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Coil Ignition
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When it comes to grow lights and other electronic devices, a ballast is mechanism that acts as a type of resistor. Similar to the "power pack" used with electric trains, its purpose is to regulate the amount of electrical current flowing through a circuit.

If grow lights - such as metal halide, high pressure sodium or even fluorescent lights - were connected directly to a power outlet, they would continue to draw greater and greater amounts of electric current until they burned up, exploded, or destroyed the power source. This is why a ballast is necessary. The ballast provides positive resistance which limits the flow of electricity to the lamp.

Traditionally, the ballasts used with grow lights have been similar to those found in old-time automotive ignition systems, i.e. a magnetic coil. The problem with these is that they were designed to build up a certain amount of electrical current required to operate the light; once this level was reached, the power would be delivered to the cold bulb all at once. This caused a great deal of wear on the bulb mechanism, shortening its useful life by a substantial degree.

The other problem involved "strobing," or flickering. This flickering is not normally perceived consciously by human eyes, but it does exist - and again, causes grow-light bulbs to be less efficient.

New digital ballasts address these problems. First of all, electrical current is not fired off to cold bulbs all at once; instead, these ballasts start off by sending low levels of current to the bulb, then increasing the amount as the bulb warms up (known as "soft starting"). Digital ballasts also provide a smooth, even flow of electrical current, unlike magnetic core ballasts which cycle. This eliminates the destructive strobing action that causes bulbs to wear prematurely.

Another great feature of the digital ballast is that it is "intelligent." Different types of grow lights have different power needs. In the past, it was necessary to have different ballasts for metal halide and HPS lamps, or at best, use a special (and often expensive) ballast that had a switch allowing one to change bulbs.

Today's digital ballast is optimized to distinguish between different types of grow lights and adjust its output accordingly.

The result is that grow bulbs are effective over twice as long as those powered by a magnetic coil ballast.

This said, it should be noted that not all digital ballasts are created equal. These can vary tremendously in terms of quality and effectiveness. Some digital ballasts can actually harm your plants by delivering insufficient current to the bulb, limiting its ability to emit light.

On the other hand, whereas the performance of coil ballasts starts to degrade after about three years, digital ballasts do not.

If you are considering the purchase of a digital ballast, it is a good idea to do some comparison shopping, and be prepared to spend a bit extra; a new, but cheaply made imported digital ballast from China might be worse than even an old coil ballast made in the U.S.

As the owner of a hydroponics gardening store, Susan Slobac is intimately familiar with hydroponics grow systems and equipment. From digital ballast, LED grow lights and HPS grow lights, to grow systems using Deep Water Culture and aeroponics, Susan gladly shares her first hand experience with her customers.

How To Test Ignition Coils

Preparation for Ignition Coil Test

The first thing you want to do is always take the necessary precautions. When working near or around a running engine one must exercise great caution. You should be aware of any loose clothing. If you have long hair you want be careful that it does not make contact with any part of your car's engine and its moving parts.

Testing the ignition coil on your car is one of the fairly easier tasks to perform. It's not that complex nor does it require any special tools or equipment. One thing to keep in mind is that your ignition system produces a great amount of electricity. Should anything go wrong, the result could be very dangerous. Proceed cautiously.

If your coil has already been removed from your vehicle and you need data that is more specific about your ignition coil, you can perform what is called a bench test. Set up the bench test by removing the one spark plug wire from its plug. Then remove the spark plug with a plug socket. Now you want to connect that spark plug back to the spark plug wire. Do this with great care; you don not want anything to fall into the empty spark plug opening or you'll have a problem.

Testing the Ignition Coil: The Bench Test:

Grab a pair of insulated pliers. Hold your plug wire with insulated pliers. Now, you need a grounding point so look around your engine for one. You want a spot that is easy to access and that has exposed metal. You could even use the car's engine for this.

