Re: Overdriving standard 40w bulbs

[zxcvbob <bob at a51web_net>]

> Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2002 00:51:53 -0500
> From: "Arturo Batista" <artbatista at artbatista_com>
> Aquatic Plants Digest V4 #1589
> 
> > Cool! Just out of curiosity, tell me about the ballasts you are using,
> > and the cost of them (US or Canada?)
> > Ed Dumas
> 
> Ed, I am using Advance Transformer Co standard  Instant start electronic
> ballasts. They are meant to drive 4x32WT8, but I have found that they will
> work just fine with 40WT12(up to 4 each), 60W T12-HO (2 each) as well as one
> each 110W T12-VH0. To overdrive simply add the red and blue wires together.
> Right now I am driving 3 each 40WT12 Daylight to 3X with 3 individual
> ballasts. 

Art,
You may be fooling yourself about "overdriving" these lamps.  F40T12 lamps
operate at 430ma.  F32T8 lamps operate at a much lower currant (270ma) but
higher voltage.  The higher voltage T8 ballast will easily start a T12
lamp, but should light it to much less than its normal output.  When you
start adding paralleling the secondaries, I guess you gain some of the
output back, but you don't necessarily ever break even.  And you are
operating your ballast *way* outside its design ratings.

Best regards,
Bob

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