The circuit is straightforward enough but the diode devices are house coded.

Before putting it all back together I tested each type of diode with my DMM
diode check, the bridge diodes have a Vf of .538V - consistent with standard
recovery types, the one I've marked as '5' had a Vf of 1.553 - divided by 2
that's just over .7V - consistent with what my DMM tels me for a zener
junction, but I'm guessing 3 standard junctions.

The one I've marked as '6' is the critical one, as it looks like an ordinary
diode I'd guess maybe something from the P6K range.

The thyristor is no great mystery - its a TN22-1500 Startlight from ST:

http://www.datasheetcatalog.org/data...cs/mXyzxrr.pdf

"ian field" wrote in message
...
The circuit is straightforward enough but the diode devices are house
coded.

Before putting it all back together I tested each type of diode with my
DMM diode check, the bridge diodes have a Vf of .538V - consistent with
standard recovery types, the one I've marked as '5' had a Vf of 1.553 -
divided by 2 that's just over .7V - consistent with what my DMM tels me
for a zener junction, but I'm guessing 3 standard junctions.

The one I've marked as '6' is the critical one, as it looks like an
ordinary diode I'd guess maybe something from the P6K range.

The thyristor is no great mystery - its a TN22-1500 Startlight from ST:

http://www.datasheetcatalog.org/data...cs/mXyzxrr.pdf


ST used to have an IC that was for starting magnetic ballast fluorescents.
guess it went obsolete when CFLs became more mainstream.
http://www.datasheetcatalog.org/data...cs/mXtuvxz.pdf
http://www.datasheets4u.com/EFS21-datasheet.html
http://users.tpg.com.au/pschamb/light.html

Some interesting data he
http://www.st.com/stonline/products/...re/ds/3768.pdf

"Oppie" wrote in message
...
"ian field" wrote in message
...
The circuit is straightforward enough but the diode devices are house
coded.

Before putting it all back together I tested each type of diode with my
DMM diode check, the bridge diodes have a Vf of .538V - consistent with
standard recovery types, the one I've marked as '5' had a Vf of 1.553 -
divided by 2 that's just over .7V - consistent with what my DMM tels me
for a zener junction, but I'm guessing 3 standard junctions.

The one I've marked as '6' is the critical one, as it looks like an
ordinary diode I'd guess maybe something from the P6K range.

The thyristor is no great mystery - its a TN22-1500 Startlight from ST:

http://www.datasheetcatalog.org/data...cs/mXyzxrr.pdf


ST used to have an IC that was for starting magnetic ballast fluorescents.
guess it went obsolete when CFLs became more mainstream.


It all started when the landlords electrician insisted on fitting an iron
ballast 2D luminare in the bathroom - despite my protests that I have plenty
of 18W CFLs in the cupboard that only use 2/3 of the electricity and don't
cost a fortune to replace the tube (which will also wear out quicker than a
CFL).

The 2D was a POS from day 1 - it always flickered for a few (long - when I'm
bursting for a **** and can't see to take aim) seconds, and when it did
eventually start it took nearly an hour to warm up enough to stop
shimmering.

Over time its started taking so long to strike that when I want to go to the
bog, I have to switch the light on then go have a cuppa while I wait for the
light to come on!

I've ordered a new tube on ebay but while I wait for it I decided to nip
down the DIY store and get a new starter to try - then I noticed they had
electronic one's.

With the dodgy tube, the electronic starter makes the heaters glow for about
a second or two, then the tube just strikes without any flickering.

Though there is a growing temptation to graft the PCB from a CFL into the 4
pin 2D fitting.

In article ,
"ian field" wrote:

"Oppie" wrote in message
...
"ian field" wrote in message
...
The circuit is straightforward enough but the diode devices are house
coded.

Before putting it all back together I tested each type of diode with my
DMM diode check, the bridge diodes have a Vf of .538V - consistent with
standard recovery types, the one I've marked as '5' had a Vf of 1.553 -
divided by 2 that's just over .7V - consistent with what my DMM tels me
for a zener junction, but I'm guessing 3 standard junctions.

The one I've marked as '6' is the critical one, as it looks like an
ordinary diode I'd guess maybe something from the P6K range.

The thyristor is no great mystery - its a TN22-1500 Startlight from ST:

http://www.datasheetcatalog.org/data...tronics/mXyzxr
r.pdf


ST used to have an IC that was for starting magnetic ballast fluorescents.
guess it went obsolete when CFLs became more mainstream.


