Re: Need Some Help With A Fluorescent Light Fixture « Reply #15 on: April 28, 2012, 08:33:22 PM » Author: Steele1992
Yes, I am a beginner to electrician's work, but I have wired up GFCI outlets and my other 50-something exit signs no problem.  It' just when you have a fluorescent fixture, as opposed to incandescents, you get a whole new batch of wires and skills thrown into the mix.   It has no starter cylinders, just ballasts and circuits.  It takes two 6-watt F6T5 bulbs, and the bulbs show in the video are brand new. Here's an updated video on it, and what it is doing now:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv96EsNBeVo
« Last Edit: April 28, 2012, 08:34:59 PM by SeberHusky »		Logged

I collect exit signs, preferably vintage ones.

I also have a little bit of a thing for light bulbs, too. Of course, hoarding them due to the incandescent bulb ban.

(Signature last updated October 27, 2011)

	Re: Need Some Help With A Fluorescent Light Fixture « Reply #16 on: April 28, 2012, 10:35:11 PM » Author: funkybulb
i just saw the starter when you flip over the eballast it a glass tipped bulb next to the blue sqaure little box then only way to get a new one is to rip open the new starter and replace it. so that would requires some unsoldering/soldering job. that take practice too. but it a good way to learn basic of electronics as well. by messing around with HF ballast as we will get more and more of. I have built electronic ballast from sratch. you could start learning electronics by reading forest mims books. that how i got started in electronics. the hardest part of electronics is reading schematics knowing what those symbols means what parts do. to me electrical is just basic electricity wich is a subset of electronics to build up on.
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No LED gadgets, spins too slowly.  Gotta  love preheat and MV. let the lights keep my meter spinning.

	Re: Need Some Help With A Fluorescent Light Fixture « Reply #17 on: April 28, 2012, 10:51:20 PM » Author: Steele1992
I'm going to exhaust all other possibilities first before determining that.  I still think the ballast that has a hole burned in it is the cause of the problem of the lamps not lighting. Here's yet another update video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IMPeD4xLFs The battery is a 20-year-old Ni-cad battery, and those things will die forever if they are not cared for.  I left the sign plugged in for half an hour, and then when I unplugged it, the one bulb that is working lit up for about 5 seconds while the sign was unplugged before the battery juice that had accumulated in that time ran out. So, I do not think there is anything wrong with the backup ballast.  I'm going to try to clean the bulb sockets with rubbing alcohol as well, see if they just could be dirty.  It's acting just like the seller I bought it from described though. So, it could possibly be just because the bulb ballasts have gone bad from age and normal use.   It's pretty quiet though, all I can hear is the bulbs pinging, no buzzing noise, no humming noise, or anything like that.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2012, 10:52:55 PM by SeberHusky »		Logged

I collect exit signs, preferably vintage ones.

I also have a little bit of a thing for light bulbs, too. Of course, hoarding them due to the incandescent bulb ban.

(Signature last updated October 27, 2011)

	Re: Need Some Help With A Fluorescent Light Fixture « Reply #18 on: April 29, 2012, 11:32:26 AM » Author: funkybulb
well it sounded like the seller before last did not know what he was doing, try to hook up on 277 volts blowed out a few parts. and the weakest are those cathode and starters. it also might of took out one of the driver to drive one of lamp eballast. fortently the easist to replace the whole eballast acording to bodine website it look like it no long in production. but willing to walk you though it to fix the eballast. that good at least one circuit drives the lamps, one step out of the way, as that robertson ballast replacement go to semperlte.com in the ballast section. but i would ohm it out to see if you get any reading before you go buy a new ballast. but you still need to replace the starter in eballast as the lead might melt off inside from making contact. as a for a bad driver circiut on one lamp, you can do two things, ether fix the bad driver circuit if you have any electronic skills, or put in a conventional preheat starter block with FS5 starter like Ash mention on one lamp. let that eballast serve as one lamp for a back up. you can PM me if you need any more assitant or need electronic part to repair the ballast. as far as battery goes you can get those D or C cells from any electonic supply house and make those pack up your self. such as radio shack or mouser. harbor fright tools sell nicad D or C cells.
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No LED gadgets, spins too slowly.  Gotta  love preheat and MV. let the lights keep my meter spinning.

