Today repaired a couple of two tube fluorescent fixtures for neighbour.
Along with some physical items, missing ground screw, improper cable anchor
and a couple of loose and/or broken fluorescent lamp sockets, one fixture
required a new ballast.
Neighbour proffered two unused ballasts that someone had given them. (Both
120 volt 60 hz.)
One was a 'conventional' two 40 watt tube ballast, which worked fine. The
numbers of recognizable 40 watt and similar tubes were listed on the
replacement ballast.
Both fixtures worked fine and neighbour took them away to install in his
garage.
The other ballast is marked electronic and lists tubes that I do not
recognise.
All my spare bits and pieces and a stock of used 48 inch fluorescent tubes
are for conventional non-electronic ballasted fixtures.
And not that I'm short of spare used ballasts and even a few new ones; but
for practical information and as a general question? Must that electronic
ballast only be used with special tubes etc. and/or any use to me?
In any case I'll keep it around cos. with my luck, if I chuck it out, three
weeks later someone will ask me to repair a fixture that will turn out to be
electronic!
Isn't that always the way?
BTW my neighbours son came home for a visit and "helped his dad clean up the
garage". Neighbour now can't find anything useful including the spare gas
tank he had to put in his old truck! Lucky he had those ballasts!

electronic ballasts for four foot fluorescent lamps commonly are made to
control up to four F32 T8 lamps. The newest generation of these ballasts
works much better than old magnetic ballasts
"Terry" wrote in message
. ..
Today repaired a couple of two tube fluorescent fixtures for neighbour.
Along with some physical items, missing ground screw, improper cable
anchor
and a couple of loose and/or broken fluorescent lamp sockets, one fixture
required a new ballast.
Neighbour proffered two unused ballasts that someone had given them. (Both
120 volt 60 hz.)
One was a 'conventional' two 40 watt tube ballast, which worked fine. The
numbers of recognizable 40 watt and similar tubes were listed on the
replacement ballast.
Both fixtures worked fine and neighbour took them away to install in his
garage.
The other ballast is marked electronic and lists tubes that I do not
recognise.
All my spare bits and pieces and a stock of used 48 inch fluorescent tubes
are for conventional non-electronic ballasted fixtures.
And not that I'm short of spare used ballasts and even a few new ones; but
for practical information and as a general question? Must that electronic
ballast only be used with special tubes etc. and/or any use to me?
In any case I'll keep it around cos. with my luck, if I chuck it out,
three
weeks later someone will ask me to repair a fixture that will turn out to
be
electronic!
Isn't that always the way?
BTW my neighbours son came home for a visit and "helped his dad clean up
the
garage". Neighbour now can't find anything useful including the spare gas
tank he had to put in his old truck! Lucky he had those ballasts!

"RBM" rmottola1(remove wrote in message
...
electronic ballasts for four foot fluorescent lamps commonly are made to
control up to four F32 T8 lamps. The newest generation of these ballasts
works much better than old magnetic ballasts

RBM many thanks for your comments/information.
Several follow up Qs, if I may?
So, with an electronic ballast I would need to buy F32 lamps and use them
instead of F40s?
Do F32s use the same 'end sockets' as conventional tubes?
I ask is because many of my 'spare' parts (and tubes) were free, thrown out
following a local school lighting renovation job and several hundred
perfectly good traditional two contact (mainly white plastic) sockets, still
with wires attached were thrown out. Gave me a big box of em, wire nuts and
all!
This made me wonder if an 'electronic' tube use a different socket; or maybe
was it something to do with the spacing/clearance of the slimmer?
'electronic' tube requiring sockets of a different height?
Because I also noticed that doing the renovation job, while basically
retaining the fixtures themselves a chrome reflector was added 'behind' the
new tubes, for greater efficiency I guess?
BTW the electronic ballast is much the same weight as a conventional one;
but if the electronics work at a higher frequency? than the 60 hertz line
they presumably wouldn't need as much metal in the core and should be not as
heavy?
Except for our bought new conventional two tube fluorescent in the kitchen
all our 'renovated/rejuvenated/mainly got for free' fluorescents are used in
our workshop and garage and therefore not used every day or continuously for
long periods as they would be in store, s.market or school etc.
Electricity consumption is not a major factor given that fluorescents are
more light efficient than incandescent bulbs.
At this time of year we heat with electricity so any 'wasted' heat, from
lighting, particularly incandescents, merely offsets electric baseboard
heating!
Your comment and input is much appreciated. Terry.
PS. It's about mid 40s Fahrenheit and damp today, with three days til
Christmas! Small amount of snow we've had is all gone. Last week I planted
about 60 spring bulbs! So much for "The Great White North" eh? Christmas day
forecasted to be +9 degrees Celsius which equals (2 x 9) + 32 = 50 degrees
Fahrenheit! Yup it's green one!
From the most easterly point in North America, Seasons Greetings.

Terry, these ballasts have gone through several generations already. They
have gotten skinnier and lighter. Yes, you must use F32 T8 lamps with them.
They use the same white socket as the standard T12 lamp. Often when they did
refurbs of old florescent fixtures, they used fewer lamps in the retrofit
and screwed in the reflectors to make up the difference. The electronic
ballasts wire completely different in the fixture, but actually much
simpler, and you can also buy one ballast to use for one two three or four
lamps
"Terry" wrote in message
news

"RBM" rmottola1(remove wrote in message
...
electronic ballasts for four foot fluorescent lamps commonly are made to
control up to four F32 T8 lamps. The newest generation of these ballasts
works much better than old magnetic ballasts

RBM many thanks for your comments/information.
Several follow up Qs, if I may?
So, with an electronic ballast I would need to buy F32 lamps and use them
instead of F40s?
Do F32s use the same 'end sockets' as conventional tubes?
I ask is because many of my 'spare' parts (and tubes) were free, thrown
out
following a local school lighting renovation job and several hundred
perfectly good traditional two contact (mainly white plastic) sockets,
still
with wires attached were thrown out. Gave me a big box of em, wire nuts
and
all!
This made me wonder if an 'electronic' tube use a different socket; or
maybe
was it something to do with the spacing/clearance of the slimmer?
'electronic' tube requiring sockets of a different height?
Because I also noticed that doing the renovation job, while basically
retaining the fixtures themselves a chrome reflector was added 'behind'
the
new tubes, for greater efficiency I guess?
BTW the electronic ballast is much the same weight as a conventional one;
but if the electronics work at a higher frequency? than the 60 hertz line
they presumably wouldn't need as much metal in the core and should be not
as
heavy?
Except for our bought new conventional two tube fluorescent in the kitchen
all our 'renovated/rejuvenated/mainly got for free' fluorescents are used
in
our workshop and garage and therefore not used every day or continuously
for
long periods as they would be in store, s.market or school etc.
Electricity consumption is not a major factor given that fluorescents are
more light efficient than incandescent bulbs.
At this time of year we heat with electricity so any 'wasted' heat, from
lighting, particularly incandescents, merely offsets electric baseboard
heating!
Your comment and input is much appreciated. Terry.
PS. It's about mid 40s Fahrenheit and damp today, with three days til
Christmas! Small amount of snow we've had is all gone. Last week I planted
about 60 spring bulbs! So much for "The Great White North" eh? Christmas
day
forecasted to be +9 degrees Celsius which equals (2 x 9) + 32 = 50 degrees
Fahrenheit! Yup it's green one!
From the most easterly point in North America, Seasons Greetings.