"Xenon?" - Saab 9-5 Bulletin Board - Saabnet.com
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"Xenon?"
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Posted by Stephen Goldberger [Email] (more from Stephen Goldberger) on Fri, 10 Aug 2007 08:31:21 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: Re: Xenon light problem, Jack, Fri, 10 Aug 2007 04:28:13
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more precisely, they are "electric arc discharge" lights. Xenon gas is inhert and easily ionized, and is the gas inside the bulb. The electric arc discharge works in two stages: on startup, very high voltage is applied between the electrodes to create a path of ionized gas between them. Once the ionization path has been established, a much lower voltage is able to maintain the path.

Two things can happen: the gas envelope can leak some Xenon, and the electrodes can erode. Either one will result in the applied voltage being insufficient to maintain the arc. Also, there is a circuit that increased the 12 volt battery voltage to something around 80 volts to maintain the arc. If that circuit degrades, you can also lose the arc.

In other words, yes, a failing electric arc discharge bulb can go flaky. This is unlike a "regular" light bulb where the usual failure mode is the filament breaks and the light goes off permanently.

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