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lighting update and a question about fluorescent starters
Hi,
You may remember me posting some questions about kitchen lighting and also non maintained emergency lights. Here's a quick update, followed by a new question about starters: The bulkhead could be non-maintained or maintained depending whether or not a link was fitted across a pair of terminals. I fitted a wire to make the lamp maintained and found that the tube was flickering and obviously needed replacing. I don't know whether: 1. the dying tube killed the battery 2. the dying battery killed the tube 3. the tube and battery dying were entirely independent and coincidental I never got any further at diagnosing the problem, due to a lack of time and round tuits. I had an identical unit still boxed that SWMBO would not let me fit above the stairs for aesthetic reasons, so I simply fitted that instead. As for the charging LED getting brighter, that was an embarrassing red herring, which I wish I had not mentioned! The new unit's led is just as bright. I think because the nights are darker, earlier, the led is more noticeable than it was in the lighter summer nights. Regarding the kitchen, in my limited experience of fluorescent tubes, they tend to come with white starters that blink the tube a couple of times before the tube strikes. I read somewhere - most likely here - that this blinking wears the tube out, so in the past I have bought electronic starters, which were green. These make the light go from off to on in one go with no blinking. Wickes sell this: http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/162288 It claims to have a flicker-free start and although I cannot see it mentioned on the web site now, I am sure it used to say that it had an electronic starter. I am sure it says this on the box too. The starter included is not the green starter that I am familiar with. (Ok, the green is only the plastic body and they could use any colour of plastic for that). This starter looks a bit like an RCD as it has a little button on the top. It is branded Osram. I looked on the Osram web site and it says it is a resettable circuit breaker that trips when the tube dies. Rather than have the tube blinking like a strobe, the breaker will trip. The curious thing is that the Osram site says it is "almost like an electronic starter", implying that it is not an electronic starter. Possibly someone has pointed this out to Wickes, which is why their online description has changed? The starter is not living up to their claims and the tube does blink each time I turn the light on. I put one of my green 100% electronic starters in and the tube strikes first time but there is a hum before it does so. I have never had a hum when using an electronic starter in any other light before. So my reason for waffling on about all this is to ask: will it be ok to use the "proper" electronic starter in this light fitting or is the fact that it is humming telling me something is not quite compatible? I notice the first review for the 5' version: http://www.wickes.co.uk/5ft-start-fl...r/invt/162287/ says that it does not include an electronic start and does not include instructions (neither did mine), so I am not the only one in this situation! One last daft question: if the starter is Osram does this mean they make the whole fitting, or is made by someone else and the only Osram part is the starter? The tube supplied is 3500K, which in earlier posts I said I did not like but actually, I have got used to it. TIA |
lighting update and a question about fluorescent starters
On 02/12/2012 20:58, Fred wrote:
The starter is not living up to their claims and the tube does blink each time I turn the light on. I put one of my green 100% electronic starters in and the tube strikes first time but there is a hum before it does so. I have never had a hum when using an electronic starter in any other light before. So my reason for waffling on about all this is to ask: will it be ok to use the "proper" electronic starter in this light fitting or is the fact that it is humming telling me something is not quite compatible? This company does a instant start starter (0.3 seconds) that claims to have circuits that protect when the tube dies. The fitting comes on with a with a slight womfff noise from the fitting. http://users.tpg.com.au/pschamb/light.html http://www.tabelek.co.uk/datasheets/300C-Datasheet.pdf The company also does non-flicker starters that take 1 to 2 seconds to light the tube. http://www.tabelek.co.uk/product-electronic-fluorescent-tube-starters.asp See also http://users.tpg.com.au/pschamb/light.html -- mailto:news{at}admac(dot}myzen{dot}co{dot}uk |
lighting update and a question about fluorescent starters
On Sunday, December 2, 2012 8:58:37 PM UTC, Fred wrote:
or not a link was fitted across a pair of terminals. I fitted a wire to make the lamp maintained and found that the tube was flickering and obviously needed replacing. probably, I wouldnt say obviously Regarding the kitchen, in my limited experience of fluorescent tubes, they tend to come with white starters that blink the tube a couple of times before the tube strikes. Electromagnetic ballasts do, electronic ballasts dont I read somewhere - most likely here - that this blinking wears the tube out, so in the past I have bought Those neon starters do reduce tube life some. I used to prefer thermal starters, or even just a starting switch instead. I'm no fan of all that flicker & flash. Its pretty easy to add an RC time delay to a relay to make it do the starting function with no flashing. It also won't keep trying to start a dead tube. each time I turn the light on. I put one of my green 100% electronic starters in and the tube strikes first time but there is a hum before it does so. Non-issue. Worry about something important. NT |
lighting update and a question about fluorescent starters
On Sun, 2 Dec 2012 22:00:45 -0000, "Brian Gaff"
wrote: Well I have a double tube fitting and one side always did hum, presumably from something loose in the choke. Are you saying it only hums on the electronic starter, it could be that the clicking etc masks it. The electronic starter works in other light fittings without humming, but when I use it in this one, when I switch the lamp on I get a hum and darkness for half a second and then the light comes on and the hum stops. You could be right, it could be that the fitting hums with any starter but the noise from blinking with the "traditional" starter masks it. |
lighting update and a question about fluorescent starters
On Mon, 3 Dec 2012 01:32:10 +0000, fred wrote:
I suppose an alternative to standards approved emergency lighting in a non regulated environment is to have an emergency 12V circuit in the house feeding a number of 12V LED downlighters. The emergency supply could come from a trickle charged 12V SLA battery with a dropout relay activating the emergency circuit and lights via the normally closed contact. Add a status led somewhere for peace of mind. Sounds a good idea, thanks. |
lighting update and a question about fluorescent starters
On Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:59:08 +0000, alan
wrote: The fitting comes on with a with a slight womfff noise from the fitting. http://users.tpg.com.au/pschamb/light.html Hi, Thanks, that's a very interesting page. The starter supplied with my Wickes fitting is the fifth one on that page: the osram with the reset button. The web site had the same experience that I and the reviewer at Wickes did: that it is not electronic and it does blink the lamp to start it. My electronic starter is the one immediately below it, or something very similar. It's interesting that the author says at the bottom of the page, as did you in your post, that they make a noise before the light switches on, so it must be normal. Thanks again. |
lighting update and a question about fluorescent starters
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lighting update and a question about fluorescent starters
On Thu, 06 Dec 2012 11:06:54 +0000, Fred wrote:
The starter supplied with my Wickes fitting is the fifth one on that page: the osram with the reset button. I know these as a "Rheo-Starter". AFAIK it's a standard starter, with an extra bimetallic temperature sensitive thing onna button. If the tube doesn't start in certain time, due to the strater, ballast, or tube being bad, the bimetallic thing heats up and it stops trying to start the fitting. I think the button needs pressing to reset it once it has tripped. I just replaced a tube in a flickering fitting. Worked fine when I tried it (though the ballast was too hot to touch), but several days of flickering had apparently killed the starter as well: the new bulb was flickering, ends black, two days later. Another tube and also new starter later and it's sorted. That's what the button is supposed to prevent... Thomas Prufer |
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