Today I replaced about 12 2000/2001 vintage Motorola Silver edition 2 lamp .50amp F32T8 ballasts that were still working but am getting a head start on them prior to them going out.  Going to save most of them.  Replaced them with .41 amp Sylvania/Osram ballasts as usual.  Not as bright but these are in areas that don't need the brightness and they will provide good warm light.  (Sylvania 3000k tubes)

replaced about 12 2000/2001 vintage Motorola Silver edition 2 lamp .50amp F32T8 ballasts <...> Going to save most of them.   

Nice stuff there.

Motorola ballasts... I've always had an interest in them to a certain extent. Especially in the public library my family use
to go to when I was a kid, in St.louis. (Jamestown library) That library had 3 lamp T8 fixtures in rows, with all of them
using Motorola R.S electronic ballasts. The smaller T8's EOLed the most. They were Sylvania F17T8's, I think. I would
always sit back and watch the bad end light up orange, with orange swirls as well. This is Motorola we're talking here,
so there was mercury migration with all three lamps each time an EOL lamp was involved. Not sure if it killed the ballasts
though... I would always notice all three lamps out shortly afterwards. (A day or two later)
Anyways, back on topic, one of my track lights finally went EOL a couple days ago. Although it's cycling, I got a video of
it struggling to start today. Camera cut out early though... memory full. I'll post that video soon.

I like them.  I am going to save a number of them that have lower hours on them. 

Today I cleaned and refinished more parts for the Finned M-1000 w/P.C.  More photos of the progress soon!!!

We started to plan out how we will mount our MA/V lamp, so that it's easier to see, our current thinking is to use something like a laboratory stand...

I've just had a sudden flash of inspiration.!!  We could modify a post top lantern to take it.

We started to plan out how we will mount our MA/V lamp, so that it's easier to see, our current thinking is to use something like a laboratory stand...

I've just had a sudden flash of inspiration.!!  We could modify a post top lantern to take it.

That might work, although we'd probably have to replace the lampholder, I've not seen many post-tops with E40 holders around  

Also cleaning and starting to polish the reflectors on these.

The Dremel is your friend on these.

Never had any luck with a dremel. Personal preference I guess.

For me it's one of the best tools I have ever bought.

I like them.  I am going to save a number of them that have lower hours on them. 

Save them all!

LM admirals.jpg

Really like that one

The Dremel...

Very handy little tool.


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Today's light-related stuff for me...
* Put up some strings of orange & purple lights for Halloween (not connected yet though, and probably won't happen til the weekend since the weather report shows snow for Wed/Thu (hopefully won't be too much since I'll need to get on the roof))

* Converted a set of clear incandescent mini lights to green LED twinkle.

Are you old enough to remember the Christmas lights (bare 25w colored bulbs) that were strung from pole to pole on the main street in your town?   

The nearest town has as long as I can remember done mini's in the trees along their main street, & C9's in some of the other trees (well..used to, its all LED now)

The colored 25w bulbs would look cool, can't remember seeing that anywhere...probably before my time (or atleast before the time I can remember stuff from...)

We took delivery of a box of 12 HPS lamps - Hand delivered. 

Just bought another lantern from ebay 

This one, that we're going to turn in to a floor lamp. Being a post top, it will be a lot easier than a side entry Beta 5. We're not giving up on it though.

So that we could have our MA/V lamp lit in the correct orientation, I clamped a shelf and a bracket together as a support. 

Went to a lights meetup in the morning (last one of the year)
Put up Christmas lights in the afternoon.

In the evening after dinner, finished connecting up a few things for the Halloween lights, & set the Pi to run the 'show' at scheduled times.
(come late Thursday night, the Pi & controllers will be shut down & lights removed on the weekend)