Obsolete fluorescent light fittings

[ekcopyephilips]

HHmmm OT i know but wasnt Newmarket transistors a subsidury of Pye ?

[Herald1360]

I don't know, someone will, though. Presumably at least based in the same town.

[Brian R Pateman]

Yes, Newmarket was Pye's semiconductor offshoot.

And the first hit on Google... http://www.wylie.org.uk/technology/s.../Newmarket.htm

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
When we bought our house here there were some ancient Philips 2ft 20watt fluorescent fittings in the attic so I took them down and put them on a shelf in the cellar. I've just realised that they've got dual voltage chokes. Now I know that France used to have 11Ovolts mains in some areas years ago, but I've never seen a 110/220volt choke before. Has anyone else? They've got three leads so I assume they're just centre tapped.
Cheers de Pete

[G0PKH - Pete]

I actually tried to buy an old tube the other day for my 1951 jukebox, it was 33" 25w and t12 in size, best I could get was a t8 which is too thin

I bought two from here the other day, for my Rockola 474 Machine which is nearing electrical completion.

http://www.jukeboxparts.co.uk/index....&productId=323

Hope this helps

Pete

[twocvbloke]

I remember going to a local electronics place in Burnleh wanting to buy a T8 UV Blacklight tube, and when I asked what they had in T8 sizes, the fella gave me a blank stare, and I spent about 15 minutes trying to explain to him the three main sizes, T5 (skinny things), T8, and T12 (old-style fat tubes), I even pointed at the T8's behind the counter, but he still didn't believe me, so I asked if he could get a selection of sizes, and he did, then he noticed printed on the UV tube I bought "T8 18W UVBL", so even the experts can't always get things right...

As for fittings, well, I have no idea of it's age (probably from the 90's), but I have one out in the workshop that was salvaged from the Colne leisure centre when they were replacing their old splashproof lights with something more modern. When I got it, it still had tubes (T8s) and starters and worked, but the tubes were beyond past it, they were very dim, and very slow starters, but replacing the tubes with brand new ones, and it's great, the diffuser's a bit yellowed though, but that creates a more comfortable light for people used to old incandescents, personally I like running it without the diffuser, but then the diffuser ends up getting in the way, so I end up putting it back on...

[Courtney Louise]

Thanks Pete. Another problem I have had is getting 110V Choke and starter to fire through a step down TX.

Andi

[matthewhouse]

Was it a real 110V choke, or one designed for series 240V use?

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
I've sometimes wondered about fluorescents designed for 110volts such as those in the USA etc. Would the longer tubes be more reluctant to strike, or is the gear designed differently (greater inductance perhaps)? I've never tried my dual voltage ones on 110volts.
Cheers de Pete

[Lucien Nunes]

Presumably vintage french 110V chokes would be electrically different to ordinary US ones as they would be for 50Hz rather than 60. I have had issues with 60Hz fluorescents in this country. One 110/60 jukebox that the new owner proudly set up working on a step-down with a sleeved player motor shaft (to get the speed right) lasted about a week before the motor burnt out. I rewound it for him and a week later one of the florry chokes burnt out. We put in 240/50 chokes and a frequency changer for the motor.

I like to collect equipment rated for non-standard voltages such as were in use before the war. E.g. a 105V motor, 205V kWh meter, 210V vacuum, 460V heater etc. But as yet I have never come across a fluorescent fitting designed for anything outside 220-250V. Presumably few were made as they were only just getting into mass production by the time most supplies were standardised. Has anybody seen, say, 200V control gear for a standard tube?

Lucien

[matthewhouse]

110V wound ballasts have an extra winding built in to step up the voltage, ive never seen flo ballasts with voltage taps (just metal halide and sodium ballasts).

[Hunts smoothing bomb]

Originally Posted by Jarl Ayari

Thanks Pete. Another problem I have had is getting 110V Choke and starter to fire through a step down TX.

Did you change the starter?

BG make one called an FS2, this starter is designed for 110v with a single tube or 230v with two tubes in series on one ballast.

Cheers

[jay_oldstuff]

There seems to be a lot of very knowledgeable people posting in this thread so hope they can help with a quick question. can florescent tubes fail in storage? about seven years ago i was working at a school replacing all the old florescent fittings with new, i saved a number of good 8' and 5' tubes together with a number of 8' and 5' fittings two of the 8's I fitted in my garage and have worked fine still on the original tubes the other 8' fittings and all the 5' fittings i gave away over the years but kept a small number of the 5' tubes as they are the same as used in our kitchen.
a couple of days ago one of the kitchen tubes failed so i got one of my salvages spares out, it would not strike the filament lit and it attempted to strike but just wouldn't go i checked the tube against the old and it's 80w like the original. now i tested all these tubes before putting them away but thought must of missed one and it's a duffer however i have tried all five salvaged tubes and non will strike, i even tried the tube out of the other kitchen light in this fitting and it struck first time, but non of the salvaged tubes would strike in that fitting or the 5' fitting in the cellar.
anyone else heard of this?

Jay

[hamid_1]

Jay, this may explain why your fluorescent tubes have become difficult to start. They are usually coated with a silicone coating which helps them to start. If the tube is damp or dirty, this can affect starting. Sometimes, switching on and running your finger along the tube from one end to the other while it's flickering will help it to start.

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
So, you could try polishing the tubes with silicon furniture polish and/or wrapping a few turns of fusewire from cap to cap and see what happens. I know that sometimes they can be sds to strike when they're cold.
Cheers, Pete

[jay_oldstuff]

I'll give that a try before they go in the bin.
as it happens the fitting in the cellar is a double unit so i pinched one of it's tubes for the kitchen.

Jay

[geoff999]

I have a couple of Phillips SL18s in the upstairs bathroom - marked "Made in Poland".

Quite happy with my milk bottles!

Geoff

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
When they finally pack up you can use the glass bowl for all sorts of things. Whisky glass, flower pot, jam jar, the list could go on .
Cheers Pete

[Jason Pero]

-bayonet linear fluorescent tubes, how one fit into the sockets even those bayonet is meant to be inserted and turned to lock?

-Bad/corroded/dirty bi-pin sockets even the fluorescent tubes do light up normal shorten life-time severely from 1-2 years down matter of months and splutter out? Reason thing is our TV shop suffers from these even they got new ballasts and tubes for energy saving. They recycled the old fixtures with those grubby sockets instead of replacing them entirely. Which I frown.

Cheers, Wizard