Re: Ok, I've got a 55W SOX lamp... « Reply #4 on: December 26, 2024, 06:35:33 PM » Author: WorldwideHIDCollectorUSA
Quote from: f36t8 on December 25, 2024, 05:10:50 PM The ignitor is one part that you need, the other part is the (electromagnetic) ballast. 55 W SOX lamps run at 0,59 A, and because they exhibit negative resistance (like any arc lamp), need a ballast that limits the amount of current that can flow. Do NOT connect it directly to mains (it likely won't strike and nothing happens, but in case it does, it will probably instantly ruin the lamp). The best thing to do would be to look for a complete ballast. In case that is hard to find, you should be able improvise it using other ballasts that have a similar reactance (in this case about 343 Ohm). If you parallel a 36 W fluorescent lamp ballast with a 7/9/11 W PL-S lamp ballast, this should be about the same but I have not tried this in practice. I am extremely well experienced with using alternative ballasts to run discharge lamps that require ballasts that are normally hard to find. For example, here in North America, I have used 4 250W M58 probe start metal halide CWA ballasts in parallel to run a 1000W H34 mercury vapor lamp because the correct ballasts for these lamps are extremely hard to find and I was able to run the lamp at its proper specifications.
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Desire to collect various light bulbs (especially HID), control gear, and fixtures from around the world.

DISCLAIMER: THE EXPERIMENTS THAT I CONDUCT INVOLVING UNUSUAL LAMP/BALLAST COMBINATIONS SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER KNOWLEDGE. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INJURIES.

	Re: Ok, I've got a 55W SOX lamp... « Reply #5 on: December 28, 2024, 12:47:26 PM » Author: Alex
Hello, I think you go the best way with buying the ballast from the netherlands. @f36t8 sounds good as well, however i have to calculate it thrue to make sure regarding ballast overloading. However for short runs that should certainly work. Depending on your knowledge of discharge lamps and (complex) AC electrical calculation you can also use other ballasts in conjunction with a variac. If I have some spare time i can calculate @f36t8 ´s idea. Please advised if your interested in that. Please not that the lamp parmetrs may vary in some way... @WorldwideHIDCollectorUSA your comment is useless. You experience is with mainly american ballasts and even thue having no hard paper evidence, the reignition voltage of a 55W sox will be above the 120V mains in the US. Secondly some way of running 1000W MV lamps, even any MV lamp doesn´t help the author of the thread.
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Glück auf ⚒️

	Re: Ok, I've got a 55W SOX lamp... « Reply #6 on: December 28, 2024, 12:55:46 PM » Author: WorldwideHIDCollectorUSA
All I was doing was provide a more general example of how I was using alternative ballasts.
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Desire to collect various light bulbs (especially HID), control gear, and fixtures from around the world.

DISCLAIMER: THE EXPERIMENTS THAT I CONDUCT INVOLVING UNUSUAL LAMP/BALLAST COMBINATIONS SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER KNOWLEDGE. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INJURIES.

	Re: Ok, I've got a 55W SOX lamp... « Reply #7 on: December 29, 2024, 02:59:15 AM » Author: funkybulb
The USA do have SOX lighting but we call them low pressure sodium.   Yes we have 120 volt.  Thing is we have a  auto-transformer leak type ballast that provide about 600 ocv ignition And running current for the Sox lamps   Here in the US those ballast have not been in production.   For a while.  For the US collectors that want run a 35 or a  55  Watt sox lamp.  I find almost any good Electronic 2 lamp instant start fluorescent ballast.  By combining two lamp output together to run 35-55 watt sox lamps   Any 240 volt countries  can use muiltivoltage  2 lamp instant start ballast too.  It would be fun addition for powering fluorescents as well as SOX 35-55 watt lamps.  These ballast dont care if they ran on 50 Hz  240 volt as it get converted to DC before the HF circuit. Hey WorldwideHID    What does MV ballast have to do with Sox lightiing?  There no relationship with MV ballast when there Talking about how to Run there Sox lamps
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No LED gadgets, spins too slowly.  Gotta  love preheat and MV. let the lights keep my meter spinning.

	Re: Ok, I've got a 55W SOX lamp... « Reply #8 on: December 29, 2024, 03:02:13 AM » Author: WorldwideHIDCollectorUSA
Additionally, I have understood that “low pressure sodium” is also a more general term a discharge lamp family while “SOX” is just a more specific category of low pressure sodium lamp.
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Desire to collect various light bulbs (especially HID), control gear, and fixtures from around the world.

DISCLAIMER: THE EXPERIMENTS THAT I CONDUCT INVOLVING UNUSUAL LAMP/BALLAST COMBINATIONS SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER KNOWLEDGE. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INJURIES.

	Re: Ok, I've got a 55W SOX lamp... « Reply #9 on: January 01, 2025, 05:53:49 PM » Author: Baked bagel 11
That's a nice lamp you have there.
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Long live the Cobra Heads of America!

	Re: Ok, I've got a 55W SOX lamp... « Reply #10 on: January 03, 2025, 10:16:02 AM » Author: Lampwizard
Low pressure sodium discharge lamp is the correct generic description. SOX and SO-X are the commercial names given to that lamp by Philips. The economy version with even higher efficacy is called SOX-E. Before that, Philips called it SO and SOI/H. Other commercial names by other suppliers are e.g. Na, SLI, SLP,...
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Philips colour 27: best fluorescent tube colour.