It all started when the landlords electrician insisted on fitting an iron
ballast 2D luminare in the bathroom - despite my protests that I have plenty
of 18W CFLs in the cupboard that only use 2/3 of the electricity and don't
cost a fortune to replace the tube (which will also wear out quicker than a
CFL).

The 2D was a POS from day 1 - it always flickered for a few (long - when I'm
bursting for a **** and can't see to take aim) seconds, and when it did
eventually start it took nearly an hour to warm up enough to stop
shimmering.

Over time its started taking so long to strike that when I want to go to the
bog, I have to switch the light on then go have a cuppa while I wait for the
light to come on!

I've ordered a new tube on ebay but while I wait for it I decided to nip
down the DIY store and get a new starter to try - then I noticed they had
electronic one's.

With the dodgy tube, the electronic starter makes the heaters glow for about
a second or two, then the tube just strikes without any flickering.

Though there is a growing temptation to graft the PCB from a CFL into the 4
pin 2D fitting.

Back when I rented, I often replaced the magnetic ballasts with
electronic ones. The simple and cheap upgrade made the lamps brighter,
eliminated flicker, and the bulbs lasted longer than my stay.

I HATE CFLs. The quality is crap no matter what the bulb costs or whose
brand is on it. Half of them die within 2 months and those that remain
rarely last for a year.
--
I won't see Google Groups replies because I must filter them as spam

"Kevin McMurtrie" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"ian field" wrote:

"Oppie" wrote in message
...
"ian field" wrote in message
...
The circuit is straightforward enough but the diode devices are house
coded.

Before putting it all back together I tested each type of diode with
my
DMM diode check, the bridge diodes have a Vf of .538V - consistent
with
standard recovery types, the one I've marked as '5' had a Vf of
1.553 -
divided by 2 that's just over .7V - consistent with what my DMM tels
me
for a zener junction, but I'm guessing 3 standard junctions.

The one I've marked as '6' is the critical one, as it looks like an
ordinary diode I'd guess maybe something from the P6K range.

The thyristor is no great mystery - its a TN22-1500 Startlight from
ST:

http://www.datasheetcatalog.org/data...tronics/mXyzxr
r.pdf


ST used to have an IC that was for starting magnetic ballast
fluorescents.
guess it went obsolete when CFLs became more mainstream.


It all started when the landlords electrician insisted on fitting an iron
ballast 2D luminare in the bathroom - despite my protests that I have
plenty
of 18W CFLs in the cupboard that only use 2/3 of the electricity and
don't
cost a fortune to replace the tube (which will also wear out quicker than
a
CFL).

The 2D was a POS from day 1 - it always flickered for a few (long - when
I'm
bursting for a **** and can't see to take aim) seconds, and when it did
eventually start it took nearly an hour to warm up enough to stop
shimmering.

Over time its started taking so long to strike that when I want to go to
the
bog, I have to switch the light on then go have a cuppa while I wait for
the
light to come on!

I've ordered a new tube on ebay but while I wait for it I decided to nip
down the DIY store and get a new starter to try - then I noticed they had
electronic one's.

With the dodgy tube, the electronic starter makes the heaters glow for
about
a second or two, then the tube just strikes without any flickering.

Though there is a growing temptation to graft the PCB from a CFL into the
4
pin 2D fitting.

Back when I rented, I often replaced the magnetic ballasts with
electronic ones. The simple and cheap upgrade made the lamps brighter,
eliminated flicker, and the bulbs lasted longer than my stay.

I HATE CFLs. The quality is crap no matter what the bulb costs or whose
brand is on it. Half of them die within 2 months and those that remain
rarely last for a year.


I think I'm down to the last cheap & nasty Morrisons own brand (£1.99 - back
when the name brands were still charging over £5), the last one I had to
change was pretty dirty for having been there so long, the Philips in the
kitchen is a bit more recent (just over a year) but it does run 24/7.

But maybe I should look into a purpose made electronic ballast.

"ian field" wrote in message
news


It all started when the landlords electrician insisted on fitting an iron
ballast 2D luminare in the bathroom - despite my protests that I have
plenty of 18W CFLs in the cupboard that only use 2/3 of the electricity
and don't cost a fortune to replace the tube (which will also wear out
quicker than a CFL).

The 2D was a POS from day 1 - it always flickered for a few (long - when
I'm bursting for a **** and can't see to take aim) seconds, and when it
did eventually start it took nearly an hour to warm up enough to stop
shimmering.

