Fluorescent ballasts

[maxhifi]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GE-8G3706-14...YAAOSwSzRZSwh6

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GE-8G3706-14...MAAOSwYIxYAP1F

You will need to add a starter and starter socket. Make sure the starter is rated for 40W lamps.

Agree with dieseljeep above, maybe you want to get some strip lights to contain the ballast and wiring, and elevate the lamps away from the foam a bit.. and then put these old fashioned ballasts into the new fixtures. Wire according to the diagram on the ballast. Modern T8 lamps use the same sockets as the old school T12 fixtures, should be no trouble to find some new fixtures to modify.

Have fun!!

P.S. if I were you, I'd seek out one of these for that room https://i.pinimg.com/736x/c0/ce/61/c...3114785dd0.jpg

I think it would look fantastic with that old fitting, and maybe a brighter light bulb, say a 200W clear incandescent on a dimmer, so you can go from ambient lighting to "I was taking apart my watch and lost a screw" kind of lighting with the turn of a knob.

[MIPS]

Bumping the thread because here I am in Tokyo right now and I've made a discovery.

It totally slipped my mind that Japan still heavily uses fluorescent lighting everywhere and because there's no need to fix what ain't broke a lot of these lights use modern ballasts that still rely on starters. These ballasts support up to 4" 40w tubes which is exactly what I'm after even if the ballasts are rated for 100v 50hz.

New problem: I forgot that in 2015 the Japanese government announced the phaseout of incandescent and fluorescent lighting. It's not that by 2020 they will only have LED products available, it's that they have mandated that ALL lighting unless with exemption will be LED by 2020. The result is that while I can still find starters, sockets and tubes, tubes and the ballasts especially can no longer be imported or manufactured. I combed over akihabara and could not find a store that was still selling ballasts. Either you already had a spare or you were being asked to buy an LED replacement.
I think my only chance here now is if I came across a place that was selling used lamps or ballasts in the next week and a half, otherwise I'm back to googling and hoping.

[NowhereMan 1966]

Originally Posted by MIPS

Bumping the thread because here I am in Tokyo right now and I've made a discovery.

It totally slipped my mind that Japan still heavily uses fluorescent lighting everywhere and because there's no need to fix what ain't broke a lot of these lights use modern ballasts that still rely on starters. These ballasts support up to 4" 40w tubes which is exactly what I'm after even if the ballasts are rated for 100v 50hz.

New problem: I forgot that in 2015 the Japanese government announced the phaseout of incandescent and fluorescent lighting. It's not that by 2020 they will only have LED products available, it's that they have mandated that ALL lighting unless with exemption will be LED by 2020. The result is that while I can still find starters, sockets and tubes, tubes and the ballasts especially can no longer be imported or manufactured. I combed over akihabara and could not find a store that was still selling ballasts. Either you already had a spare or you were being asked to buy an LED replacement.
I think my only chance here now is if I came across a place that was selling used lamps or ballasts in the next week and a half, otherwise I'm back to googling and hoping.

I find that ironic. I'm 52 and I remember as a kid back in the 1970's, they were hawking fluorescent lighting was the "bee's knees" to saving energy vs. incandescent bulbs. I don't know how true this is, but my mother graduated high school in 1956, almost all the lighting was incandescent but when she entered the workforce at that time, fluorescent lights were becoming big in offices and she attributes that lighting to her needing glasses.

[MIPS]

Well I broke down and decided to see what exactly China might have. Perhaps there's factories out there that can wind ballasts for 110v?

Sure can.
Almost immediately I have multiple manufacturers and suppliers through Alibaba who can deliver the desired ballasts in minimum quantities as low as 10 units which is enough to do what I want. I will have to fire off a few RFQ's and see what they come back with for pricing and freight rates but this may turn out to be the way to go.

[MIPS]

Initial payment for your Trade Assurance order received

Dear [Mr MIPS],

The supplier has received your initial payment. You may contact the supplier to confirm the order's shipping. We will inform you when the supplier has shipped your products.

Initial payment amount: US $254.00
Order number: XXXXXXYYYYYYYZZZZZ

Hot DAMN I managed to secure a dozen units.

It comes out to something like $334CDN after shipping or equally $27.83 per ballast. Seems a bit pricey however our only other option remained "New old Stock" ballasts from ebay that are several decades old and are NOT PCB-free for $44.03CAD each after shipping. These new ballasts are PCB-free, assured to be good and they're pretty much doing a custom run to make them, so I get bragging rights on doing something insane.

[Kevin Kuehn]

Originally Posted by MIPS

Hot DAMN I managed to secure a dozen units.

It comes out to something like $334CDN after shipping or equally $27.83 per ballast. Seems a bit pricey however our only other option remained "New old Stock" ballasts from ebay that are several decades old and are NOT PCB-free for $44.03CAD each after shipping. These new ballasts are PCB-free, assured to be good and they're pretty much doing a custom run to make them, so I get bragging rights on doing something insane.

This is very interesting! I personally despise modern electronic florescent ballasts and now the switch mode modulated LED lighting fixtures anywhere near my basement workshop. The broadband hash they generate raises Cain with AM radio and TV reception. Who knows what affects they're having on our personal health.

Please post pictures and a full report when you receive them.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by MIPS

Hot DAMN I managed to secure a dozen units.

It comes out to something like $334CDN after shipping or equally $27.83 per ballast. Seems a bit pricey however our only other option remained "New old Stock" ballasts from ebay that are several decades old and are NOT PCB-free for $44.03CAD each after shipping. These new ballasts are PCB-free, assured to be good and they're pretty much doing a custom run to make them, so I get bragging rights on doing something insane.

The chances are almost 100% that this manufacturer, and almost every other manufacturer in China subscribes to Dr. P's philosophy "Lie, lie and lie some more".

If blindly handing one's resources over to China is considered insane, then most of Western society is.

[MIPS]

Originally Posted by Jon A.

The chances are almost 100% that this manufacturer, and almost every other manufacturer in China subscribes to Dr. P's philosophy "Lie, lie and lie some more".

If blindly handing one's resources over to China is considered insane, then most of Western society is.

If you are referring to the presence of PCB's, I'm not even sure where you would even need it in this, considering it's just a painted iron core transformer.

Edited: Also for this lamp housing at least I can say the new ballast at a glance sure looks a lot less likely to give me cancer.