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audioguru said:The tubes last much longer.
I was thinking of overdriving them a bit but don't know if that's possible or safe with the CFL circuit.audioguru said:An 18W fluorescent tube uses such a low amount of power that little is gained if an electronic ballast is made for it.
In the name of recycling I have a few laying round the place. I was trying to compare the efficiency, costs, and risks of using the CFL ballasts to buying a proper multi-tube electronic ballast. But obviously you get a lot more features and safety with a commercial setup. And thanks for the links.CheapSlider said:I doubt if would be worth doing.
Not any more. When searching for electronic ballasts I found a few that could be remote mounted a fair way away. One is the range of GE UltraMax ballasts. The instant start models can be up to 18 feet away, while the rapid start can be 12 feet. Well, that's what GE say in their ballast catalog.Ocelaris said:When dealing with the electronic ballasts, there are problems with mounting them remotely, namely, 2' ~80cm is the max distance you want to mount the ballast from the bulb because of increased capacitance...
I don't think I'll go ahead with the plan now, but the first link CheapSLider posted shows it is indeed possible. About a quarter of the way down the page the guy explains how he did it, and how it ran for 8 years (guessing fairly intermittent use). Whether the same could be done with higher wattage tubes is another thing though.Hero999 said:A CFL ballast won't power a standard fluroscent tube of the same wattage because the dimensions are totally different....
I haven't read that yet.davej said:I don't think I'll go ahead with the plan now, but the first link CheapSLider posted shows it is indeed possible. About a quarter of the way down the page the guy explains how he did it, and how it ran for 8 years (guessing fairly intermittent use). Whether the same could be done with higher wattage tubes is another thing though.