Williams (Euro) Joust: a close encounter with the Flying Elite

[jcp]

I've got an US marquee, but I need the cab to use it  .

[Superully]

a us joust is what i'm looking for as well

[baritonomarchetto]

Ully, Andrè, pay attention to those extremely cheap ballast+starter+fluo kits: i have advices that they fail soon

Andrè, i cannot scan my marquee because i have not a scanner, but i saw in an old post that the file of a good scanned Euro Joust marquee  was in your hands, isn't it?

[Superully]

if i knew where to buy only the ballasts, i would do so! simply because it's also more ecological

[level42]

Ully, Andrè, pay attention to those extremely cheap ballast+starter+fluo kits: i have advices that they fail soon

Mine are still working fine.

[Superully]

sorry to hijack this thread again, but now that we've started it, let's end it here !

just got back from a visit to two different home depots. i asked them about the ballasts and only a couple of the fluo tubes still have the ballasts installed which i need - and those tube sets cost a fortune (haven't been to ikea though).

here are the specs of the ballasts installed in my joust 2:

14-15-20 watt
115V 50Hz
38 Amps

the moon patrol ballast specs are almost identical.

question 1: because of the 115 V thingy, would a german version even work?
question 2: anyone know an online place (conrad, rs online) where i can order those ballasts?

[baritonomarchetto]

Using a ballast designed to work with 230V, you will have no problems connecting it directly to your european 230V line. Tubes should be "universal", meaning that they dont care of the voltage you are using: the ballast will limit the current to the proper value. Ballast can drive different tubes, this is why you have the 14-15-20 Watt indication (those i saw have only the maximum value on them): general rule is to use a ballast with higher or equal power declared with respect to the tube.

I dont know a reliable place where to order them online, sorry

[Superully]

just found out that those ballasts are called VORSCHALTGERAET in german and rs online (free shipping ) carries different versions:

or

would one of those work?

they have different "watt versions", ranging from 8W to 58W - (almost) all around the 8 euros mark per unit

http://de.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=retrieveTfg&Ntt=vorschaltger%C3%A4t&Ntk=I18NAll&Nr=AND%28avl%3Ade%2CsearchDiscon_de%3AN%29&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial&N=4294954574+4294916610&binCount=68&binCount=75&Nty=1&Ns=I18NPrc1_de&Nso=0#resultArrow

one sells for only half of it (€4.15) http://de.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=getProduct&R=5474248 - what's the difference compared to the others?

man, i feel dumb again 

[flip971]

Ully: how much is the lamps? (on the lamps, what is print?)

[Superully]

Ully: how much is the lamps? (on the lamps, what is print?)

14W

[baritonomarchetto]

Go for the 4.15 E, 30W (it's more than sufficient, you could also use a 18-20W but melius abundare quam deficere)  

[flip971]

Go for the 4.15 E, 30W (it's more than sufficient, you could also use a 20W but melius abundare quam deficere) 

Ully:from 18W on up (or like said baritonomarchetto 30W).

Correct tht post

[baritonomarchetto]

I edited my answer before seeing Flip answer: 152 mm is higher than mine, but refers to the metal base, and 140 mm is the distance from hole to hole, not the width so it's ok

[Superully]

Go for the 4.15 E, 30W (it's more than sufficient, you could also use a 18-20W but melius abundare quam deficere)  

thx for the latin lesson, hadn't heard that proverb in that language in a long time

the difference between the cheaper 30W version and the more expensive one (4 euros compared to seems to be that the first is ferromagnetic and the latter electromagnetic - WHATEVER THAT MEANS

if you guys don't step in and it will do the trick, i'll probably be ordering the cheaper version!

btw, until now all i had to do to get the marquee light working was either change the tube or the starter, but then i get tow games where this doesn't work, so i guess the ballast is indeed the only other option, right?

[flip971]

Yep!

Or check the cable that take the electricity...