Lanterns/Fixtures > Modern

No luck with Universal fluorescent ballasts?

(1/2) > >>

Vince:
Today I've got two Universal Therm-O-Matic rapid start ballasts and as usual when I got back home I tested them. One of them literally turned into fireworks xD. It read 130 ohm on the primary coil, was pretty weird (average is 15-16) but I still decided to give it a try. Well a large yellow flame blew out of the casing and sparks flew everywhere as well.

The second one started properly, but it has a ground fault...

So I was wondering, is it me or Universal ballasts (especially the 446 series) are prone to failure after 30 to 40 years of use? I've got a bunch of WAY older CGE ballasts that still work! Even Philips ballasts seem to be more durable... Maybe I'm just unlucky with Universals too LOL.

Mike:
Hmm. You're scareing me now Vince! I have a thermomatic in my reflector strip light here! Please tell me that's not the style you're talking about! :( :o

A_lights:
Well any magnetic ballast can fail this way, even if its thermal protected, so yeah i don't understand the CFLbballast scare
Never had one do anything like what Vince descried but i did have an LOA ballast i modified go up in smoke, i videod whole thing and left it to completely smoke out outside while plugged in

Jace the Gull:

--- Quote from: A_lights on November 13, 2012, 11:37:02 PM ---Well any magnetic ballast can fail this way, even if its thermal protected, so yeah i don't understand the CFLbballast scare
Never had one do anything like what Vince descried but i did have an LOA ballast i modified go up in smoke, i videod whole thing and left it to completely smoke out outside while plugged in

--- End quote ---

show us the video!

A_lights:
Its on YouTube under Alights7

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

Go to full version