Abstract: A three-stage electronic ballast for metal halide lamps mainly comprises a step-up converter, a step-down converter and a full-bridge DC-AC converter, wherein the step-down converter operates an inductor in a continuous boundary current mode to achieve reducing power loss and enhancing efficiency. Equipped with a micro processor, the electronic ballast further possesses the function of power regulation. The electronic ballast can be added with various protective functions without complex control circuits and sensing elements, thereby becoming a high-quality and low-cost electronic ballast for metal halide lamps.