Over time its started taking so long to strike that when I want to go to
the bog, I have to switch the light on then go have a cuppa while I wait
for the light to come on!

I've ordered a new tube on ebay but while I wait for it I decided to nip
down the DIY store and get a new starter to try - then I noticed they had
electronic one's.

With the dodgy tube, the electronic starter makes the heaters glow for
about a second or two, then the tube just strikes without any flickering.

Though there is a growing temptation to graft the PCB from a CFL into the
4 pin 2D fitting.


With all the worry about Mercury in the environment, lamp manufacturers
started putting less of it into the lamps. It's caused lots of problems for
the ballast manufacturers as the lamps just don't strike with the old school
starters like they used to. If you notice some of the new CFLs come on dim
and take a minute or so to come to full brightness, there is a new process.
Instead of using liquid Hg, they now use an amalgam of Hg that is solid at
ambient temperature. As the lamp warms up, the amalgam melts and the Hg
vapor forms. The amalgam is supposed to be more landfill friendly and is
easier/more accurate to dose into the lamp.
http://www.ushio.com/products/genera.../f-amalgam.htm

If you care to put the money into it, probably an electronic ballast unit IS
a better choice over a magnetic ballast. Only problem I've found with CFLs
and electronic ballasts is that they sometimes chop at the frequencies of
some entertainment remote control units. I sometimes find the tv in my den
on for no good reason...

"ian field" wrote in message
news


It all started when the landlords electrician insisted on fitting an iron
ballast 2D luminare in the bathroom - despite my protests that I have
plenty of 18W CFLs in the cupboard that only use 2/3 of the electricity
and don't cost a fortune to replace the tube (which will also wear out
quicker than a CFL).

The 2D was a POS from day 1 - it always flickered for a few (long - when
I'm bursting for a **** and can't see to take aim) seconds, and when it
did eventually start it took nearly an hour to warm up enough to stop
shimmering.

Over time its started taking so long to strike that when I want to go to
the bog, I have to switch the light on then go have a cuppa while I wait
for the light to come on!

I've ordered a new tube on ebay but while I wait for it I decided to nip
down the DIY store and get a new starter to try - then I noticed they had
electronic one's.

With the dodgy tube, the electronic starter makes the heaters glow for
about a second or two, then the tube just strikes without any flickering.

Though there is a growing temptation to graft the PCB from a CFL into the
4 pin 2D fitting.


With all the worry about Mercury in the environment, lamp manufacturers
started putting less of it into the lamps. It's caused lots of problems for
the ballast manufacturers as the lamps just don't strike with the old school
starters like they used to. If you notice some of the new CFLs come on dim
and take a minute or so to come to full brightness, there is a new process.
Instead of using liquid Hg, they now use an amalgam of Hg that is solid at
ambient temperature. As the lamp warms up, the amalgam melts and the Hg
vapor forms. The amalgam is supposed to be more landfill friendly and is
easier/more accurate to dose into the lamp.
http://www.ushio.com/products/genera.../f-amalgam.htm

If you care to put the money into it, probably an electronic ballast unit IS
a better choice over a magnetic ballast. Only problem I've found with CFLs
and electronic ballasts is that they sometimes chop at the frequencies of
some entertainment remote control units. I sometimes find the tv in my den
on for no good reason...

"Oppie" wrote in message
...
"ian field" wrote in message
news


It all started when the landlords electrician insisted on fitting an iron
ballast 2D luminare in the bathroom - despite my protests that I have
plenty of 18W CFLs in the cupboard that only use 2/3 of the electricity
and don't cost a fortune to replace the tube (which will also wear out
quicker than a CFL).

The 2D was a POS from day 1 - it always flickered for a few (long - when
I'm bursting for a **** and can't see to take aim) seconds, and when it
did eventually start it took nearly an hour to warm up enough to stop
shimmering.

Over time its started taking so long to strike that when I want to go to
the bog, I have to switch the light on then go have a cuppa while I wait
for the light to come on!

I've ordered a new tube on ebay but while I wait for it I decided to nip
down the DIY store and get a new starter to try - then I noticed they had
electronic one's.

With the dodgy tube, the electronic starter makes the heaters glow for
about a second or two, then the tube just strikes without any flickering.

Though there is a growing temptation to graft the PCB from a CFL into the
4 pin 2D fitting.


