Hi all. This is my first post on the forum and I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to SOX lighting in general. I recently placed an order for a Philips SOX-e BC 26W (I'm not too sure what the BC means in this case; it was taken directly from the ebay listing but I have managed to figure out all of the rest of the name at least) I'm getting it for room lighting as I enjoy the colour and it doesn't mess with my circadian rhythm and I believe it will help with my sleep pattern. Regardless of why I'm getting it, I would just like to know what would be the best way to run it? I was thinking of getting a Philips EXC 36 electronic ballast as it looks like the easiest and most reliable method to run it, but I'm having difficulties sourcing one near me that isn't for industrial customers. I was thinking I could make something (or perhaps buy said ballast off a forum member near me, location is Eindhoven NL, but that's beside the point for now). I've heard you can parallel 2 normal CFL ballasts, but that feels a bit janky for me, especially since I do plan on using it nearly daily and do want it to look near enough presentable. So I just wanna know what you guys would recommend? Thank you guys for your time, and I look forward to your replies.
I don't have pictures of my own as of yet, but I'll keep you guys updated as I progress

Welcome to the forum  , interesting you say your having trouble sourcing gear, as Philips actually had a factory making SOX in Eindhoven!
BC is bayonet cap, like the ones you see on general household lamps, and the lamp will have to run either horizontally or cap up.
I’d be very surprised if you can’t get wire wound gear for SOX somewhere in Eindhoven still?, try electrical wholesale, you don’t need to be in the electrical industry to buy from wholesale.

Good luck with getting it up and running though, post us some pictures when it’s done 

Ahh ok. Thank you, I wasn't aware it was simply bayonet cap, since I've only seen it referred to as the BY22d socket before (at least in the context of SOX lamps and I wasn't sure if that was the standard bayonet socket or another variant). And I *can* source the ballasts around here. I've found several sites, but having newly arrived in the Netherlands I don't have all the bank accounts and whatnot I need to place an order yet, or as said I'd need to be a company. I've also been looking online as I am still in quarantine but I did see rexel sells the ballasts and that there is a distributor close to me, so I was hoping once my quarantine is over I could head there and get one.

I was also just as shocked that I couldn't source any SOX lamps locally (at least not without knowing anyone yet) so I had to get from the UK.

Hi, welcome to the madhouse that is LG 

BY22d actually refers to the lamp cap, it is slightly different from the normal BC cap (which is B22d) as there is a raised section between the two terminals which is designed to reduce the risk of flashover between the contacts from the high ignition voltage. The lampholders (usually ceramic) are standard bayonet types which are also used for incandescent lamps in bulkhead fixtures etc.

The 26W SOX-E variant is a more efficient version of the 35W lamp, and will run on the same ballasts, although for the best economy it should be used with a dedicated SOX-E ballast. These are somewhat harder to find though, so most people use 35W ballasts.

By the way, I have to ask, what lies behind the rather intriguing choice of username..? 

BY22d actually refers to the lamp cap

Oh I see, ok that makes sense then, thanks for clearing it up. Good to know

And I gathered as much about the ballast (reading some of the other forum posts I saw on here). Sadly none of the places I see has 26W SOX-e ballasts specifically so I reckon short of making one specifically for it I'll have to settle for a 36W (actually that is one of the main reasons I settled on 26W instead of 18 because those ballasts are basically non-existant by any of the places close to me; and being a very impatient man I didn't want to wait a month for it to ship, also they were much more expensive, I reckon because they're used even less than higher wattages and are now even rarer, but that's just my speculation)

also as far as username goes it's just been my online moniker for years now, first chose it way back when for a rhythm game called OSU and it just stuck with me from there (unfortunately PC broke in 2018 so no more of that sadly)

All understood, by the way I think you mean 35W not 36W as the 36W is the SOX-E version of the 55W SOX lamp, so the next size up..!

As my username will probably tell you, I love SOX lamps, my other half and I recently completed our collection of at least one of every rating from 10W to 180W including all the SOX-E variants, and the correct ballasts for them all, which took a lot longer than getting the actual lamps, as you found out, SOX-E ballasts are really rare    So anything you need advice or help with, let me know. Another extremely useful source of information on lamps of all types can be found here - this amazing site is run by James, who is also a member here.

Ok on the username, I just noticed it because I can't stand cabbages (nothing personal  )

All understood, by the way I think you mean 35W not 36W as the 36W is the SOX-E version of the 55W SOX lamp, so the next size up..!

Oh yes you're right, I did mean 35W, my mistake

As my username will probably tell you, I love SOX lamps

Awww man I can completely see why. it's such a special type of lighting that you just don't get anymore, it really has a remarkable undefinable quality about the light that feels different from anything else available. Also, that is a great idea for a collection, it has to look lovely. The collection I've always wanted to get into is spectral lamps in general. a different colour for every different mood, lol, when I say spectral I don't only mean the traditional noble gasses. also some of the other obscure (and sometimes not so obscure). I've been holding off getting into it because of moving but I'll probably slowly accumulate a collection. At my old place, I had some low-pressure mercury arc lamps that I barely ever switched on (for pretty obvious reasons) I first used it for a sterilized laminar flow hood but that's another story.

And on not liking boiled cabbages. Neither do I so I don't take any offence lmao. In fact, if I cast my memory back I think that was a big part of the reason I chose the name as a bit of a joke

An 18 watt SOX ballast is probably the world’s most easiest one to get hold of, their just standard 2 foot fluorescent tube chokes 

Hmmm, are you sure..? They're 0.37A and an 18W SOX is 0.35A. Enough of a difference to make one, at least when I've tried it the ballast ran VERY hot 

Yeah, the Thorn ones ran hot too, but when it’s .2 of a mA it’s not worth worrying about, my Osram (genuine) 18 watt SOX ballast also ran hot, but it didn’t seem to damage it in any way when it ran in a fitting for over 2 years!

Yeah, well I'm a perfectionist, so if a lamp says it wants 0.35A then 0.35A it will get if at all possible. I don't like it when ballasts run almost hot enough to boil a kettle on, as my 150W SON one did when I ran the GEC 200W SLI/H on it 

That’s all well and good when you can get the original, but if you look at the specs for your average Tridonic EC18, the same ballast is designed to run 4 different lamp, with 4 different mA ratings.
For the newcomers to 18 watt SOX that cannot source original gear, a 2 foot tube choke could make the difference in running one or not?
And although it’s not quite right, is that worth new enthusiasts missing out on?

No, probably not, and I've done it myself more than once before I got the right ballasts. However, using anything other than the correct ballast is always a last resort for me, and it's not something I can bring myself to recommend.

That's me, though; I don't demand everyone thinks the same, but it's how my brain works.

Fair point, I’ll admit to being slightly reckless!  , I’ve always been a “ that’ll do” guy!, I suppose this comes from years of seeing actual street lighting installations that didn’t quite confirm to manufacture specs!, as mentioned in the gallery pics, Vale Royal council ran 35 watt SOX lamps for years in 1960 lanterns designed for 85 watt SOI lamps!, probably even on existing 85 watt auto leaks!
It never seemed to do either lamps or gear any harm?, I’ve even seen evidence of street lighting contractors running 250 watt SON-T lamps on 400 watt gear!

The L4045 leak transformer was actually designed to run 45W, 60W and 85W lamps, and does indeed run a 35W SOX perfectly, it's 0.6A..!

Not sure about 250W/400W SON gear/lamps though, I've never been able to work out which ballast a lamp is supposed to run on, the current ratings seem to differ, sometimes I wish we had the equivalent of the US ANSI code system..!