Electronic Ballast Using Neutral Point Type Step-down Converter

In order to satisfy IEC regulation about harmonics of input current, this paper proposes new neutral-point type step-down converter and its application to electronic ballast. By showing experimental results, the effectiveness of the proposing circuit is reported. The proposing electronic ballast has following advantages. 1) The electronic ballast does not generate the inrush current right after start-up. 2) The relative harmonic content of input current is lower than IEC regulation value. 3) The ripple of output is small, and the output waveform is suitable for the lighting of a fluorescent lamp