Modifications to the vintage 1965 Westinghouse fluorescent fixture on my ceiling

I got this fixture from my old highschool during demolition. When I got it, it was rapid start. It is a tandem unit of 2 4 foot fixture. What I did was replace one of the rapid start ballasts with a tulamp preheat ballast and then I installed special butt mount lampholders similar to the originals with an integrated starter socket in between 2 Y slot lampholders. The lamps are a little closer together on the preheat side and it looks like one went on slightly crooked, but with the diffuser on you can't even tell. The benefit of doing it this way is that now I don't have to choose between preheat and rapid start. I can have both every time I flick the switch. It's pretty cool!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• vintage
• westinghouse
• fluorescent
• light
• fixture
• preheat
• rapid
• start
• blink
• happy
• flicker
• cool
• awesome

[bamaslamma1003]

Where do you get the green starters? I can put 'em in my 18" and 2' preheaters.

[DavidFromAE]

The starters were Costa Rican Leviton starters that I bought at a local hardware store called Orchard Supply Hardware. I hear they are available at many other hardware stores too. I modified them by switching glowtubes and bases with some Chinese made Sylvanias, which had white casings and cylindrical glowtubes that had more of a blue purple color rather than the pinkish color of the Leviton glowtubes. Seems more color came through the green casing with the sylvania glowtubes than the Levitons.

[bamaslamma1003]

Blink-happy preheats and flicker-happy rapid starts. Gotta love it. Magnetic ballasts forever! Was that tulamp ballast the newer one I saw you had on LG?

[DavidFromAE]

Same one. It's a Magnetek.

[brianfromLI]

Were those ACE brand lamps I saw on the preheat side? Nice conversion.

[DavidFromAE]

Yup. Those were Ace F40T12 lamps on the preheat side, which were used in the video because they were especially blink happy. Currently, there is a Norelco and a Westinghouse in the preheat side, both F40T12.

[stickedU]

Cool white is the best, its like a nice clear blue sky. I could sit under Flourecent lamps all day long

[kevxsi16v]

What is the difference between instant start and rapid start? In england we use the terms HF (this stands for high frerquency) electronic ballast crap. Switch start that is your pre heat and SRS start semi resonant start which has no starter and 2 different wound coils in the ballast?

[tranefreak1]

Can you please identify a couple of fluro lights i have?

[Iluvbadgers]

are these warm whites