Abstract: A full-wave electronic inverter for supplying one or more low-pressure gas discharge or fluorescent lamps, which inverter is protected by a circuit containing a small tubular core saturable transformer which has the inductive reactance necessary and sufficient for deflecting, from the circuit thereof, the asymmetrical waves which are at a frequency higher than the frequencies stipulated by design and are produced by said lamps at the end of the service life thereof, preventing the inverter from burning out, as occurs with inverters of that type which do not have said circuit which also enables the situation in which, although the inverter is still being connected to the supply circuit, the inverter does not consume energy, even though said lamp or lamps is/are connected to the circuit thereof, until said lamps are replaced with new lamps. This inverter has a starting button which is used to deenergize the inverter each time the latter operates for the first time with new lamps.

Abstract: A solid-state power generator or inverter for operating a load such as one or more gas discharge lamps from a DC or rectified AC power source includes two principal circuits, one being a drive circuit with pulse formation derived by negative feedback and the other being an inductively driven or dependent circuit with pulse formation by positive and negative feedback. The circuits operate in 180.degree. phase relationship. The circuits as disclosed are identical except for a capacitor in the first which is not present in the second. The circuits are coupled by a five-winding nonsaturable core transformer in which DC pulses passing through two primary windings induce in one secondary winding a sinusoidal EMF proportional to the product of the two primary currents and, in turn, proportional current flows in the load. Open circuit protection is also provided.

Abstract: A solid state ballast circuit for a discharge lamp includes a transistor oscillator with a current amplifier connected to a transformer one secondary winding of which is connected to the lamp and another secondary winding of which is coupled to the amplifier input. An inductive choke coil is connected in the power circuit of the amplifier so that when the lamp burns out or is removed the operating frequency increase resulting from the decrease in load circuit capacitance results in an increase in impedance of the choke, drastically reducing current flow through the amplifier power circuit to prevent transistor damage or RF interference radiation. The current amplifier disclosed is a two-stage emitter follower circuit.