With all the worry about Mercury in the environment, lamp manufacturers
started putting less of it into the lamps. It's caused lots of problems
for the ballast manufacturers as the lamps just don't strike with the old
school starters like they used to. If you notice some of the new CFLs come
on dim and take a minute or so to come to full brightness, there is a new
process. Instead of using liquid Hg, they now use an amalgam of Hg that is
solid at ambient temperature. As the lamp warms up, the amalgam melts and
the Hg vapor forms. The amalgam is supposed to be more landfill friendly
and is easier/more accurate to dose into the lamp.
http://www.ushio.com/products/genera.../f-amalgam.htm

If you care to put the money into it, probably an electronic ballast unit
IS a better choice over a magnetic ballast. Only problem I've found with
CFLs and electronic ballasts is that they sometimes chop at the
frequencies of some entertainment remote control units. I sometimes find
the tv in my den on for no good reason...



A google search found 2D electronic ballasts at over £70 - ebay £5.95.

The lamp is in the bog, so I'm not worried about it interfering with
remotes.

"ian field" wrote in message
...
The lamp is in the bog, so I'm not worried about it interfering with
remotes.

On this side of the pond, bog is a wet swampy area. Does it have the same
meaning in the UK?
Always a bit interesting to see how our vocabularies have differently
evolved even though we have the same roots. A while back, someone asked
about a torch. I knew that it was what we would call a flashlight but it had
others very confused.

Oppie - NY, USA

"Oppie" wrote in message
...
"ian field" wrote in message
...
The lamp is in the bog, so I'm not worried about it interfering with
remotes.

On this side of the pond, bog is a wet swampy area. Does it have the same
meaning in the UK?

IIRC "bog" and http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=karzi

were popularised by the Steptoe & Son sitcom about a father and son rag &
bone men Co who get up to all manner of adventures, the language was
generally coarse but not (to most people) offensive.

Always a bit interesting to see how our vocabularies have differently
evolved even though we have the same roots. A while back, someone asked
about a torch. I knew that it was what we would call a flashlight but it
had others very confused.

Oppie - NY, USA

On Thu, 9 Sep 2010 09:11:31 -0400, "Oppie" wrote:

"ian field" wrote in message
...
The lamp is in the bog, so I'm not worried about it interfering with
remotes.

On this side of the pond, bog is a wet swampy area. Does it have the same
meaning in the UK?

Could be the backyard dunny, or, what one dumps there

"May your chooks turn into emus and kick ya dunny door down!" An emu is
an Aussie bird that doesn't fly, but eye level is about the same as an
adult, so they're quite large, with big brown eyes. Not common where I
live, but lots of them in some places further inland. Mostly I meet them
in a zoo. Out in the wild they tend to walk away if one gets too close.

Always a bit interesting to see how our vocabularies have differently
evolved even though we have the same roots. A while back, someone asked
about a torch. I knew that it was what we would call a flashlight but it had
others very confused.

I always wondered why a 'flashlight' didn't flash? Turns on and off
just like an ordinary battery torch does

Grant.

"Grant" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 9 Sep 2010 09:11:31 -0400, "Oppie" wrote:


I always wondered why a 'flashlight' didn't flash? Turns on and off
just like an ordinary battery torch does

Grant.

I used to have an old US Army flashlight. The beam was 90 degrees to the 2
'D' cell battery pack. It had a slide switch for on/off but also a
pushbutton for sending morse code... ie flash-light.
http://www.olive-drab.com/od_soldier...flashlight.php

Oppie

Grant wrote:

On Thu, 9 Sep 2010 09:11:31 -0400, "Oppie" wrote:

"ian field" wrote in message
...
The lamp is in the bog, so I'm not worried about it interfering with
remotes.

On this side of the pond, bog is a wet swampy area. Does it have the same
meaning in the UK?

Could be the backyard dunny, or, what one dumps there

"May your chooks turn into emus and kick ya dunny door down!" An emu is
an Aussie bird that doesn't fly, but eye level is about the same as an
adult, so they're quite large, with big brown eyes. Not common where I
live, but lots of them in some places further inland. Mostly I meet them
in a zoo. Out in the wild they tend to walk away if one gets too close.

Always a bit interesting to see how our vocabularies have differently
evolved even though we have the same roots. A while back, someone asked
about a torch. I knew that it was what we would call a flashlight but it had
others very confused.

I always wondered why a 'flashlight' didn't flash? Turns on and off
just like an ordinary battery torch does


Real flashlights do flash, when you push and release the button.


--
Politicians should only get paid if the budget is balanced, and there is
enough left over to pay them.