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Ask an Expert Forum Thing attached to a fluorescent tube.
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Thing attached to a fluorescent tube.

Workshopshed
Workshopshed over 1 year ago

What is this component? It was in the case of the fluorescent tube. Seems to be made up of laminated metal.image

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  • Jan Cumps
    Jan Cumps over 1 year ago +5
    A ballast. Once the light is on, this ballast gets switched in series to lower the voltage over the lamp. (oops current through the lamp)
  • jc2048
    jc2048 over 1 year ago +4 suggested
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_ballast
  • acdc90
    acdc90 over 1 year ago +2
    it is a Coil when the plug in starter goes open the coil gives a high voltage pulse which ignites the gas in side the tube
  • Jan Cumps
    0 Jan Cumps over 1 year ago

    A ballast. Once the light is on, this ballast gets switched in series to lower the voltage over the lamp. (oops current through the lamp)

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  • acdc90
    0 acdc90 over 1 year ago

    it is a Coil when the plug in starter goes open  the coil gives a high voltage pulse which ignites the gas in side the tube 

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  • jc2048
    0 jc2048 over 1 year ago

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_ballast

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  • shabaz
    0 shabaz over 1 year ago

    I see it's dated '93 and sporting the then new(ish) CE logo : )

    This ballast is a little nostalgic memento of that whirlwind time of Maastricht and that key building-block, economic and monetary union : )

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  • Workshopshed
    0 Workshopshed over 1 year ago

    That makes sense. I'll put the parts tester on it when I find it.

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  • electronicbiker
    0 electronicbiker over 1 year ago

    Also known as a choke. Don't forget you need a starter to go with it, usually a round metal tube about an inch long, closed at one end, with two top-hat pins at the other end. The pins are a bayonet connection to a socket inside the metal casing. The rating needs to be selected to match the tube. I see there is a wiring diagram printed on the choke, it looks ok to me but the table of ratings is too blurred for my eyesight! Good luck, and be careful of mains voltages.

    I changed the fittings in my garage for LED tubes not long ago as the old tubes were getting dimmer and the flashing on start-up was getting longer. Those old tubes had lasted at least 20 years if not 30, and when I looked they were not available in that size any longer. The new LED tubes have got a lot to live up to!

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  • shabaz
    0 shabaz over 1 year ago

    Also this is illuminating : 

    image(source PDF)

    I did read somewhere that electronic ballast patent was sat on by a old-school ballast manufacturer in the US for years, so they could continue to use their existing machinery. Apparently cost US consumers $100bn in wasted extra energy costs for that period.

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  • e14phil
    0 e14phil over 1 year ago in reply to shabaz

    wow

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