How to Supercharge a Philips/Hella OEM gen3 Ballast – LVQ212

[grzechhh]

DISCLAMER:
Try this modification at your own risk. I'm not responsible for any personal injury/death, mistakes/long term effects and/or damage to property. Please be cautious, ballasts run at high voltage and can carry risk of death if altered by people. Please refrain from carrying out this modification if you are unaware of the risk involved.

I write from Poland, sorry for my weak English, It’s My first post here

It take me lot of time to study this ballast. It has multi layer PCB, 3 or even 4 layers and main processor/controller is mount on ceramic hybrid board with capacitors and small transistor in SMD case, also 4pcs of N-FET full-bridge inverter. All carbon resistors are plot directly to ceramic surface and cut exactly by laser and then cover with some kind of protection paint.
I focus on main PCB but there was no resistors which can measure HID output current. I found this resistor on ceramic hybrid board. After long study I can say that this ballast is very similar to Microchip Reference design – base
http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/e...tes/01372A.pdf
Possibilities to make modification in this model is strong limited but not impossible.

First what You can do for have better performance is to change 2pcs of IRF540 TO-220 case, located on main PCB to better IRF540N – I notice 1W less of power consumption running at 35W, because of lower Rds and Qg so we have better efficiency.

One way to supercharge this ballast is to parallel existing current sens resistor, existing value is about 0,5ohm. After add external value of 3,3ohm/0,6W output power rise about +10W. I think that there be no problem to get also +20W with proper resister value.

This modification is very easy to make:

1. You need only to open ballast by remove 4 screws
2. Remove plastic cover on ceramic hybrid module.
3. Solder one end of additional resistor to N-FET case metal tip – D in center.
4. Second end move by existing hole on main PCB.
5. Solder some isolated piece of wire to resistor and second pin from left.
6. Check proper isolation to prevent short-circuit.
7. To replace pair of IRF540 You need to take out metal bracket and desolder N-FET.

[Sw07tC]

Subscribed!!!

I haven't quite understand yet. So you need to change 2pcs of IRF540 TO-220 case and add a resister? Where can I get the parts and what resister color code value I need? Sorry I'm very nooby about this. Would it need a heatsink? I'm waiting for someone to come up with a resistor value to boost it at 50-55w will be cool.

Thanks for doing this...

[Sw07tC]

I'm so ready! please instruct me!!!

HellaGen3-0199.jpg

I took a peak at mine, it doesn't seem to use IRF540 TO-220!

It's using a SUP28N15 -52 T46BBR, what should I do?

on pix #2 & #3 is same right? just alternate way to run the wire to the add on resistor?

Not sure about pix #5 that you desolder/resolder the ignitor prior to removing the board off the casing?

From my stand point reading this carefully. is to
1. remove the four screws cover of the ballast.
2. pry the heatsink off and the black piece underneat.
3. solder a wire the the bottom of the board second pin from left and route that wire through existing hole to the other side to the resistor.
4. solder the other end of the resistor to the middle N-FET metal top pin.
5. finally, desolder the IRF540 TO-220 from the bottom, and the MOSFET should drop out and drop the new one in place and add solder from the bottom.

this doesn't require to detach the board/ignitor off the casing right?

[grzechhh]

Basic of Hella ballast functional diagram is very similiar to this:
http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/e...tes/01372A.pdf
It's possibile to take schematic of main PCB but with ceramic board with controler is almost impossible, that reason why modification is limited.
I'dont have any of Matsushita ballast.

I check performance N-FET and from the best one: IRF540N->SUP28N15->IRF540
Difference between IRF540N and SUP28N15 is not so big so I think You can leave it.

On picture #5 I only show rev of main PCB, desoldering marks on board is because I remove almost all components to trace functional diagram.

On picture #3 I only show place of orginal current sens resistor, dont' look on red wire, correct placement is on #2

So You need only do #4 and #2.

To be 100% sure that is the same current sens configuration [rev. of ballast] before You solder addional resistor masure resistance beetwen solder points it must be about ~0.5-1.0ohm larger than resistance of multimeter probe.

Tomorrow I will make some test to have 50-55W also check if need a heatsink. A will write what exacly color code resistor You need.

[Sw07tC]

Basic of Hella ballast functional diagram is very similiar to this:
http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/e...tes/01372A.pdf
It's possibile to take schematic of main PCB but with ceramic board with controler is almost impossible, that reason why modification is limited.
I'dont have any of Matsushita ballast.

I check performance N-FET and from the best one: IRF540N->SUP28N15->IRF540
Difference between IRF540N and SUP28N15 is not so big so I think You can leave it.

On picture #5 I only show rev of main PCB, desoldering marks on board is because I remove almost all components to trace functional diagram.

On picture #3 I only show place of orginal current sens resistor, dont' look on red wire, correct placement is on #2

So You need only do #4 and #2.

To be 100% sure that is the same current sens configuration [rev. of ballast] before You solder addional resistor masure resistance beetwen solder points it must be about ~0.5-1.0ohm larger than resistance of multimeter probe.

Tomorrow I will make some test to have 50-55W also check if need a heatsink. A will write what exacly color code resistor You need.

