Electronic Ballasts

[Outsiders71]

A friend had some spare GE-432-Max-N/Ultra electronic ballasts. Each one can light 4 lamps.

Something like this:

It's not exactly the same wiring. Mine has:

Black/White wire on left side. Blue/Yellow/Red wires on the right side.

What is the way you go about setting this up? Do I have to buy a fixture to mount the ballast to? How do I plug this thing into the wall and connect it to the tubes

? Any help or guides would be nice, I know some wiring stuff but never did anything like this. Thanks!

 

[Joseph Clemens]

Your answers are in this link: Overdriving Fluorescent Lights. You will need to search out the information you need from what is there, but I've read the entire site and I know your answer is there.

 

[Outsiders71]

Hmmm...

Do you suppose I could just dismantle my cheap $9 shoplights I have now that are magnetic-ballasts? Hook up the electronic-ballast to the medium bi-pin sockets, and hook up the AC plug to the leads on the electronic ballast as well? That way I can still use the fixture. I can mount the electronic ballast on the outside. Only question is can I use one AC plug two light 4 bulbs?

 

[Joseph Clemens]

Sounds like what I would do.

 

[Outsiders71]

Thanks Joe for all the info. I'll take a crack at it soon!

 

[Joseph Clemens]

Be careful. Last night I had two fixtures, the real cheap kind with independent circuitry for each lamp, both had one set of circuitry that had burnt out, so I was removing the working parts and inserting them into the carcass of another fixture, in order to create a fixture with two working lamps. I got the first one transferred and working, but forgot to unplug the fixture before I proceeded to complete the transfer of the second set of working parts. After I had finished the second transfer, I reached over to plug the fixture into the socket.

Ooops, I had neglected to unplug it and my heart raced for a few minutes as I contemplated what might have happened to me. I'm lucky I didn't discover my oversight in a more alarming and uncomfortable fashion.

 

[Outsiders71]

Hehe. I opened up one shoplight and things are making more sense now. Except for that these GE ballasts only have 6 wires!

Left side: Black/White = Line (no problem there...)
Right side: Red/Red/Yellow & Blue/Blue/Yellow (hrm...)

There's a diagram of the ballast wiring here:
http://www.gelighting.com/na....tra.pdf

Would this be correct way to rig this then:

For the first 2 lamps, split the red wire into 4 total wires. Connect these to the right medium bi-pin sockets. Take the yellow wire from that group and split it in 4 wires? Then take those wires and connect them to the left bi-pin sockets.

Then repeat the same process for the next 2 lamps except they'll be on the blue wire instead of the red.

Is this correct? The dots on the diagram are throwing me off.

 

[Tony Paroubek]

The dots indicate where wires are spliced together.

The yellow gets split into 4 and goes to the 4 pins on the left side of 2 lamps(2pins/lamp) One red wire gets split into 4 and goes to the 4 pins on the left side of the other two tubes.

Now for the opposite (right side).
Each blue wire, should be three, gets split into 2 and goes to the the 2 pins on the right side of a single tube. Same thing for the other red wire. The diagram shows blue opposite each yellow and one blue and one red opposite the red.

 

[Outsiders71]

Quote[/b] (Tony Paroubek @ Nov. 10 2006,1:46)]The dots indicate where wires are spliced together.

The yellow gets split into 4 and goes to the 4 pins on the left side of 2 lamps(2pins/lamp) One red wire gets split into 4 and goes to the 4 pins on the left side of the other two tubes.

Now for the opposite (right side).
Each blue wire, should be three, gets split into 2 and goes to the the 2 pins on the right side of a single tube. Same thing for the other red wire. The diagram shows blue opposite each yellow and one blue and one red opposite the red.

Do note that this ballast is capable of lighting 4 lamps. I want to wire it this way.

So what I'm going to have basically is 2 shoplights lit up by 1 ballast.

And there's only 2 blue wires.

 

[Tony Paroubek]

Can you list what color wires and how many of each?  The diagram in the pdf does show only 2 blue and doesn't list the color of the one wire that goes to the fourth bulb.

The wiring diagram should be right on the ballast. Does it look exactly like the picture in the pdf?

 

[Outsiders71]

Hey Tony,

That is the only diagram I can find for it online. It is the same as the one on the ballast itself but it is squished a little.

Left side of ballast: Black/White wire (LINE)

On the right side of the ballast are 2 groupings:

Group 1: Red/Red/Yellow

Group 2: Blue/Blue/Yellow

 

[Tony Paroubek]

AHHH ok I messed up. The diagram in the PDF shows the color of the other wire. They are offset though in the diagram so they don't line up with the actual drawing.

Each Yellow wire gets split into 4 and goes to the left side of 2 tubes (4 pins total)

Each red and blue wire get split into 2 and go to the tube opposite the yellow.

The diagram shows 2 of the red connected to two tubes connected to one of the yellow wires and the 2 blue connected to the two tubes connected to the other yellow. IE group 1 and group 2 as you put it.

T

 

[Outsiders71]

Quote[/b] (Tony Paroubek @ Nov. 12 2006,12:56)]AHHH ok I messed up. The diagram in the PDF shows the color of the other wire. They are offset though in the diagram so they don't line up with the actual drawing.

Each Yellow wire gets split into 4 and goes to the left side of 2 tubes (4 pins total)

Each red and blue wire get split into 2 and go to the tube opposite the yellow.

The diagram shows 2 of the red connected to two tubes connected to one of the yellow wires and the 2 blue connected to the two tubes connected to the other yellow. IE group 1 and group 2 as you put it.

T

Thanks tony, I feel confident giving this a whirl now

. Now to figure out what gauge this wire is so I can buy some wire :X.

 

[Tony Paroubek]

According to the pdf you should use 18awg (gauge) minimum and can run the leads up to 18'