HID Ballast is registering major applications in many end-use sectors including automotive, industrial, commercial, and residential

HID ballast is a device needed by an HID light (either bus and/or for ballast lights) to control the current and voltage supplied to the bulb during startup. The ballast provides the means to shut down the light if any fails to start and maintain normal operating temperature. HID ballasts are designed for any HID light; however, these devices are especially needed when using high-intensity discharge bulbs. The ballast ensures that the high-discharge lamp doesn't exceed the maximum allowable level, which could cause damage to the LED and even the vehicle's cooling system. HID ballast also does it offers enough current and voltage throughout operation so that the halogen bulbs do not fail.

In many cases, replacing an existing ballast with the new HID ballast can be done by the car dealer or the vehicle manufacturer itself. However, the ballast may not be available with all vehicles. There are also several different types of HID headlights; therefore, they will have different ballasts. The first type of ballast is the universal ballast. This ballast provides the voltage for both the low-voltage and high-voltage lamps; however, it does not provide the input voltage for the headlights. 

A car headlight bulb requires a separate ballast because it has a different input voltage than most other bulbs. HID ballasts can also help reduce the overall size of an HID light and thereby make HID systems more compact and easier to transport. HID ballasts can be used in a variety of applications in a variety of ways. The term "ballast" is a generic term for several different devices, including ballast systems and fuel cells. The term "ballast" was first used in 1970 with the introduction of HID (High-Intensity Discharge) lighting systems. Since then, HID ballasts have evolved to perform many of the same applications as fuel cells and ballast systems. However, to simplify the industry and facilitate more streamlined HID applications, many current regulations have been relaxed so that current ballasts can use standard electrical connectors, and there is no need to pass new licensing or regulatory hurdles.

In an HID ballast system, the ballast consists of the light source, its photoresistor, and the ballast holder. The photoresistor enables the ballast to provide energy to the ballast holder. The ballast holder then allows the current in the ballast to be regulated by a current-metering device such as the IDCI (International Diode Industry Association) Light Emitting Diode (LED) ballast connector, which is readily available for most current ballast applications. The LED ballast connector regulates the current so that it doesn't exceed the maximum current drawn by the IDCI connector.

The current regulations relaxation also permitted the incorporation of more than one ballast type into an HID application. The most common two types of ballasts are bipolar and linear ballasts. Bipolar ballasts can provide up to twice the current per unit area that a linear ballast can provide. This makes these ballasts ideal for applications such as lighting control and video surveillance.