	Re: Need Some Help With A Fluorescent Light Fixture « Reply #20 on: April 29, 2012, 02:34:16 PM » Author: Steele1992
The burn hole is not from the switch wire, because the switch wire was connected to the hot wire on the power cord, and the other black disconnected wire for the 3rd ballast was capped and way deep inside of the sign. There could have possibly been the spring latch for the sign face got to the ballast, but I can't see how far into the sign it goes when I shut the lid. The 2nd one the seller had that was the exact same model in every way, and they said that there was a large burn mark inside, and they did not test it, for fear of it exploding. That might have saved it from being damaged by the seller not knowing what they were doing.  So, I am regretting now that I should have bought it, I could have used the spare parts.  Because with this one, both me and the seller hooked it up to 120v AC, without checking to make sure the 277v wire is disconnected first. It's probably both our faults.  :-(   I only paid $20 for this sign (shipping included), and the other one I didn't get was only $10 (shipping included)...no big loss either way if I am unable to fix it.  It's still a cool-looking sign nonetheless.  I could have swore I seen it on Alkco's website though, perhaps a different model.  There was one guy on here I seen who "retrofitted" a vintage edge-lit exit sign with new lighting parts, as it was previously filled with Christmas tree bulbs.  lol That's an idea I could do too.
« Last Edit: April 29, 2012, 02:39:46 PM by SeberHusky »		Logged

I collect exit signs, preferably vintage ones.

I also have a little bit of a thing for light bulbs, too. Of course, hoarding them due to the incandescent bulb ban.

(Signature last updated October 27, 2011)

	Re: Need Some Help With A Fluorescent Light Fixture « Reply #22 on: April 29, 2012, 05:35:29 PM » Author: Steele1992
Quote from: Ash on April 29, 2012, 02:40:19 PM Get the other sign it can't be unrepairable Unfortunately, I can't.  This was months ago, the seller (whose name I have forgotten) most likely gave up on selling it, as it had no bids on it at all each time it was relisted.
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I collect exit signs, preferably vintage ones.

I also have a little bit of a thing for light bulbs, too. Of course, hoarding them due to the incandescent bulb ban.

(Signature last updated October 27, 2011)

	Re: Need Some Help With A Fluorescent Light Fixture « Reply #24 on: April 29, 2012, 07:48:41 PM » Author: Steele1992
Quote from: Ash on April 29, 2012, 06:06:00 PM And cant you dig it up from your browser history ? No I can't.  I clean my computer weekly, which includes wiping browser history (you'd be surprised how much space that stuff takes up).  Besides, after 1 - 2 months, eBay deletes all expired listings.  I searched for it again today, and searched completed listings for it, it did not show up.
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I collect exit signs, preferably vintage ones.

I also have a little bit of a thing for light bulbs, too. Of course, hoarding them due to the incandescent bulb ban.

(Signature last updated October 27, 2011)

	Re: Need Some Help With A Fluorescent Light Fixture « Reply #25 on: April 29, 2012, 10:18:05 PM » Author: funkybulb
that the reason why you keep recipt or jot them down in your notepad. well i am dependent on light at night due to night blindness, that why my preheat lights are on UPS at home. at my shop when the inverter kicked out. I have some DC lighting as back up.
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No LED gadgets, spins too slowly.  Gotta  love preheat and MV. let the lights keep my meter spinning.

	Re: Need Some Help With A Fluorescent Light Fixture « Reply #26 on: April 30, 2012, 10:10:39 PM » Author: Steele1992
UPDATE:  I managed to find the receipt for the sign in my PayPal receipt file cabinet after a long time of searching, and I took the long-shot and asked the seller if he still had the sign.  Good news is he did, and he was asking a cheap price ($25), so I got it.  He says it's worse off than the one I already have wiring-wise (nearly everything disconnected), but that might have very well saved the sign if it was the seller who originally burned it up by wiring it up incorrectly. Will have to wait for it to arrive however (about a couple of weeks probably). And if I can't get the second one working, or can't use the parts, I can always just gut it to the frame and bolt a new fluorescent fixture inside of it out of some cheap strip unit from the hardware store.
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I collect exit signs, preferably vintage ones.

I also have a little bit of a thing for light bulbs, too. Of course, hoarding them due to the incandescent bulb ban.

(Signature last updated October 27, 2011)

	Re: Need Some Help With A Fluorescent Light Fixture « Reply #27 on: April 30, 2012, 11:36:46 PM » Author: funkybulb
that a good start you might be able to get the other one going, or two lights together part wise to make one working light but you can still make the ohter one working with out the battery back up.
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No LED gadgets, spins too slowly.  Gotta  love preheat and MV. let the lights keep my meter spinning.

	Re: Need Some Help With A Fluorescent Light Fixture « Reply #29 on: May 03, 2012, 12:21:12 AM » Author: BG101
It's a pity you couldn't get that second sign for the price originally offered! BG
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Say NO to DICTATORSHIP in the form of bulb/tube/ballast bans !!