esantoro Report post Posted February 2, 2009 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonyc1 Report post Posted February 2, 2009 Ed, just go and buy a new one! Tony. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
esantoro Report post Posted February 2, 2009 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonyc1 Report post Posted February 2, 2009 You could also try growing plants with all those lights! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
esantoro Report post Posted February 2, 2009 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tonyc1 Report post Posted February 2, 2009 You're a very patient man, Ed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
esantoro Report post Posted February 2, 2009 Well, I wasn't sure if that 1A fuse had blown because I inadvertently had let the circuit board rest against the metal hood of the lamp, so I quickly wired up another fuse to check. This one, too ,blew immediately. Something else must be shorting the electronic ballast, so now it appears the option of resuscitating the electronic ballast is completely out, which would have been the cheapest fix of all: either replacing one fuse or bridging the gap with no fuse (which probably is not a great idea). Ed 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 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted February 6, 2009 (edited) I hope to all that's good that this thread is being archived, because one day, I'm gonna go back and copy it, get a little creative, and turn it into a script for a horror movie to send to Hollywood. That said, this whole little episode about fixing the lamp pretty much exemplifies every "project" that every husband has ever started. Ed, the wattage rating on the ballast is there for a reason, exceeding it will cause the ballast to get VERY hot, and prematurely fail. There's also this little fire hazard thing to worry about if there's any combustibles around. Pretty much, ballasts are made with a specific wattage range in mind and that recommendation should be taken seriously. This applies to overrating something as well. If the ballast is rated for 14-20W, using it to power a 10W or 12W lamp will burn out the cathodes at the ends of the lamps...and cause the ballast to overexert itself and get too hot to hold. Personally, I'd have gone with this coiled inside the ring of the lamp (mentioned early in the thread), but I completely understand the "I must fix this" part of the project. Edited February 6, 2009 by TwinOaks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
esantoro Report post Posted February 6, 2009 (edited) Here's more for your script, and now you can say it's all based on a true story. I soldered up another fuse. I was getting better at soldering and cocky, too. "I'll wire up another to see if it blows, so I can be sure resuscitation of the electronic ballast is out." I did, and it did. The second time I soldered up a fuse, I did so with long leads coming out of the circuit board, to make it easy to test the fuse, as I may want to try a slightly higher rated fuse. Sooooooo, anyway, the second fuse blew, and I got the bright idea to see what would happen if I bridged those two leads sans fuse. I connected those two leads, minus a fuse, put on my safety goggles, held up a thick sheet of hardboard as a shield, and flicked the switch.............................."OH, SAY, CAN YOU SEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"............The Fourth of July in January. At least I can once and for all discard the electronic ballast from the list of repair options. And then he was down to just two. If I were a cat, I'd be minus one life. Counting the time in '84, and once in the summer of '93, the trip to Prague in '99 , I'd have five lives left. It's such a waste to go out for the final bow not having used all your free passes. I have plan B working: the plug-in ballast. But there is not complete glory without being ample to use the two outlets at the base of the lamp. For that I have to still try to get the magnetic ballast working. I do have five lives left. ed I hope to all that's good that this thread is being archived, because one day, I'm gonna go back and copy it, get a little creative, and turn it into a script for a horror movie to send to Hollywood.That said, this whole little episode about fixing the lamp pretty much exemplifies every "project" that every husband has ever started. Ed, the wattage rating on the ballast is there for a reason, exceeding it will cause the ballast to get VERY hot, and prematurely fail. There's also this little fire hazard thing to worry about if there's any combustibles around. Pretty much, ballasts are made with a specific wattage range in mind and that recommendation should be taken seriously. This applies to overrating something as well. If the ballast is rated for 14-20W, using it to power a 10W or 12W lamp will burn out the cathodes at the ends of the lamps...and cause the ballast to overexert itself and get too hot to hold. Personally, I'd have gone with this coiled inside the ring of the lamp (mentioned early in the thread), but I completely understand the "I must fix this" part of the project. Edited February 6, 2009 by esantoro Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
