Electronic ballast for the operation of at least one gas discharge lamp

Electronic ballast for the operation of at least one gas discharge lamp, said ballast comprising:

• a control device for generating operating control signals, said control device including:
• a first control unit which is constructed to be controlled solely by software, for slow control procedures;
• and
• a second control unit which is constructed to be controlled solely by hardware, for rapid control procedures,
• said first and second control units being connected in series,
• said first control unit, which is controlled exclusively by software, being connected to receives, exclusively, externally supplied control information,
• said second control unit, which is controlled solely by hardware, being connected to receive, exclusively, internally supplied operating state information,
• said first control unit being constructed to generate, in response to externally supplied control information, operational control information, and to supply said operational control information to said second control unit,
• said second control unit being constructed to generate, in response to received internal operating state information, and in response to said operational control information from the first control unit, control signals for the operation of the ballast, and
• the second control unit including a write-read memory for storing the operational control information transferred from the first control unit and for storing said received internal operating state information.