Fluorescent Lighting - Switch Start or High Frequency ?

[self builder 123]

Hi

When it comes to flourescent lighting what is the difference between switch start control gear and high frequency control gear ?

Cheers

 

[securespark]

Less flickering & quicker starting.

 

[self builder 123]

Securespark

Which one ?

 

[GaryMo]

High frequency. Also no starter required with this fitting.

 

[securespark]

The more expensive one...HF!!

 

[self builder 123]

gents

Is there a particular make of HF that you would recommend ?

 

[Lectrician]

High Frequency:

-No starter (electronic flicker free start).
-No flickering during running.
-Extended lamp life.
-No strobescopic effect (for rotating machinary).
-Lamp is automatically isolated when lamp needs replacing (doesnt flash).

Tesco use them through out their stores for lamp life and the fact they do not flicker at the end of their life etc.

Trouble is, Tesco ones have an issue - The fuse blows in the gear tray from time to time for no apparent reason. How many times do you go into a tesco and see an entire fitting in darkness?!?

 

[VanSolo]

High Frequency:

Trouble is, Tesco ones have an issue - The fuse blows in the gear tray from time to time for no apparent reason. How many times do you go into a tesco and see an entire fitting in darkness?!?

Then they call me out in the middle of the night to fix them

 

[ban-all-sheds]

High Frequency:

-No starter (electronic flicker free start).
-No flickering during running.
-Extended lamp life.
-No strobescopic effect (for rotating machinary).
-Lamp is automatically isolated when lamp needs replacing (doesnt flash).

- Dimmable (can be)

 

[VanSolo]

Tesco dim them instead of using the old stock/trade system. When they are dimmed to 70% it is hardly noticable, but the energy savings are huge.
A lot of shops/offices are using this system now but they had better be prepared for maintenance costs as I find the HF control gear to be flimsy and unreliable.

 

[johno12345]

Switch start - Reliable, cheeaper can be fitted with HF starters. Not good with rotating machinery, flicker to start, some flicker at end of life. (HF starters stop the flickering)

HF - Expensive, seem to last only a few years, sporadic starting of lamps, ie, you need to turn the fitting off and on again. However, they are fast to start, less prone to supply problems.

I would go for the switch start and fit the HF starters, thats what we do at work and we are removing the HF fittings that are less than 4 years old. we have switch start fittings that are 30 years old and still work.

 

[Lectrician]

Switch start - Reliable, cheeaper can be fitted with HF starters. Not good with rotating machinery, flicker to start, some flicker at end of life. (HF starters stop the flickering)

HF - Expensive, seem to last only a few years, sporadic starting of lamps, ie, you need to turn the fitting off and on again. However, they are fast to start, less prone to supply problems.

I would go for the switch start and fit the HF starters, thats what we do at work and we are removing the HF fittings that are less than 4 years old. we have switch start fittings that are 30 years old and still work.

There is no such thing as high frequency starters, I assume you mean electronic starters. These are benefical for switch start fittings, and start the lamp quickly and with out flicker, prolonging lamp life.

High frequency fittings do not require you to turn switches on/off to fire them, if they do, they are faulty. The high frequency fittings we have fitted in the pst have been trouble free.

I think you may be meaning the old style flourescent which had a choke but no starter and started with the help of an earthed strip adjacent the lamp. These often needed the switch to be pulsed.

High frequency start will also start and work far better at low temperatures, and are often specced with 'lumilux' lamps for cold and frozen environents.

 

[johno12345]

Hi,

Yes, I meant electronic starters (forgot the name there)

These are definately HF fittings, not the choke and earthed strip ones. we had some of those, philips i think, and they didnt work

Aggreed that the HF fittings work better at low temperatures.

I am speaking from my experiences in our offices and they have been nothing but trouble.

I dont think there will be a definitive answer to these, I hate them personally bacause of the problems we have with them. Incidentally, they are box modulars that are the most troublesome.

 

[self builder 123]

Gents

I am planning to use Aquaforce HPF Acrylic Cover 1 x 58W fittings.

Does anyone have any experience of these ?

Cheers