a static, cold resistance test per above, but perform incorrectly under dynamic load on the bike. In such cases, the actual delivered resistance can deviate from the design spec.
Is a Honda ballast reliable?
If any of you owned Chrysler cars during the 60s and 70s, you are no doubt familiar with this common problem! Fortunately, the Honda ballast is very reliable and catastrophic failure is rare . To test your ballast, remove the 2 attached wires from the terminals and check for resistance across the terminals (ignition off).
Why remove ballast resistor?
In either type of ignition system, points or electronic, the ballast resistor can be removed to increase secondary voltage to the spark plugs, but the long-term effects of removing the resistor differ between the two systems.
Where is the ballast resistor on a Mopar?
Some brands utilized a resistor in the coil or a resistor wire hidden in the wiring from the ignition switch, but Mopar put their resistor (or ballast resistor) on the firewall or inner fender, causing some to misidentify it as a part of the charging system. In simple terms, the ballast resistor in a Mopar limits the amperage, or current flow, ...
Do distributors need ballast resistors?
So does your application require a ballast resistor? Quite simply, if your distributor has breaker points the answer is yes ; if not, the answer is no. See all 7 photos. 2 Older points-style ignition system used a single resistor which reduced amperage to the coil resulting in extended life for the coil and points.
