Timeline for Fluorescent tubes in series?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
10 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Aug 10, 2021 at 3:25 | comment | added | Peter R. McMahon | @Nathan The starters have to be 18W or 20W starters designed for 2 tubes in series because they only have 120V each. The capacitor is only for power factor correction, and is not critical. It reduces the current taken by the fitting to the amount required for the power. The excess current resonates between the capacitor & the inductor. There is an English made electronic starter in a green transparent case available from electrical wholesalers that fully preheats the cathodes greatly extending the life of the tubes, but again, you need the ones designed for 2 tubes in series. | |
| Jun 11, 2020 at 13:18 | comment | added | RedGrittyBrick | This is the exact circuit used in the UK office building I work in which was built in 2001. Each of the 600mm (2 foot) square 240VAC lighting fixtures in the suspended ceiling have four tubes, each pair of tubes has this circuit. When a magnetic-ballast fails, two tubes don't illuminate. The magnetic-ballasts have only two identical terminals. There is one glow-starter per tube. | |
| May 15, 2019 at 4:56 | comment | added | Jack Creasey | @Nathan What is your mains voltage? What size lamps? What starters type? When you say it does not work ...what happens? Does one light come on, do both flash ….what exactly? | |
| May 15, 2019 at 2:32 | comment | added | Nathan | I made the circuit Jack Creasey posted with a magnetic ballast without the capacitor (because I can't find how many micro farads it needs) and it didn't work. | |
| Jun 22, 2018 at 21:18 | comment | added | Jack Creasey | @tigrou The power factor capacitor has no impact on the discharge tube circuit. | |
| Jun 22, 2018 at 20:07 | comment | added | tigrou | Is the power factor correction capacitor required for the discharge tubes to turn on ? I have a display panel which got broken. Replaced everything (starters, ballast and tubes) except capacitor and it's still not working. | |
| Dec 30, 2016 at 1:46 | vote | accept | goweon | ||
| Dec 29, 2016 at 20:39 | comment | added | Jack Creasey | @goweon. Both are series connected. Your circuit with one starter will not work unless you can guarantee a very large start pulse since this does not use any of the heaters at all. The circuit I showed has two starters so each tube can be started separately and both heaters are used. I don't know what to tell you if you don't recognize this as tubes in series. | |
| Dec 29, 2016 at 19:14 | comment | added | goweon | This circuit seems to correspond to the 2 parallel lamps configuration. The series circuit I'm asking about would look more like this: i.sstatic.net/BSYVC.png I haven't found any documentation that supports this configuration, though I believe it should be possible. | |
| Dec 29, 2016 at 6:22 | history | answered | Jack Creasey | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