Hold the spark plug wire with your insulated pliers and make contact with your chosen grounding spot with the threaded part of your spark plug. Have some one start your car's engine and pay attention to the spark plug gap. You are looking for a bright blue spark to jump across the gap - the electricity. If you can observe this blue spark clearly, even in daylight, then your spark plug is working just fine.

Testing the Ignition Coil: The Multimeter Test

There are a number of other tests you can perform for your ignition coil. However, if you want accurate information on the status of your ignition coil then you should perform a multimeter test. This test is far more accurate in determining whether you need to replace the coil or not. It is considered the only proper test for a coil.

You could rely to an extent on the bright blue spark you see in your bench test but if that spark is somewhat weak and your eyes can't really tell, using this spark plug can cause your vehicle to run rough or incorrectly which is the last thing you want.

Let go inside the ignition coil for a moment. The ignition coil contains two coils of wire that are right on top of each other. We refer to these coils as windings. There is a primary winding, the first wire, and a secondary winding, the second wire. The primary winding collects the electricity to create the spark. The secondary winding sends it out to the distributor. It is possible for either of these windings to malfunction causing your vehicle's ignition coil to fail. Sometimes an ignition coil can completely fail meaning it makes absolutely no spark whatsoever.

A multimeter test is performed with the ignition coil completely disconnected. This meter provides numbers to help you determine the status of the coil - far more reliable than a visual assessment. There are different types of digital multimeters and they can be found online or at your local auto repair retailer.

Of course, to use the multimeter, you will have to know the resistance specifications for your ignition coil. If you don't know what they are then refer to your vehicle's service or repair manual for that information.

Testing the Windings

To test the primary winding of your ignition coil:

As mentioned above, the primary winding of the ignition coil first collects the electricity or voltage from the car's battery. Have you found the resistance specification for your ignition coil? You will need this before performing the multimeter test. If you do not have them take a moment to locate you service or repair manual for that information.

Once you have found the resistance specifications, locate your digital multimeter. If you have a traditional round coil, you will need to use the multimeter and place the leads on the small, outside poles of your ignition coil. If you have one of the newer enclosed units, then place the leads on indicated or marked poles of your coil.

Observe the reading you get on the multimeter. If the multimeter reads within the range according to the specification in your service manual, then your primary winding is functioning well and you can go on to check the secondary winding. If you find the reading to be even slightly out of the range then you should replace the ignition coil.

To test the secondary winding of your ignition coil:

The secondary winding of your ignition coil sends the spark to your distributor and then to the spark plugs. A weak spark or no spark at all is an indication that the coil needs to be replaced.

To test your ignition coil's secondary winding, attach the probes to the outer 12V pole and the center pole of your ignition coil. The center pole is the spot where the main wire is located that connects to the distributor. Again, check the reading to make sure they fall within the specified range as indicated in your car's service manual. If your coil falls within that range all is well. If the reading should fall even slightly out of the specified range, then you should replace your ignition coil. Remember a failing ignition coil will cause your engine to run rough and can cause other problems as well.

About the Author

Bond Mejeh produces automotive related articles for Quick Cash Auto, a service helping people sell a car. Quick Cash Auto not only buys pre-owned vehicles of any make or model, but they also provide numerous articles about vehicle repair and automotive news.

Please visit www.QuickCashAuto.com for more information and be sure to check out our automotive blog.

How long does an ignition coil usually last?

Our mechanic changed the ignition coil in our 01' Taurus 4 or 5 months ago b/c the car was missing and the engine light was on. After he changed it, the car drove great until 3 weeks ago. Now its doing the exact same thing as before. Can a coil go out that fast?

I have known of cars 20 yrs old with 100s of thousand miles on them that had the original coil
however if if a coil as with any electronic part, is going to be bad it usually happens shortly after installation

addded
you can give as many thumbs down to this answer as you wish when you are done you ought to look up infant mortality in electronics and brush up on it a bit thank you

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