For the past year or so I ocasilaly browse this forum and gallery, but I never really posted much. I am 18 now have been interested in and facinated by lights my whole life. Esspesily streetlights lately, I like to keep track of all the ones around where I live; when they are relamped and such. I have taken pictures of the lights I go past on the way to school and still post journouls about them sometime. I khow about all the common types of lights (HID, incandesent, LED) and how they work. But there is a lot of stuff on this site that I don't really understand. May I ask how you guys laerned so much about lights. I don't know how you memorize all the different manufactors, models, and versions, its amazing how some of you can identify just about any fixture or lamp just by seeing it.

But I hate wasted electricity. One of my biggest pet peaves is day buring lights outdoor. Its just a blatent waste of electricity, and its anoying when people don't think anything about it. It seems they are everywhere! When one finally gets fixed, two more start! Not as much in streetlighting, as those bucket lights used on private property. Even certain houses in my neaborhood seem to leave their porch lights on all the time. I wish photocontrols were requeired and more reliable.

Anyway, nice meeting you.

Nice to see you active here.
Not to be creepy, but I've seen you signed in on the members active thingy when I scroll to see the most recent topics lol. Here's a pet peave of mine. Cycling HPS lamps. A local movie theater has five shoeboxes that have been cycling for months now. Also, I saw a HPS streetlight 2 months old today and it was a cycler.

Nice to see you active here.
Not to be creepy, but I've seen you signed in on the members active thingy when I scroll to see the most recent topics lol. Here's a pet peave of mine. Cycling HPS lamps. A local movie theater has five shoeboxes that have been cycling for months now. Also, I saw a HPS streetlight 2 months old today and it was a cycler.

LOL, that is odd, because I usually don't sign in the browse this site. There is a HPS floodlight on the side of my school that cycles and started day burning about a month ago. I guess I will email maintenance about it.

There are also 2 HPS wallpacks, one cycled for over a year, it got to the point where it just flickered blue for a few seconds at a time. Surprised it did not kill the ignitor. They finally fixed it, and now the other one started cycling. There is also a MH wallpack (unprotected lamp) with a missing cover.

May I ask how you learned so much about lighting?



EDIT: Is there some kind of tutorial , I made this one, but want something much more extensive. You could make a matching game out of it. Lol.

I'll be honest. Months of lurking and then I finally made an account November of 2014. Between then and now, I've learned so much. At first I thought "is mayonnaise a ballast". Now I can wire many types of ballasts offhand without diagrams. Dave the Silverliner and Jeremy the funkybulb taught me a lot too. I've scooped some pretty cool and rare things for the collection in the eighg months I've been active (started using account in March of 15 when I remembered it).
My best scores are...
2x Ken-Rad /C lamps 250w. mid 60s
2x ITT /W lamps 250w. mid 60s
50w HX NPF MV ballast. late 90s
75w CWA MV ballast. mid 70s
1954 GE fluorescent
2x joslyn 175w MV NEMA heads. early 60s.

I'll be honest. Months of lurking and then I finally made an account November of 2014. Between then and now, I've learned so much. At first I thought "is mayonnaise a ballast". Now I can wire many types of ballasts offhand without diagrams. Dave the Silverliner and Jeremy the funkybulb taught me a lot too. I've scooped some pretty cool and rare things for the collection in the eighg months I've been active (started using account in March of 15 when I remembered it).
My best scores are...
2x Ken-Rad /C lamps 250w. mid 60s
2x ITT /W lamps 250w. mid 60s
50w HX NPF MV ballast. late 90s
75w CWA MV ballast. mid 70s
1954 GE fluorescent
2x joslyn 175w MV NEMA heads. early 60s.

I second this. When I first was interested in lighting, I didn't know there was a difference between  lamps and fluorescents. I also thought that NEMA heads and yardblasters were the same thing, and that HID lamps didn't need a ballast. Don't worry, if you are interested in lighting, you will soon be more knowledgeable in lighting.

Quote from: Solanaceae on January 16, 2016, 01:57:54 PM

I'll be honest. Months of lurking and then I finally made an account November of 2014. Between then and now, I've learned so much. At first I thought "is mayonnaise a ballast". Now I can wire many types of ballasts offhand without diagrams. Dave the Silverliner and Jeremy the funkybulb taught me a lot too. I've scooped some pretty cool and rare things for the collection in the eighg months I've been active (started using account in March of 15 when I remembered it).
My best scores are...
2x Ken-Rad /C lamps 250w. mid 60s
2x ITT /W lamps 250w. mid 60s
50w HX NPF MV ballast. late 90s
75w CWA MV ballast. mid 70s
1954 GE fluorescent
2x joslyn 175w MV NEMA heads. early 60s.

I second this. When I first was interested in lighting, I didn't know there was a difference between  lamps and fluorescents. I also thought that NEMA heads and yardblasters were the same thing, and that HID lamps didn't need a ballast. Don't worry, if you are interested in lighting, you will soon be more knowledgeable in lighting.

Thank. By the way what is the difference between NEMA head and yardblaster? I looked this up, but never really found a clear answer. I know NEMA is "National Electrical Manufacturers Association".

I don't want to be that guy that posts a list of 50 questions though.

Real NEMA heads have clips that permit rapid unlatching of the entire optical assembly (reflector + refractor if used) from the body of the light. These bodies and optical assemblies are interchangeable. Any other similar looking fixture that lacks these quick release clips is referred to as a yard blaster, (or a NEMA wannabe ) Usually real NEMA heads are of a higher quality and price whereas the yard blasters are cheaper but less well made. Yard blasters are commonly sold at home improvement stores and NEMA heads are sold at electrical suppliers (although the opposite can be true).

Also, NEMA ballasts typically mount up at the top by the PC holder and some newer models mount down by the lampholder.

Thank you

Also, NEMA ballasts typically mount up at the top by the PC holder and some newer models mount down by the lampholder.

Don't yardblasters have the ballest there too? I have seen a few where the arm was extra wide. So assuming the ballest was in there.

Normally, ballasts are mounted by the lampholder on yardblasters.