Patent ID: 8680969

Claim:
A control device comprising: a communication circuit adapted to be coupled to an electronic ballast via a communication link; and a controller coupled to the communication circuit for transmitting and receiving digital messages via the communication link according to a predefined protocol standard; wherein the controller is operable to determine a minimum delay time required between two digital messages received by the ballast, the controller operable to determine whether the ballast is operating within predefined limits of the protocol standard by transmitting two consecutive digital messages to the ballast with a present delay time between the two digital messages; determining that the present delay time between the two digital messages is too short for the ballast if the ballast did not receive the second one of the two consecutive digital messages; and comparing the present delay time to the predefined limits set by the protocol standard; wherein the controller is further operable to adapt how the communication circuit transmits or receives digital messages by setting the minimum delay time equal to the present delay time if the ballast received the second one of the two consecutive digital messages.