Uses for flourescent light ballast...

[ZINOM]

...Are there any uses for the ballasts before I chuck this light out?

It's just a 4' two tube light fixture, but I've seen folks scavenge all sorts of things and I'd never considered these.

Thanks for looking!

John

[darryl]

Two kinds, electronic or 'brute force iron cored'. Either way it's too much work to get them apart to the point where you could do anything with them. I've had both types apart, and used the laminations from the iron cored one for making inductors- but holy cow so much effort. Just toss

[BobinOK]

Will the output voltage of a ballast kill a mouse?

[Mcostello]

Are You asking if it would "light Him up?"

[Lee Cordochorea]

Will the output voltage of a ballast kill a mouse?

At first, the mouse wold be subjected to only a few volts during the initial heating phase. Once the temperature of the mouse got up to about 800C (1470F) the higher voltage of 2 or 3 hundred volts would kick in. You need to insure the ballast is rated for the number and size of mice being killed.

[ZINOM]

Thanks Darryl...I don't need more stuff in my work area, waiting for me to tear it down and then store it...to never end up using it

It will get tossed!

John

[Dan_the_Chemist]

At first, the mouse wold be subjected to only a few volts during the initial heating phase. Once the temperature of the mouse got up to about 800C (1470F) the higher voltage of 2 or 3 hundred volts would kick in. You need to insure the ballast is rated for the number and size of mice being killed.

Reminds me of a 1970's paper I saw and haven't been able to find online. In this paper they described the design, construction and testing of a proposed interplanetary ion rocket motor. The thrust was very low (but would go for a very long time), so they reported the thrust in micro-Newtons... and then as a joke they converted it to mouse burps.

[Paul Alciatore]

After converting all my numerous florescent fixtures to LED, I E-bayed my stock of replacement ballasts. And gave the buyer several used, but good ones as a bonus. I am happy and I am sure he was.

[Yondering]

...Are there any uses for the ballasts before I chuck this light out?

It's just a 4' two tube light fixture, but I've seen folks scavenge all sorts of things and I'd never considered these.

Thanks for looking!

John

I don't know of a use for the ballast, but the fixture itself will work with the direct-wire LED tubes with the ballast removed. I'm using Phillips brand tubes, and they seem to work really well, to my eyes better than the original flourescents in the same fixture.

I was going to throw out a bunch of old fixtures too, until I got the direct-wire tubes. Of course some of the really old fixtures are crimped or welded together, but the more recent cheap fixtures are fairly easy to take apart to re-wire.