What's up with my ballast-less T5? (With Pictures)

[Anonymous]

Edited, please see below.

I just bought a cheap 3 bulb T5 unit. It came with 7500K bulbs which I want to replace. The bulbs it came with are 14 Watts.

I've seen for sale some T5 bulbs that are the same length (55cm) but are 24 watt. Would these work in my fixture? Would they be less bright? Or do I need to open up the light and look at the ballasts to find out?

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

Whoa 8O !

WTH?!?

I just looked inside the fixture, and there is no ballast. The power wires (110v) come in, go to the 2 switches, and then go straight to the 3 bulbs. Shouldn't there be some ballast/transformer in there??

 

[Len]

Is there a small ballast/transformer at the end of the power cord? It's not uncommon for low power output devices to have no ballast, instead relying on the power plug to convert the outlet electricity to usable power.

you can probably run higher rated bulbs with your existing unit, but you won't get full intensity.

 

[Anonymous]

Is there a small ballast/transformer at the end of the power cord?

No. Nothing.Seems strange, huh?
I'm wondering if this thing is even safe now.

 

[midgetwaiter]

There is a ballast in there somewhere, they wouldn't light without it.

What you have are NO (normal output) T5s as opposed to HO (high output) T5s. Coralife makes 10000k and actinic bulbs that will work.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks.

Yes, it was hard for me to believe, too.

There is absolutely no ballast anywhere on, in, near the light fixture. Nor is there any ballast on the cord. I've checked both ends of the housing...no ballast.

If this thing has a remote ballast, then it must be really remote, like in Timbuktu, 'cause it's not anywhere near the light.

I can post pictures if more evidence is needed.

I mentioned in the 1st post that this thing was cheap. It cost about US$30 for everything, 3 bulbs included. I purchased it here in Taiwan, and the unit was made in China. Also, in my search for the ballast, I didn't see any UL Approved sticker.

So, anyone know what kind of monster I'm dealing with here?

 

[Anonymous]

Anyone?


Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

>...there is no ballast.

I hope you did not buy this from some butched DIY project. Florescence bulb won't work without a ballast due to the amount of current that it can pass thru when it lights up. It would burn right away and give off a nice zip sound.

Some CF has a integrated ballast on the screw-on type, you know, the one with a twister bulb. But for a T5 :? :? :?

 

[Anonymous]

I hope you did not buy this from some butched DIY project.

Thanks Seven.

No, it's not a botched DIY. It was new, in factory original packaging. It doesn't look modified in any way.

Strange, huh?

Anyway, the thing is unplugged now, even though it seemed to work fine. Hopefully you guys can help me figure this out. Would pictures help?

Many Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

Pic *always* help.

Maybe you want to bring it to your dentist to have the entire thing X-rayed so that we can re-engineering this usual design. :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Is there a "wall wart" or other such plug? I had a light that was simply a starter with a wallwart that did everything.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, here are the pics.

The first one shows the switch end removed.
On the left are wires to the 2 power switches.
On the right are wires to the extra power outlet.

The 2nd pic shows the whole fixture,
No ballasts/transformers on the cord.

 

[Anonymous]

The white plugs in the 1st pic are the plugs that plug directly into the ends of the bulbs.

 

[Anonymous]

So any guesses as to how this thing works?

 

[Anonymous]

What, need pictures of it lit up too? JK :lol:

If a T5 simply cannot light up if it has no ballast, then:

The only conclusion I can come to is that these bulbs which are the exact dimensions of T5 bulbs, and have T5 stamped on them, are in fact not T5.

Could they have the ballast/starter components hidden inside the bulbs?
I doubt it, as the whole lenght of the bulb gives off light.

Maybe they're just elongated incandecent bulbs, painted with a special phosphorous coating that gets excited by the tungsten filament and gives off a special, high Kelvin energy light that mimics T5s?

Again, doubtful.

 

[Anonymous]

What that thing with the blue wire? The one on the upper side. :?

Something fishy here... Or I am too outdated about these lighting tech.

 

[trido]

What that thing with the blue wire? The one on the upper side. :?

Something fishy here... Or I am too outdated about these lighting tech.

Looks like some sort of transformer or "high tech" ballast to me. I'd bet its a transformer that does the "Trick" nowadays.

 

[Anonymous]

As big as that black box is that the blue wire goes into is I'd guess on transformer of some sort as well.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank YOU!

What that thing with the blue wire? The one on the upper side. :?

Something fishy here... Or I am too outdated about these lighting tech.

That is just an extra power socket on the outside of the fixture. (Like in case you want to have several of these lights, each plugged into the one next to it.)

 

[Anonymous]

As big as that black box is that the blue wire goes into is I'd guess on transformer of some sort as well.

It's not much bigger than the 1st joint of my index finger.
Here's a picture from the outside: