Repair 22-watt circline fluorescent magnifying task lamp

[esantoro]

Soldering electronics may turn into a new hobby.

I picked up some fuses at Radio Shack. The original barrel fuse was stamped with something like 5G1A. I assumed the 1A is for 1 amp and perhaps the 5G somehow represents 250 volts.

Question: If the 1Amp fuse is too low a resistance and blows again, should I replace it with a 2 Amp fuse or one of a smaller increment? 1.5 Amps? 1.6 Amps? Radio Shack had these as well. I think replacing the fuses is going to work and am so happy to possibly have all my lamps working again.

ed

[TwinOaks]

Stick with the originial rating for the fuse. Something went bad to blow the fuse, and having a higher rated fuse means that whatever it was will get worse before blowing the fuse.....keep in mind that fuses are safety devices, not just placed there to frustrate you.

[esantoro]

Soldering electronics may turn into a new hobby.

I picked up some fuses at Radio Shack. The original barrel fuse was stamped with something like 5G1A. I assumed the 1A is for 1 amp and perhaps the 5G somehow represents 250 volts.

Question: If the 1Amp fuse is too low a resistance and blows again, should I replace it with a 2 Amp fuse or one of a smaller increment? 1.5 Amps? 1.6 Amps? Radio Shack had these as well. I think replacing the fuses is going to work and am so happy to possibly have all my lamps working again.

ed

A quick internet search turned up that "5G" refers to the type of fuse: 5mmx 20mm barrel fuse, so I'm good; I bought the correct fuses

[esantoro]

Is there such a thing as liquid solder (solderless solder?) for electronics? I'm able to solder what I need onto the circuit board, but am having problems soldering a small wire on each end of the barrel fuse (these wires will be soldered onto the circuit board to hold the fuse in place and for the current to pass through). The solder isn't holding. I may need to use a solder of a different composition.

ed

[esantoro]

Well, I soldered a new fuse onto the circuit board for the electronic ballast. The 1 Amp fuse blew immediately. I'm beginning to wonder if 1 Amp is too small a fuse and should have never been in the original installation. Is it possible that these lamps could have worked from their new state for about three months and then start blowing 1 amp fuses, which would mean that after a break-in period,a 1 amp fuse is too small. Or might this mean that there is something wrong with the electronic ballast, something far, far beyond the aspirations of my tinkering?

I've also learned that I need to get a better soldering iron. I've got a cheap 100 watt soldering gun. I watched a bunch of you tube tutorials on soldering, which all recommended something like a 30 watt to 60 watt soldering pencil. I'm off to radio shack again.

I may go back to Plan A with the magnetic ballast (that has to be extracted from a 22-watt circline adapter that uses a magnetic ballast and not an electronic ballast) , which I actually found at The Home Depot the yesterday. I also found a magnetic ballast rated at 14 to 20 watts for linear fluorescent tube lights and was wondering if I could get away with using that for a 22 watt circline bulb or if i should heed the 20 watt max . As magnetic ballasts go,it looks to be the same size as athe magnetic ballast I extracted from the 22-watt circline adapter.

I just want to get back to my leather, but these lamps keep pulling me back in...............Oh! The Humanity!.

Ed

[esantoro]

Hi Mike,

I tried wiring everything up. It didn't work. I'm beginning to think that I my need to fashion a starter plug. Is this something easy to do?

Ed

Yesterday, I found 22-watt circline adapters with magnetic ballasts and starter plug at home depot. The female plug from this adapter houses a starter plug. I took everything apart and used the female plug/starter plug with the plug-in ballast, and it worked, so I was missing a starter plug, which the plug-in ballast does indeed not contain. The only problem with this set up is that the plug-in ballast is enough to power only one 22-watt circline bulb and not to allow ample power for the two 110 v outlets at the base of the lamp, which are very handy for pluging in drills, dremels, soldering irons, what have you. With two of these lamps on the workbench there are four additional outlets very nearby. The only fix for this that I see is to use the magnetic ballasts, even though you warned me against this. I did find fully enclosed magnetic ballasts at Lowes yesteday. Though these were stamped 14, 15, 20 watts for liniear bulb, they do look to be the same size as the 22-watt ballast I took out of the adapter purchased at Home Depot. I'm wondering if these ballasts at Lowe's would still work even though they are stamped as rated to only 20 watts.

Ed

[tonyc1]

Ed, just go and buy a new one!

Tony.

[esantoro]

Ed, just go and buy a new one!

Tony.

What do you mean, buy a new one?

I just fixed it.

Now I just want to fix it better.

Best price for a new one is $60 through Ebay. Not counting time, i have already invested in about $60 to fix these two lamps. It would have been only $15 if everything had run smoothly. If I'm buying a new lamp it will be the Verilux that Bree suggests, but right now I have four swing arm lamps. My workspace looks like the valley of the dinosaurs...just the way I like it.

Ed

[tonyc1]

You could also try growing plants with all those lights!

[esantoro]

All I wanted was two lamps for my work table. Then the two died. I got a new one for a good deal on Ebay. and now I am bringing back from the original two from the grave.

Everything else on these lamps is just so well made, i coudn't throw them out.

Ed