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Universal Therm-O-Matic X 34/40w Rapid Start Ballast (late 1970s-early 1980s) Imagine my surprise when I opened up an inexpensive 1980s 4ft shoplight expecting to find yet another residential-grade low-power-factor (junk) ballast and instead revealed this! It's in more or less perfect shape, with no signs of running hot, (Also evidenced by the fact it came with 40w lamps too; 1994 Sylvania F40/CW). It practically instant-starts lamps every time and runs them nice and bright, unlike many other later residential-grade ballasts. Like many other lamps, ballasts, fixtures, etc. I've collected, this one is somewhat special to me because I have a connection to where this fixture came from. Back in 2008-2011, my dad did a bunch of work on a house for someone, and I think he may have even put up this fixture in the shed/garage; I remember when it went there, it replaced something I think may have even had Westy blackender lamps. (But those lamps/fixture are now LONG gone and I'm relying strictly on childhood memories here). It's fairly quiet, lacking the raspy-sounding buzz many Universal ballasts like this seem to get after running daily for 30+ years. This one has probably had substantially less use than a couple other older Universals I have (Old enough they still have PCBs!). In fact, this ballast spent about three years never being powered up at all (wiring to outbuilding disconnected) up until last week LOL. The outbuilding it was in is being torn down. I walk by that place every day to and from school so I was inquiring about the stripped-out building and was asked if I wanted the fixture. I said yes of course, and that afternoon went and saved it. After seeing the ballast inside, I'm very glad I chose to do so! Full-power (.80a line current) and non-PCB, the BEST kind! Keywords: Lamps

Universal Therm-O-Matic X 34/40w Rapid Start Ballast (late 1970s-early 1980s)

Imagine my surprise when I opened up an inexpensive 1980s 4ft shoplight expecting to find yet another residential-grade low-power-factor (junk) ballast and instead revealed this! It's in more or less perfect shape, with no signs of running hot, (Also evidenced by the fact it came with 40w lamps too; 1994 Sylvania F40/CW). It practically instant-starts lamps every time and runs them nice and bright, unlike many other later residential-grade ballasts.

Like many other lamps, ballasts, fixtures, etc. I've collected, this one is somewhat special to me because I have a connection to where this fixture came from. Back in 2008-2011, my dad did a bunch of work on a house for someone, and I think he may have even put up this fixture in the shed/garage; I remember when it went there, it replaced something I think may have even had Westy blackender lamps. (But those lamps/fixture are now LONG gone and I'm relying strictly on childhood memories here).

It's fairly quiet, lacking the raspy-sounding buzz many Universal ballasts like this seem to get after running daily for 30+ years. This one has probably had substantially less use than a couple other older Universals I have (Old enough they still have PCBs!). In fact, this ballast spent about three years never being powered up at all (wiring to outbuilding disconnected) up until last week LOL.

The outbuilding it was in is being torn down. I walk by that place every day to and from school so I was inquiring about the stripped-out building and was asked if I wanted the fixture. I said yes of course, and that afternoon went and saved it. After seeing the ballast inside, I'm very glad I chose to do so!

Full-power (.80a line current) and non-PCB, the BEST kind!

2015-05-10_18_25_38.jpg 2015-05-29_18_21_24.jpg 2015-05-29_18_23_06.jpg 2015-05-11_19_08_41.jpg 2015-05-11_19_08_41.jpg
File information
Filename:2015-05-29_18_23_06.jpg
Album name:GEsoftwhite100watts / florescent bulbs
Keywords:Lamps
Company and Date Manufactured:Universal Mfg. Co, late 1970s-early 1980s
Model Number:446-LR-TC-P
Wattage:2X34/40w
Lamp Type:Rapid Start Linear T12 Fluorescent
Filesize:365 KiB
Date added:Jun 03, 2015
Dimensions:2048 x 1152 pixels
Displayed:134 times
Color Space:sRGB
DateTime Original:2015:05:29 18:23:06
Exposure Bias:0 EV
Exposure Mode:0
Exposure Program:Aperture Priority
Exposure Time:5/1553 sec
FNumber:f/2.6
Flash:No Flash
Focal length:2.79 mm
ISO:50
Make:Samsung
Max Aperture:f/2.6
Model:SM-T230NU
URL:http://www.galleryoflights.org/mb/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=19416
Favorites:Add to Favorites

Comment 1 to 8 of 8
Page: 1

streetlight98   [Jun 03, 2015 at 07:29 PM]
Nice! Looks like yours has the very brittle label just like my 'Matic-x does. Not from heat; the label is just on brittle paper I guess.
GEsoftwhite100watts   [Jun 03, 2015 at 11:38 PM]
Never noticed but that could be possible! I'd still consider this as being in perfect shape to be honest. Same for the 70s PCB-containing version I also have in use in the Metalux/Gibson troffer fixtures. (Well one is perfect, the other is half-dead and only lights one lamp and it's label is toasty and the case is rusty).
streetlight98   [Jun 04, 2015 at 01:14 AM]
Yeah with these Universals, I'm considering putting a layer of shipping tape over the label (or contact paper if the shipping tape isn't wide enough) to protect it from scratching off. I have a good amount of spare F40/RS ballasts laying around. Three Therm-O-Matics, two .77A Magneteks, a .73A Advance Mark-whatever (either III or IV), and then an Advance F32T8 magnetic ballast. One can always use more spare magnetic ballasts though! They're something never to be made again! Sometimes I think I'm being too "greedy" with buying every lighting thing I see but then I think of some of the members on LG that are flat-out hoarders. Not to put down any enthusiast, since we're all one big family so-to-speak. Just makes me feel a little better lol. Imagine the look on someone's face when they purchase a large property with several pole barns chock full of lighting stuff? Shocked Laughing The average person would probably start looking around for some weed growing somewhere, since why else would anyone have hundreds of lights, right? Laughing
GEsoftwhite100watts   [Jun 04, 2015 at 07:48 PM]
LOL yeah! Even someone buying my house would think 'What, did the inventor of the fluorescent light live here?'
.77a MagneTek? Never heard of such a thing.
streetlight98   [Jun 04, 2015 at 10:14 PM]
Yeah the Magneteks I have are good ballasts from what Aaron said. They drive lamps nice and bright. Here's the link. Turns out they're actually 0.75A. The 0.77A rating is for F40T10s... They're pretty recent too, from 1997. Notice how the ordering code ends in "HL". I wonder if that could mean "High-light"?
GEsoftwhite100watts   [Jun 05, 2015 at 01:07 AM]
I'm not THAT familiar with MagneTeks. I had one LPF unit die on me that came in a Lithonia wraparound that came with the house, but now I have another, which came as a replacement in one of the 70s Sears shoplights from my friend and former history teacher's woodworking shop. I've since stuck an 80s .65a HPF Universal in there and used the LPF MagneTek to replace a failed BenchLite in what may be the LAST generation of the Sears shoplight (really cheap with LPF ballast).
streetlight98   [Jun 05, 2015 at 03:08 AM]
Yeah the last magnetic T12 shoplights were so terribly dim and flickery that they made cold 34W lamps on HPF looks great!
GEsoftwhite100watts   [Jun 05, 2015 at 03:36 AM]
Or how about cold 34w lamps on the "LOA' style units? Worthless!

I have to say, out of my last 2 recently-gotten F40 shoplights, I much prefer this ballast over that "LOA" type one.

Comment 1 to 8 of 8
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