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Fluorescent light ballast help

  • Thread starter Thread starter ih
  • Start date Start date
To be fair your choke/ ballast looks good, are you sure your using the correct starter, as a failed choke is unlikely to cause the lamp to flicker
 
You can buy the French DCL connectors on Amazon UK.
Please provide a link.

Having read about the "Device for Connection of Luminaires" (DCL) ,
introduced to Europe in 2005,
(according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Device_for_Connection_of_Luminaires )
I can see that it may be the cause of the demise of the "Maestro" Plug In Ceiling Rose
since its manufacturer "Lewden" has been taken over by the Italian Palazzoli Group,

To me, the "Device for Connection of Luminaires" - with a rather obvious hook -
is not as "good looking" a device as the "Maestro" Plug In Ceiling Rose.

(https://www.plugsocketmuseum.nl/LampSockets1.html )
 
To be fair your choke/ ballast looks good, are you sure your using the correct starter, as a failed choke is unlikely to cause the lamp to flicker
Checked starter 3 times incase the new one was duff
 
You obviously have more than one light, assuming the others are identical, have you tried borrowing starters, etc., from the working ones?
Correct they are link lights 2X30W >2X18W>2X10 yes tried all options on starters from working ones & purchased new ones also
 
Correct they are link lights 2X30W >2X18W>2X10 yes tried all options on starters from working ones & purchased new ones also

Lacking any better method, then swapping components from identical, working lights, is a good quick alternative method.

You only have three main components, the starter, lamp, and the choke, easily substituted. Assuming there is power to the light (have you confirmed that?), it is also worth checking the internal wiring of the fitting, and the lamp holders.
 
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Lacking any better method, then swapping components from identical, working lights, is a good quick alternative method.

You only have three main components, the starter, lamp, and the choke, easily substituted. Assuming there is power to the light (have you confirmed that?), it is also worth checking the internal wiring of the fitting, and the lamp holders.
Light at the end of tunnel! Out of 3 new starter 2 were duff that gave me merry go round few times swopping starters was helpful
Thanks again to all the contributions
 
Yes, you can still buy new starters - even at B&Q - but they are Chinese made and I've found quite a few are duff.
 
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As a ceiling rose and pendent, the plug in units, View attachment 392799 do allow you to work on it on the ground safely, but although others now made, the one shown no longer available,
True, those Maestro ones (of which I have many in-service ion my house) appear to be no longer available - but, as you also say, there are (functional) equivalents which are currently available (e.g. the Klik one)
... and I wonder for how long will we be able to buy LED tubes to fit fluorescent fittings?
Are you suggesting that you think the day will come when they will change the pin arrangement of LED tubes such that they will no longer fit fluorescent fittings?
 
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Are you suggesting that you think the day will come when they will change the pin arrangement of LED tubes such that they will no longer fit fluorescent fittings?

Eventually yes! As more and more old florescent fitting are replaced with the LED equivalent, there will be less need to supply LED tubes.

The original florescent tubes, had BC lamp holders at each end, bi-pin soon took over, and BC versions became impossible to source. The same will happen with LED tubes.
 
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Eventually yes! As more and more old florescent fitting are replaced with the LED equivalent, there will be less need to supply LED tubes.
Just as with LED bulbs/lamps, I'm sure you're right that there will be progressively less 'need to supply LED tubes, as both manufacturers and consumers move more and more into the wretched "throwaway society".
Maybe it will next be cars without replaceable tyres, windscreen wipers or whatever?

However, I don't see why there should be a change in the bi-pin 'basws' of what tubes continue to be supplied, particularly as there numbers reduce and people therefore lose interest/motivation to make any changes.
The original florescent tubes, had BC lamp holders at each end, bi-pin soon took over, and BC versions became impossible to source. The same will happen with LED tubes.
The ones with BC lamp holders must have been 'before my time', but bi-pin ones have been around for many decades and, as above, I see no reason why anyone would want or need to change that in the future.
 
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