Ballast problem

[currie123]

Hi guys

Been working on sorting a non working 70watt son bollard light in a courtyard. 230v into ballast but nothing out so I replaced ballast like for like and tried but it blew trip and fried the ballast!

Not sure how it managed this but I think now I'd be as easy replacing the geartray for the light. Fitting is 150mm round, I have seen geartrays for 70watt son fittings online but unsure if the physical size will work with the size of bollard or if I can mount it ? Anyone know or can advise me? I was looking on easycontrolgear.co.uk.

Fitting just now has just a capacitor and ballast and son-I bulb.

Thanks

 

[telectrix]

for what they cost, i would replace the fitting.

 

[currie123]

You're probably right mate just with it being buried in concrete was trying to avoid it needing to be dug out, a new bollard head would be ideal but doubt il get one, it's 150mm round with 3 Allen key screws to fix it to bollard any ideas ?

 

[jdd]

Are you sure you didn't just have a faulty ballast?

 

[currie123]

No I'm not sure. To save time and more trips to job I thought changing geartray would be easiest all round! Could've been faulty ballast though

 

[telectrix]

make sure you ain't got an external igniter with an internal igniter lamp or vice versa.

 

[currie123]

Yeah I appreciate that I'm not particularly experienced with replacing control gear in son light fittings but there is no ignitor so don't think iv went wrong there , is it possible I blew the ballast up by connecting live to the lamp to the live to ignitor(if there was one) terminal on the ballast?

 

[currie123]

I think I wrongly connected the live wire to the lamp to the ignitor terminal on the new ballast. Again, there is no ignitor. Does anyone know if this would blow the ballast and the fuse as this is what happened? Annoying to say the least!

 

[jdd]

Still not sure how you wired it mate, but with no ignitor present, most ballasts will require the supply to the common terminal on the ballast then the 230V from the ballast to the lamp holder.The capacitor just needs to be wired in parallel to the supply (Should be app 10micro farad). Make sure you have an I symbol within a triangle on the lamp, hey presto.

 

[currie123]

Cheers for reply, thereisle 4 terminals on this ballast, one 230v live in terminal, one 240v live in terminal( i thought either could be used for my mains live into the light fitting?) , a terminal marked I presumably for an ignitor and a lamp terminal for the live to bulb. I connected my mains live in to the 240v in terminal and my live to the bulb to the ignitor terminal( wrongly obviously!) . And when I put supply back on it blew up! Would imagine its irreparable now.

 

[currie123]

Still can't understand why it blew the ballast tho, by connecting the live to lamp to the igniter terminal by mistake, anybody shed any light before I try another ballast! Paranoia has set in !

 

[jdd]

Me neither, I have connected control gear incorrectly before when mixing different manufacturers components and nothing has 'blew', just didn't operate. Makes me think you had a faulty ballast.

 

[currie123]

Ok thanks jdd I think it must've been faulty can't think of anything else either. Il try again tomorrow, connecting it correctly this time! Cheers

 

[DurhamSparky]

Simple solution...... bypass the ballast and tray!!

get a Megaman 30W E27 2700K Tubular Compact 2000 [303021] - £4.24 :

did a job with 25 son lamps and direct replacement with this product was cheaper and in long run better.... light output is more or less the same as well....!!

 

[Knobhead]

Logical, but too simple.

Sorry!