DIYbanter - View Single Post - Replace old fluorescent tube with brighter?

Andrew Gabriel

In article ,
(Don Klipstein) writes:
Electronic components are getting less expensive and sturdier, more
robust. Circuit designs are improved upon those that failed the test of
time.

Bigger iron core items of older technology have not enjoyed as much
reduction in production cost.

I think there are significant differences between US and Europe here
which dramatically change the economies of electronic ballasts between
the continents.

In Europe...
o Electronic ballasts are still mostly very expensive, and special
order, and very limited selection.
(As someone who has made a number of fluorescent fittings, I wish
this wasn't the case, but it is.)
o Iron core ballasts are very cheap (possibly much cheaper than in
the US as ballasts for 230V mains operation are very much simpler).
o My impression from reading US newsgroups is that iron core ballasts
in europe are very much more reliable -- failures are pretty much
unknown, but seem more common in the US (possibly in part because
it's easier to use the wrong lamp with the wrong ballast, and
possibly because they are more complex due to low mains voltage).
Electronic ballasts just can't touch Iron core ballasts for
reliability, as Iron core ballasts effectively last forever here.
o Iron core ballasts in Europe are getting much more efficient due to
EU regs (regs which were thought to phase them out, but just forced
manufacturers to make them higher efficiency as that is still much
cheaper that switching to electronic ballasts). They probably were
in any case always more efficient than US ballasts, because they
don't need the extra complexity for 120V operation.
o Europe (at least the parts I know) moved away from T12 tubes decades
ago, so the savings you are talking about with respect to switching
to T8's we already did 25 years ago.

Also, all popular F32T8 lamps made for "general lighting purpose" are

This is a USA-only tube. See my other post.

--
Andrew Gabriel