BALLAST RESISTOR........WHAT GIVES?
No, sorry. "ballast" is the correct name and this comes from the electronics industry. It IS the term for a resistor which changes resistance in order to attempt to regulate current.
In the old days, some circuits used a "ballast tube." These were precision made ballast resistors incased in a vacuum tube envelope and were used in critical circuits to stabilize operation
"Amperite" was one very popular brand, and the name "stuck" as many of us simply called ballast tubes an "Amperite"
Amperite, however, also made time delay relays for warm up timing
http://www.nj7p.org/Manuals/PDFs/Tubes/Amperite-Ballasts.pdf
Below is an example ballast curve, showing current stability in this case, vs voltage change. They can be engineered for other purposes, depending on the metallurgy of the resistor material
No, sorry. "ballast" is the correct name and this comes from the electronics industry. It IS the term for a resistor which changes resistance in order to attempt to regulate current.
In the old days, some circuits used a "ballast tube." These were precision made ballast resistors incased in a vacuum tube envelope and were used in critical circuits to stabilize operation
"Amperite" was one very popular brand, and the name "stuck" as many of us simply called ballast tubes an "Amperite"
Amperite, however, also made time delay relays for warm up timing
http://www.nj7p.org/Manuals/PDFs/Tubes/Amperite-Ballasts.pdf
Below is an example ballast curve, showing current stability in this case, vs voltage change. They can be engineered for other purposes, depending on the metallurgy of the resistor material