esantoro Report post Posted March 23, 2009 Now I'm down to four lives. And they've got to last me about 50 years. Well, I finally did it. I finally got the magnetic ballasts working. I had the plug-in ballasts working, but they didn't allow for the use of the two 110 v outlets on each lamp. Not being able to do without those additional outlets, I had to get the magnetic ballasts working. I wired them up in the manner I thought appropriate and was blowing bulbs and starter plugs left and right. I started putting together an illustrated PDF to post for help and then noticed how I was wiring the ballasts incorrectly. I'll get some proper crimps tomorrow and get both lamps back to 100 percent. Thanks, again. for all the help. Ed Here's more for your script, and now you can say it's all based on a true story.I soldered up another fuse. I was getting better at soldering and cocky, too. "I'll wire up another to see if it blows, so I can be sure resuscitation of the electronic ballast is out." I did, and it did. The second time I soldered up a fuse, I did so with long leads coming out of the circuit board, to make it easy to test the fuse, as I may want to try a slightly higher rated fuse. Sooooooo, anyway, the second fuse blew, and I got the bright idea to see what would happen if I bridged those two leads sans fuse. I connected those two leads, minus a fuse, put on my safety goggles, held up a thick sheet of hardboard as a shield, and flicked the switch.............................."OH, SAY, CAN YOU SEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"............The Fourth of July in January. At least I can once and for all discard the electronic ballast from the list of repair options. And then he was down to just two. If I were a cat, I'd be minus one life. Counting the time in '84, and once in the summer of '93, the trip to Prague in '99 , I'd have five lives left. It's such a waste to go out for the final bow not having used all your free passes. I have plan B working: the plug-in ballast. But there is not complete glory without being ample to use the two outlets at the base of the lamp. For that I have to still try to get the magnetic ballast working. I do have five lives left. ed Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
esantoro Report post Posted February 10, 2010 It is with heavy heart that I inform you these 22-watt circline fluorescent lamps are no more. They stopped working. Because the poor light these bulbs produce have fallen out of favor with me, I have no desire to fix them (I believe I have to replace the starters again). I was very reluctant to throw out these lamps, as much of them, especially the springs and long arms, are of high quality and usability. And then I got the bright idea of salvaging the arms, magnifying glass, springs, handle, and screws. I had two of the hood/socket assemblies from the very poor quality $10 swing-arm lamps that no longer hold their positions after a few months. I managed to attach these hood/socket assemblies to the salvaged quality swing arms. I was about to shell out $120 for two Danray gooseneck lamps, which I absolutely love, a purchase which I can now save for a later date, as I now have two additional lamps that can take both incandescent and the effective 100-watt to 200-watt spiral compact fluorescent bulbs, which I have come to prefer. The 22-watt circline lamp is dead. Long live the Lamp! Ed Now I'm down to four lives. And they've got to last me about 50 years. Well, I finally did it. I finally got the magnetic ballasts working. I had the plug-in ballasts working, but they didn't allow for the use of the two 110 v outlets on each lamp. Not being able to do without those additional outlets, I had to get the magnetic ballasts working. I wired them up in the manner I thought appropriate and was blowing bulbs and starter plugs left and right. I started putting together an illustrated PDF to post for help and then noticed how I was wiring the ballasts incorrectly. I'll get some proper crimps tomorrow and get both lamps back to 100 percent. Thanks, again. for all the help. Ed P.S. I would, however, like to figure out a way to wire the two-prong lamp cord so that I can use the two three-hole grounded sockets at the base of the swing arm, gaining four additional electrical sockets around the work bench. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
esantoro Report post Posted February 10, 2010 Upon closer inspection the wiring fix both to integrate the wiring and make use of the two outlets at the base of the lamp was rather straight forward. It's now done, and I now have four additional grounded outlets around the workbench. Repairing two worklamps..... $14.95 Retrofitting two defunct worklamps.... $.75 Four additional grounded outlets around the workbench ... Priceless! The 22-watt circline lamp is dead. Long live the Lamp! Ed It is with heavy heart that I inform you these 22-watt circline fluorescent lamps are no more. They stopped working. Because the poor light these bulbs produce have fallen out of favor with me, I have no desire to fix them (I believe I have to replace the starters again). I was very reluctant to throw out these lamps, as much of them, especially the springs and long arms, are of high quality and usability. And then I got the bright idea of salvaging the arms, magnifying glass, springs, handle, and screws. I had two of the hood/socket assemblies from the very poor quality $10 swing-arm lamps that no longer hold their positions after a few months. I managed to attach these hood/socket assemblies to the salvaged quality swing arms. I was about to shell out $120 for two Danray gooseneck lamps, which I absolutely love, a purchase which I can now save for a later date, as I now have two additional lamps that can take both incandescent and the effective 100-watt to 200-watt spiral compact fluorescent bulbs, which I have come to prefer. The 22-watt circline lamp is dead. Long live the Lamp! Ed Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
celticleather Report post Posted February 10, 2010 The 22-watt circline lamp is dead. Long live the Lamp! Ed I guess you've finally seen the light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
esantoro Report post Posted February 10, 2010 I've finally seen the light, the eyebrows long since having grown back. Ed I guess you've finally seen the light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pelallito Report post Posted March 14, 2010 Ed, I am glad that the eyebrows grew back. My condolences for the loss of the circline lamps. But their children should serve you ably for years to come. Regards, Fred I've finally seen the light, the eyebrows long since having grown back. Ed Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
esantoro Report post Posted March 14, 2010 Thanks. The reincarnation with the daylight spiral fluorescent bulbs is working extremely well. Ed, I am glad that the eyebrows grew back. My condolences for the loss of the circline lamps. But their children should serve you ably for years to come. Regards, Fred Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
