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Electronics Repair (sci.electronics.repair) Discussion of repairing electronic equipment. Topics include requests for assistance, where to obtain servicing information and parts, techniques for diagnosis and repair, and annecdotes about success, failures and problems. |
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#1
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Electronic Ballast
I notice that some - but not all -electronic ballasts specifically mention
"1 or 2" bulb operation. Since I have 2 single bulbs fixtures that will need new ballasts and I happened to have on hand 2 "2 bulb" electronic ballasts of more than sufficient wattage, any electrical reason why I could not make use of these? Thanks for any comments or wiring suggestions. -- Remove -NOSPAM- to contact me. |
#2
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Electronic Ballast
"John Keiser" wrote in message news:aPidnUviOuk2XMPUnZ2dnUVZ_v3inZ2d@hawaiiantel. net... I notice that some - but not all -electronic ballasts specifically mention "1 or 2" bulb operation. Since I have 2 single bulbs fixtures that will need new ballasts and I happened to have on hand 2 "2 bulb" electronic ballasts of more than sufficient wattage, any electrical reason why I could not make use of these? Thanks for any comments or wiring suggestions. -- Remove -NOSPAM- to contact me. AFAIK, this 'problem' was originally one that was associated with non-electronic ballasts i.e. ones that were a pure line frequency transformer. To have the voltage at the output anything like the specified value, the load had to be known, and it was always recommended that if a bulb failed, it should be replaced ASAP, as the output voltage would increase with the reduced load, over-volting the remaining bulb(s). It's also important of course, not to overload such a device with too many bulbs, hence the wattage rating on it. It's a little different with the electronic ballasts in that they are fundamentally a switch mode power supply, so in theory, you would expect them to give a reasonably stable output whatever the load, up to some specified maximum amount, where you would start to overload it. However, all the ones that I've seen, this side of the pond at least, only nod in the direction of a 'proper' switcher. The output is a high frequency square wave, modulated at line frequency, due to the fact that that there are no primary or secondary-side filter caps. There is also no kind of regulation applied to the design. So, the short answer to your question is that I think the only way that you will see if the ballasts that you have are suitable for continuous driving of a reduced load, is to stick a 'scope across the output, then load it with first one bulb, and then two, and see if there is any significant change to the output waveform, or brightness of the first bulb, when the second one is connected. Arfa |
#3
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Electronic Ballast
On Fri, 2 Jan 2009 15:38:49 -1000, "John Keiser"
wrote: I notice that some - but not all -electronic ballasts specifically mention "1 or 2" bulb operation. Since I have 2 single bulbs fixtures that will need new ballasts and I happened to have on hand 2 "2 bulb" electronic ballasts of more than sufficient wattage Uh, the *same* wattage... , any electrical reason why I could not make use of these? Thanks for any comments or wiring suggestions. |
#4
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Electronic Ballast
Actually, I though "sufficient" was the right word. I assumed that a
ballast could be damaged if it was incapable of supplying sufficient current. If the ballast can supply more current, what is the harm? [I glean that maximizing bulb life is an issue for precisely matrching ballasts in commercial applications but a minor concern in my house.] -- Remove -NOSPAM- to contact me. |
#5
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Electronic Ballast
"John Keiser" wrote in message news:Re2dnaCB4fpkQsLUnZ2dnUVZ_sbinZ2d@hawaiiantel. net... Actually, I though "sufficient" was the right word. I assumed that a ballast could be damaged if it was incapable of supplying sufficient current. If the ballast can supply more current, what is the harm? [I glean that maximizing bulb life is an issue for precisely matrching ballasts in commercial applications but a minor concern in my house.] -- Remove -NOSPAM- to contact me. Well, it might not be such a minor issue if you actually do it. Over-volting a 12v halogen by as little as 10% can significantly shorten its life, and when you start having difficulty getting them in a couple of years after the eco-bollox merchants have had the manufacture of them banned totally world-wide ... If the ballast is rated to supply more current than is actually required, there is no harm going to come to the ballast itself. However, if there is no regulation of the output voltage other than by load and the ballast's output impedance, then you could significantly shorten the bulbs' service life, by having insufficient load. Arfa |
#6
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Electronic Ballast
These are 4 foot T12 bulbs.
-- Remove -NOSPAM- to contact me. |
#7
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Electronic Ballast
"John Keiser" wrote in message news5OdnZv264uh0fzUnZ2dnUVZ_oPinZ2d@hawaiiantel. net... These are 4 foot T12 bulbs. -- Remove -NOSPAM- to contact me. Ah, flourescent tubes then ? That's a different matter altogether ... ;~} Arfa |
#8
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Electronic Ballast
In article ,
"John Keiser" wrote: These are 4 foot T12 bulbs. John- I admit I don't know much about the use of electronic ballasts. It was my understanding that T12 bulbs were meant to be used with a magnetic ballast, either with or without a starter. For an electronic ballast, the bulbs are T8. Is it also possible to use T12 bulbs with an electronic ballast? If not, you should be able to use your electronic ballast in the fixture by getting the correct bulbs. People in the electrical department of a Home Depot or Lowes type of store should be able to advise you. Fred |
#9
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Electronic Ballast
The ballasts I have are labled for "T12" so that's OK. They work swell for
2 bulbs. I wired one as a test for a single bulb and it seems OK as well. I also have some electronic ballast for "T8" and did on test on a "T12" bulb. Also seemed to work fine. Apart from wattage/current capacity, why would a T8 ballast differ from a T12? -- Remove -NOSPAM- to contact me. |
#10
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Electronic Ballast
In article ,
Fred McKenzie wrote: I admit I don't know much about the use of electronic ballasts. It was my understanding that T12 bulbs were meant to be used with a magnetic ballast, either with or without a starter. For an electronic ballast, the bulbs are T8. You can get electronic ballasts for virtually any type of tube. I have tri-phosphor T8 types lighting the worktops in my kitchen driven off Osram dimmable electronic ballasts. They are more efficient than conventional ballasts therefore producing less heat and allow extremely long tube life. The dimming is achieved by a simple pot working in a low voltage circuit. Good starting characteristics too - near instant. Other benefit is some dislike the mains frequency flicker produced by some fluorescent lights. These ballasts run at approx 30kHz so no visible flicker or audible hum. They are expensive, however. http://www.bltdirect.com/products.php?cat=499 -- *Corduroy pillows are making headlines. Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
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