12volt fluorescent lighting

[JW]

Hi All,

 Here are some pic's of my latest project. I just got the ballasts in the mail a short time ago. Anyhow I just couldnt wait, and fired one up!!!

In the picture below is the type of ballast, it is an 'IOTA high watt type'

This is the type of bulb i'm lighting up.

As you can see im lighting up standard fluorescent bulbs.

I use only one balast per bulb, so thats 1 ballast(solidstate) per bulb. The ballasts claim to be able to light a 48watt fluorescent tube. The bulb im lighting in the picture is not listed on the ballast but it seems to work fine. It is a FO30T8.

The arrangement pulls less than a couple of amps at 12volt, seem's pretty reliable.

I plan to light up 2 FO40T8's on my boat(j14 carolina skiff) to get the shimp(dip net) when they start to run in the next month or so.

Anyway this is my answer to fluoresnt 12volt lighting, thought some of 'the folks' here on the board would find this interesting.

By the way,,, here is a recent picture of me, just so the face can be placed to a name.

JW

[Jeff]

Pretty cool JW!

I have 4 of those Harbor Freight 5watt, 12volt flourescent bulbs that come with their 45watt solar panel setup. I used one for a work light, and I thought it was indestructable. I have dropped it repeatedly 4-5 times from a height of about 18 inches, and even once from a 7ft. ceiling hieght! After 1 years hard labor though, it finally gave up the ghost. Needing another light, I figured I'd take it apart, and use the ballast in it to see if it would light a little 2ft., 20w 110volt bulb. It works! It doesn't seem to light up to full capacity, but it still puts out more than the little 5watt bulbs it came with. The 12v ballast doesn't get any hotter than with the 5w bulb. Maybe with a different capacitor in the ballast it will fully light up. Some of the guys here might be able to comment on this. It has a 100uF 25v Cap. in it right now.

[JW]

Hi Rural McG,

 Ya, I couldnt resist either, before I fired up the ballast, I opened :0 the access cover. The only thing they didnt cover with potting compound was a space on the circuit board, for a pretty large electolic cap. I noticed the big made in mehe-co sticker on the top.

 I ran the ballast thru a range of input votlage from 13 to 11.01 volts for several hours. I was checking for any 'blackening' at the ends of the bulb. The voltage regulation seems to work pretty good, it's rated from 10 volts to 14 for DC input(on the ballast). I heard this IOTA company makes the ballasts for the lighting systems on the International Space Station.

 So far im pretty impressed with the thing. I will take some pictures of the shrimp being attacted to the lights, in the water, when I get that far. Guess this could qualify for the remote living section

 It gets pretty cold about 9 miles offshore at the barrior islands(ragged keys) in Biscayne Bay Fl. So today I went all over town(Miami) getting rain overall's and jackets, for my wife and daughter. We did ok, got the overalls for like 60bucks and jackets for 50. BTW, I got my ballasts(2) for $39.50 apiece from www.solar-electric.com They were delivered as promised I have no compliants.

 There is another spot closer to mainland in Islamorada(sp?) at channel 2 on Craig key(about mile marker 63)

 We used colman lanterns and other 12volt lighting last year, then this one time we were at craig key, and this guy showed up after everybody else had left. He set up a fluorescent lamp and the shrimp came(from what seemed like) well, everywhere... It was the best night we ever had, and when he left after catiching his limit, so did the shrimp. Pays to tough things out, never know who you'll meet, or what you'll learn.

JW

[JW]

Holy crap,

 This posting showed up on a Google search for shrimping runs and criag key today. Actually its mile marker 73.5 to just south on channel 2. My mistake mile marker 63 would put you on Bayahonda(sp?)

Here's a continuing link to this diary

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2007/11/14/234435/08

JW