@@HIDLad001 How long do you recon the other one will last? It isnt used as much as the one in this video (in fact it may have almost never been generally used)
This sure was an eye-opener! I knew about the poor-quality dry film capacitors in the ‘80s Advance ballasts, but I never knew the ballasts were cost-cut so badly! I will be avoiding these ballasts from now on, unless they come with fixtures of course. From what I’ve heard, Universal ballasts are very good, especially the ‘Therm-o-Matic’ (green label) ones. Also, I believe the Advance ballasts from the 2000s are better than the ones from the ’80s and ‘90s, but I could be wrong. Of course, Advance ballasts from the ‘70s are fine, if PCBs is your thing.
Yeah the Universal 446 Therm-O-Matic is the best comparable ballast you can buy because it also has the unusual feature of being .8A (so full power), and support for 34w energy saving lamps! I don't have any experience with the ones from the 2000s Advance ballasts, but I can certainly guarantee that they would be better than this. And don't even get me started on the quality of the HomeBrite and the other horribly underdriving Advance LPF resi-grade ballasts...
That seems mighty small, is it an LPF ballast? Most of the fixtures I run have ballasts in them from the 1950s-1960s. The newest ones I have running are from the 70s and are universal ballasts. I do have advance electronic ballasts running in my workshop and in the basement because they are not climate controlled, and they start much better than a rapid start. Probably the worst ballasts I own are in a pair of cooper lighting shoplights I have in the crawl space. They do work, but are lamp killers. They are Wuxi Heng Feng branded IIRC and are basically the old Lights Of America style "Buzz start" ballasts but they are potted and in a standard ballast case.
The ballast is a HPF one, but the capacitor and the ballast core are separately potted, and I was able to separate them. But yeah nothing is worse than those cheap plastic and tin can shoplights with those horrible ballasts. Give me non-serviceable LEDs over them, because a new pair of lamps for such a cheap fixture would end up costing *more* than the entire fixture probably (and the LED light can start at 1 degree below room temperature LOL). But even with how bad this Advance ballast is, it sadly gets much worse than this. BTW I retrofitted one of my 2x F40T12 fixtures that was using an Advance (go figure) residential grade ballast to a 2x F32T8 system with a GE UltraStart programmed start ballast that ironically uses more power than the previous F40T12 system, but the lamps start much quicker, and the room is much brighter.
@@HIDLad001Yeah, I am not much for electronic ballasts, but I found a box of around 100 or so F32T8 lamps and at least 10 2 lamp instant start ballasts outside of an old Kmart building they are redoing, so I took them home and they all work. I use them in my 60s Louvered fixtures in my workshop, and in cheap shoplights under the house because they start great in the cold. I save the magnetic ballasts and T12s for inside the house, becasue they are getting expensive.
Ah yes, advance ballasts, never had too much luck with them either.. say do you happen to have any kind of social media we can talk on? I'd like to see your collection and maybe teach you some cool stuff about vintage lighting
Not 1985- November, 1982
The capacitor failed surprisingly fast to me, within several hours of working just fine, the lamps would not light anymore.
Thanks for reminding me. I was lazy and forgot to check.
But yeah, definitely not a very good ballast.
@@HIDLad001 How long do you recon the other one will last?
It isnt used as much as the one in this video (in fact it may have almost never been generally used)
@@Emersynslights Hopefully another few years. The capacitors failing is pretty random. You can have a ballast last 20 days, or 20 years.
This sure was an eye-opener! I knew about the poor-quality dry film capacitors in the ‘80s Advance ballasts, but I never knew the ballasts were cost-cut so badly! I will be avoiding these ballasts from now on, unless they come with fixtures of course. From what I’ve heard, Universal ballasts are very good, especially the ‘Therm-o-Matic’ (green label) ones. Also, I believe the Advance ballasts from the 2000s are better than the ones from the ’80s and ‘90s, but I could be wrong. Of course, Advance ballasts from the ‘70s are fine, if PCBs is your thing.
Yeah the Universal 446 Therm-O-Matic is the best comparable ballast you can buy because it also has the unusual feature of being .8A (so full power), and support for 34w energy saving lamps!
I don't have any experience with the ones from the 2000s Advance ballasts, but I can certainly guarantee that they would be better than this.
And don't even get me started on the quality of the HomeBrite and the other horribly underdriving Advance LPF resi-grade ballasts...
That seems mighty small, is it an LPF ballast? Most of the fixtures I run have ballasts in them from the 1950s-1960s. The newest ones I have running are from the 70s and are universal ballasts. I do have advance electronic ballasts running in my workshop and in the basement because they are not climate controlled, and they start much better than a rapid start.
Probably the worst ballasts I own are in a pair of cooper lighting shoplights I have in the crawl space. They do work, but are lamp killers. They are Wuxi Heng Feng branded IIRC and are basically the old Lights Of America style "Buzz start" ballasts but they are potted and in a standard ballast case.
The ballast is a HPF one, but the capacitor and the ballast core are separately potted, and I was able to separate them.
But yeah nothing is worse than those cheap plastic and tin can shoplights with those horrible ballasts. Give me non-serviceable LEDs over them, because a new pair of lamps for such a cheap fixture would end up costing *more* than the entire fixture probably (and the LED light can start at 1 degree below room temperature LOL).
But even with how bad this Advance ballast is, it sadly gets much worse than this.
BTW I retrofitted one of my 2x F40T12 fixtures that was using an Advance (go figure) residential grade ballast to a 2x F32T8 system with a GE UltraStart programmed start ballast that ironically uses more power than the previous F40T12 system, but the lamps start much quicker, and the room is much brighter.
@@HIDLad001Yeah, I am not much for electronic ballasts, but I found a box of around 100 or so F32T8 lamps and at least 10 2 lamp instant start ballasts outside of an old Kmart building they are redoing, so I took them home and they all work. I use them in my 60s Louvered fixtures in my workshop, and in cheap shoplights under the house because they start great in the cold. I save the magnetic ballasts and T12s for inside the house, becasue they are getting expensive.
Ah yes, advance ballasts, never had too much luck with them either.. say do you happen to have any kind of social media we can talk on? I'd like to see your collection and maybe teach you some cool stuff about vintage lighting
Most definitely. The cost cutting has gotten worse over the years.
I had told you before that I was on Discord lol
Agreed. I just had a vintage Jefferson electric ballast for 2 preheat f40t12 lamps go up in smoke sadly. What is your discord? Il send you a message
@@BROKEN.WRENCH.GARAGE My name is “alexattis”.