You're awesome! can't wait to get this thing boost at 55w to replace my new Morimoto 5Five, I hope I get better results and more satisfying...

Since I'm aiming to boost it to 50-55w or maybe 60w down the line if I'm going with the DL50s fatboy, should I just replace those SUP28N15 with the IRF540N? It seems pretty easy to swap out and cheap. Just want to know so I can order the parts ahead. Thanks.

[Sw07tC]

Bump, any updates on this?

[grzechhh]

Sorry for delay but I finished all test, calculations and measurements.

-Efficiency:
>Stock Hella gen3 ballast with 1x75333P + 2x IRF540 – 80,5%
>Stock Hella gen3 ballast with 1x75333P + 2x SUP28N15 – 83%
>Boost Hella gen3 ballast with 1x75333P + 2x IRF540N – 85%
>Boost Hella gen3 ballast with 1xIRF1405 + 2x FDP3682 – 87%

Output power with extra 0,5W series resistor:
>3,3ohm – 41,5W
>2,7ohm – 43,0W
>2,0ohm – 46,0W
>1,7ohm – 48,0W
>1,5ohm – 50,0W
>1,3ohm – 55,0W

To boost power at 48-55W is necessary to replace original N-FET’s with this configuration: 1xIRF1405 + 2x FDP3682.
Also there is need to put small heatsink on top of the EPCOS ferrite transformer. After this modification Hella ballast can deliver 55W on output with no problems and no external heatsink.

To replace N-FET’s just heat with soldering iron 3 legs on bottom in the same time and n-fet just drop down, then clean holes and put new transistor.
To keep in place small heatsink use some superglue.

To buy list:
http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...S300-ND/373776 - heatsink
http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...5PBF-ND/812209 - IRF1405
http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...3682-ND/974298 - FDP3682
http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...R3/1.3H-ND/120 - 1,3ohm
http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...R5/1.5H-ND/129 - 1,5ohm

[JL-KA]

Thermal epoxy would be a better option to superglue.

[blazin_jason]

If I hadn't potted mine I would have liked to try this. ~42 watt only if I was to try it.

[Sw07tC]

Great, I'm ready to order the parts, going to boost it to 55w and run with 85122 for the mean time, going to feed 55w on the DL50 fat boy on the RX330-AFS hopeful it'll handle 55w without any problem...

Ordered from Digi-Key! $20 shipped for all the parts to mod a pair... so $30 labor? and one want to get theirs modded?

big thanks to OP for putting out all your time/intelligence to make this happen!

[grzechhh]

In my opinion Hella gen3 ballast is very good design even if it’s almost 15 years old.
- Controlled by microprocessor,
- Full H-bridge, AC current to burner,
- PCB with 3 or 4 layers,
- Good EMI filtering,
- Very good quality of used parts,
- Fully hermetic and solid body,
- Protection from reversing polarity of supply.

Because I hate all kind of crap LED DRL (in Poland you must drive on lights for 24h/day) but I want to save Orsam SVS. I going to make modification Hella ballast to have :
-eco-mode with 27W on output to day driving,
-normal mode with 35W on output to night driving,
-boost mode with 50W on output turn on with high beam of bi-xenon E55

[Thegelman]

^ pretty cool idea

[paleryeder]

Nice work, should be easy enough to mount the resistors externaly to a muliti pole switch so they adjust between wattage on the fly. Think I'll let you guys get some up and running for several months before I jump in. I have a plie of Denso and AL paperweights as it is from all my boosting fun.

Grzechhh do you do any ballast repair on the AL gen2's? I have a few sets that for some reason didn't like the harness they were attached to and won't stay on now. Still using the same method of boosting with no problems but something is wrong with those sets.


On driving with SVS at 27w, not sure I'd do this...... most HID bulbs will wear out quickly if not ran at their stated rate ie 35w for the SVS. This has been said on candlepower many times about the DL50 Fatboy which was made to run at 50w, if you don't have a full 50+w to the bulb you won't get full life from them. The testing done has shown those do even better at the 55-70w range.

Maybe run a quad setup with a dedicated daytime projector and a used set of bulbs that don't cost as much as the SVS.

[grzechhh]

My idea is to put inside ballast two miniature ralay's and driving only by one special wire, when connect to +12V - boost mode, when to GND - ecomode, and normal mode without connected.

I do some test and at 25W on output ballast was not stable and few times turn off but at 27W seems to be full stable with new SVS, also i notice that with two other long used burners 27W is too little and they need more...

I think that for sure that life of burners depend how high and long is overload when ballast starting - for driver is better to have full beam as soon as possibile.
I have some experience in computer projectors and they also use similar HID burners. Many types have also option to run ecomode and then life of burners increase so in my opinion it's similarly but if You have some information about please send link's.

With dimming halogen bulb some people saying that filament not have proper temperature and halogen effect is not going well - final life of bulb is lower. But is confirmed that with dimmed halogen bulb final life increase few times.

I don't have any experience in other kind of HID bullast, main reason is because I don't have chance to see inside...

[Sw07tC]

Digi-Key rocks! Parts arrive in two days! I'm going to have some fun and testing done tonight!

I got different heatsink a bit cheaper. Going to use high quality cpu lithium thermal grease.