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BR9500-5 – Bombardier Bruce Industries OEM 115V AC Cabin Lighting Ballast
Available now on the Airparts.aero Marketplace.
The BR9500-5 is a high-performance, flight-critical power conversion unit designed for the fluorescent cabin lighting systems of Bombardier Challenger and Global series business jets. Manufactured by Bruce Industries (an industry leader in aircraft cabin illumination), this ballast is responsible for regulating the electrical current to the overhead and "wash" lighting fixtures. It converts the aircraft’s raw 115V AC, 400Hz power into the specific high-voltage strike and operating current required to ionize the gas within fluorescent lamps, ensuring a flicker-free, consistent light output.
Engineered for the high-altitude environment of long-range turbine aircraft, the BR9500-5 features an advanced solid-state architecture that minimizes electromagnetic interference (EMI) with the aircraft’s sensitive navigation and communication radios. Its compact, ruggedized housing is designed for installation in the confined "plenum" spaces above cabin headliners, where heat dissipation and vibration resistance are paramount.
Key Features
400Hz Aerospace Optimized: Specifically tuned for the high-frequency 115V AC power grids found on turbine aircraft, providing superior efficiency compared to standard industrial ballasts.
Rapid-Start Technology: Provides an instantaneous high-voltage "strike" to the lamp filaments, ensuring the cabin reaches full brightness immediately without the "warm-up" flickering associated with older systems.
EMI/RFI Shielding: Includes internal filtering circuits to suppress electrical noise, preventing interference with the cockpit's ADF, VHF, and HF radio systems.
Thermal Overload Protection: Features an integrated safety cut-off that prevents the unit from overheating in the event of a lamp failure or a "short" in the wiring harness.
Low-Profile Mounting: Designed with a slim-line "brick" geometry that allows for easy integration into the narrow lighting coves of Learjet, Challenger, and Global cabin interiors.
Technical Specifications
Part Number: BR9500-5
Manufacturer: Bruce Industries / Safran (for Bombardier)
Component Type: Electronic Lighting Ballast
Input Voltage: 115V AC
Input Frequency: 400 Hz
Output: Regulated Current for Fluorescent Lamps (e.g., T5/T8 series)
Weight: Approx. 0.6 lbs (0.27 kg)
Certification: FAA-PMA / Part 25 Certified Interior Hardware
Compliance: RTCA/DO-160 (Environmental Conditions for Airborne Equipment)
Aircraft Compatibility
Bombardier Challenger Series: 601, 604, 605.
Bombardier Global Series: 5000, 6000 (Express/XRS).
Bombardier Learjet Series: 45, 60 (Specific cabin configurations).
Note: The BR9500-5 is specific to aircraft equipped with fluorescent lighting packages. Always verify the ballast part number against your Interior Illustrated Parts Catalog (IIPC) Section 33-20 to ensure compatibility with your specific lamp lengths.
Applications
The BR9500-5 is utilized for Cabin Atmosphere and Utility Lighting. Its primary roles include:
Overhead Lighting: Powering the primary cabin illumination tubes.
Valance/Wash Lighting: Driving the indirect "mood" lighting used to highlight cabin side-walls and headliners.
Galley/Entry Lighting: Ensuring bright, reliable light for crew work-spaces and passenger boarding areas.
Why Choose BR9500-5?
Choosing the genuine Bruce Industries BR9500-5 is essential for Electrical System Health. Inexpensive "commercial" ballasts are not designed for 400Hz power and can cause "harmonic distortion" on the aircraft’s electrical bus, potentially damaging other sensitive avionics. The BR9500-5 is built with Aviation-Grade Capacitors that resist the "leaking" and "bulging" common in low-quality electronics exposed to rapid pressure changes. Furthermore, this unit is calibrated to provide the exact Lamp-Wall Temperature control required to prevent the localized "blackening" of cabin lamps, extending the life of your interior bulbs.
The BR9500-5 functions as an Impedance Controller governed by the physics of Gas Discharge. Fluorescent lamps exhibit Negative Resistance; once the arc is struck, the resistance drops, which would cause an un-ballasted lamp to draw excessive current until it self-destructs. The BR9500-5 uses an internal Inductive/Capacitive circuit to provide the correct Reactance ($X_L$), limiting the current to the lamp's design parameters. Because it operates at 400Hz, the unit can use smaller internal magnetic components compared to a 60Hz terrestrial ballast, significantly reducing the aircraft's "Payload Weight" while maintaining high power-factor ($PF$) correction.
Note: This is a high-voltage electrical component. Installation must be performed by a certified A&P/AME or an authorized interior specialist. Ensure the aircraft electrical bus is "Safe-Tied" before removal. Inspect the output wiring for "chaffing" or "arcing" before installing a new ballast, as faulty wiring is the primary cause of ballast failure. Post-installation, verify that the lighting does not interfere with cockpit audio systems.
