Gallery of Lights

Lanterns/Fixtures => Modern => Topic started by: Vince on November 03, 2012, 06:58:43 PM

Title: No luck with Universal fluorescent ballasts?
Post by: Vince on November 03, 2012, 06:58:43 PM
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.
Title: Re: No luck with Universal fluorescent ballasts?
Post by: Mike on November 03, 2012, 07:14:45 PM
Hmm. You're scareing me now Vince! I have a thermomatic in my reflector strip light  here!  (http://www.galleryoflights.org/mb/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-8378) Please tell me that's not the style you're talking about! :( :o
Title: Re: No luck with Universal fluorescent ballasts?
Post by: 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
Title: Re: No luck with Universal fluorescent ballasts?
Post by: Jace the Gull on December 06, 2012, 11:43:45 AM
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

show us the video!
Title: Re: No luck with Universal fluorescent ballasts?
Post by: A_lights on February 13, 2013, 01:19:30 PM
Its on YouTube under Alights7
Title: Re: No luck with Universal fluorescent ballasts?
Post by: GEsoftwhite100watts on February 13, 2013, 09:36:41 PM
I have a .8 amp Therm-O-Matic in one of my two "Old School" (since they came from the original 1970s wing of my school) fixtures.  It buzzes loudly for about ten minutes till it warms up, sometimes sounding like an old mercury vapor yard light at first! :shock:. Then it suddenly dies down to a quiet hum.
But mine works fine...