35w or 55w, Which is Brighter? Color Shift and Lux Explained
35w or 55w, Which is Brighter? Color Shift and Lux Explained
If you don't know the answer, continue reading. Today, we will cover what happens when you switch from a 35-watt ballast to a 55-watt ballast and how an HID acquires its color.
Color
There are three primary aspects of HIDs that you most likely aren't aware of: their color and brightness.
How do they acquire their color? Many people are perplexed about the Kelvin scale, which includes 3,000K, 4,000K, 6-8-10,000K, and 12,000 K. For Kelvin, the letter K is used.
The process by which HID bulbs acquire their color involves a small glass capsule filled with a combination of metal salts and chemicals. Engineers who create HID bulbs may vary the hue by altering the mixture of chemicals within.
Your ballast is the second factor that contributes to the color.
A tag that reads 35 watts, 5,000K, and the type of bulb is typically attached to the cord of a HID bulb. In this case, it's 9007. According to this label, the chemical composition inside the bulb produces a 5,000K color at 35 watts.
This does not imply that the lightbulb is limited to a 35-watt rating. It will continue to function even if you use a 45-watt, 50-watt, or 55-watt HID ballast to power it. "35 watts, 5,000K" is all that is stated on the bulb tag.
This 35-watt light produces 5,000K colors. A 35-watt ballast, such as the HYLUX Slim Ballast from GTR Lighting (shown below), will produce the correct hue on the lightbulb's label.
We have 12,000K Purple, 10,000K Deep Blue, 8,000K Iceberg Blue, 6,000K Diamond White, 5,000K Pure White, 4,300K OEM White, and finally, 3,000K golden yellow.
The brightness of the bulb is determined by the ballast's power consumption, which is only 35 watts if you're using a 35-watt ballast. It also implies that your bulbs will appear the way they should at 35-watt ballast power.
You can also use a ballast of 45, 50, or 55 watts, but the only effect will be that your bulbs will become brighter and lose their color. A more potent HYLUX ballast will allow you to shift from a 10,000K hue to an 8,000K color.
Your light bulb's color changes every time the ballast's wattage is increased. Therefore, a 6,000K lightbulb will appear more like a 5,000 K bulb. It will appear more like a 4,300K bulb than a 5,000K bulb.
Brightness
Additionally, there will be an improvement in brightness. Using a 55-watt ballast instead of a 35-watt one will enhance brightness by almost 50%. The hue of the 8,000K HID bulb will change to 6,000K. However, the maximum lux will increase from 1,000 to 1,500 at a distance of 25 feet.
Your HID bulb may not be brighter just because it reads 10,000K or 12,000 K. The two best choices are the 4,300K and 5,000K, which run on 35—and 55-watt ballast power, respectively.
Using the 3,000K color setting reduces brightness. You also lose brightness if you go to 6-8-10 or 12,000K. As you move up the scale, it only gets worse.
See, the sun is the brightest light source we are aware of, with a hue of 5,800K, or 5,800 Kelvin. In terms of LED and HID lighting, the more you get away from that 5,800K natural light, the less useable light you get. At 3,000K, it approaches the red and yellow portions of the infrared spectrum of light. You approach the UV region of helpful light at 10,000 and 12,000K.
It makes sense, then. Are you able to see ultraviolet light? No. Are you able to see infrared? No. You are, therefore, stranded in the center.
I don't care if you want to acquire a particular bluish color or an 8,000K or 6,000K HID kit. I want you to understand what you're getting. It is not necessarily going to be brighter just because it has a higher Kelvin rating.
Lux Testing
These projectors were backed up to 25 feet from the wall. The actual, usable brightness at the highest intensity of each beam's hotspot was measured using a digital lux meter, and the color and light output differences between 35-watt and 55-watt ballasts were examined.
The maximum lux measured by the 3,000K Golden HID with a 35-watt ballast was 350. The maximum lux increased to 490 while using a 55-watt ballast. The color changed, with the exception of a 50% brightness increase.
The 4,300K HID bulb is the next in line.
This device produced a maximum of 1,070 lux at 35 watts, which is three times the brightness of the 3,000K. When we installed a 55-watt ballast, its maximum lux increased to 1,510.
With a 35-watt ballast, the 5,000K HID bulb at 25 feet produced a maximum lux of 1,140. When we used a 55-watt ballast to power it, the maximum lux increased to 1,430.
A 35-watt ballast provided 986 maximum lux from the 6,000K HID bulb, giving the appearance of 6,000K color. When we installed the 55-watt ballast, it increased to a maximum lux of 1,350, but the color changed and appeared more like 5,000 K.
The 8,000K HID bulb was measured at 970 maximum lux. The difference between this result and the 6,000K we just tested was quite tiny. This test showed no difference in brightness despite the fact that it is much bluer.
The 8,000K bulb's brightness increased to 1,340 maximum lux and its color changed to resemble a 6,000K bulb when we placed a 55-watt ballast behind it.
Utilizing a 35-watt ballast, the 10,000K Blue HID achieved a maximum brightness of 750 lux. We increased it to 890 when we installed the 55-watt ballast.
Finally, using a 35-watt HYLUX ballast, this 12,000K Purple HID produced a maximum lux of 420. Out of all the bulbs, this 12,000K purple one has the second-worst brightness. The brightness increased to 570 when we applied 55 watts. It increased slightly to 890 after we installed the 55-watt ballast.