BS 2818 flourescent starters....

[SPARTYKUS]

Heres the blighter.

 

[ian.settle1]

If my memory serves me right it had four terminals 2 where for a heater element and the other 2 where for a bimetallic strip which acted as a switch. the heater made the bimetallic strip to open and close thus make the tube to strike.

 

[overskilled]

Ebay perhaps?

 

[Lucien Nunes]

The original idea of a 4-pin starter was as Ian says, with separate terminals for heater and bimetal contact. But later ones were just ordinary glow starters inside, identical to modern 2-pin ones, with the heater pins linked together.

Open the old can, disconnect the glow starter, connect a new glow starter across the pins and close the can up again. Saves mucking about with the fitting. Or even use an electronic starter and it'll never need touching again.

 

[Engineer54]

The original idea of a 4-pin starter was as Ian says, with separate terminals for heater and bimetal contact. But later ones were just ordinary glow starters inside, identical to modern 2-pin ones, with the heater pins linked together.

Open the old can, disconnect the glow starter, connect a new glow starter across the pins and close the can up again. Saves mucking about with the fitting. Or even use an electronic starter and it'll never need touching again.

Exactly what i would suggest doing and i might add, have had to do in the past!! lol!!

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Thanks chaps.

 

[Deleted member 72666]

My turn to post....

got a very elderly neighbour (mid nineties) sharp as a lemon.... And a flourescent light in the kitchen that looks from the 1950's...

The starter has gone - its bigger than any one I have ever seen and has "BS 2818" on it (regs for starters, 1985).

does anyone know if you can still get them.

thanks.

And before anyone suggests it, yes, I know a new 5 foot tube is a few quid but its the principal I want to see through, the customer would like to keep the fitting if possible!

Metal 4 pin starters! Yeah, we've still loads of these in the basement at work. They're not new but still in working order. If I remember correctly you can 'repair' them by replacing the guts for a new type. ....Anyways if you want I'll send you one, just pm me.

 

[Deleted member 72666]

I forgot to mention, has the T12 tube got bayonet caps? As I've got some bc - bi pin converters as well!
Oh, the fitting will not work with a T8 tube, just in case you thought of trying.

 

[Deleted member 72666]

Glad you got the fitting up and running again. Did you notice if the tube was a bayonet cap arrangement as I've not come across any that are bi-pin?