Electronic flourescent tube starter

[jjj]

Since these starters are very expensive, I thought of soldering a few myself.
I saw a SIDAC circuit and bought a few of them, but it failed to work!
I must be doing something wrong! My tube has no capacitor. Maybe it's that why it won't work?
Here's a page that shows more of how they work: https://www.bristolwatch.com/ele/sidac.htm
I'm in N-Australia and we got 240VAC, so I built this circuit:

 

[Harald Kapp]

For your own safety, please use professionally made starters.

 

[bertus]

Hello,

As @Harald Kapp said, buy a commercial made starter.
Working on mains powered devices needs special safety care:
http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/safety.htm
This page shows some troubleshooting for Fluorescent lamps:
http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/flamp.htm

Bertus

 

[Bluejets]

Dick Smith electronics used to have a kit for fluro electronic starters.
I made one perhaps 30 years ago and it worked fine but at a cost.
At the time I think around $16.00 AND one had to de-gut a good starter AND it was a really tight squeeze to get everything inside.
There were no changes to the fluro wiring as you show in your sketch.

I think electronics australia magazine used to publish a lot of Dick's work and you might find a circuit there.
EDIT:- Silicon Chip also had one in Aug 1996 using a UBA2000T ic chip along with other circuitry.

However, rather pointless as one can get a fluro these days with an electronic ballast that does the same job.

Well, for now at least, maybe not too much longer.
LED tubes these days fit directly into a standard fluro with zero modification and an included fuse that fits into the starter socket.Then one attaches a warning sticker so no one plugs an original tube back in with the fuse in place of the original starter. (or visa-versa)

Then most fittings are all LED to begin with now-a-days. The LEDs last supposedly for a gazillion years but the driver which is usually specific to the fitting and usually never available, will die within a couple of years. If you do track one down it's more that a completely new fitting.
Then you get a lecky to replace the whole fitting.
Progress.....maybe, maybe not.

 

[jjj]

Sorry to say, that to me, the dear moderator's good advice sounds like good advice from the church. I'm 80 y.o. and played around with electronics since I was 17 y.o. at a hobby level. Thus, now I know everything and nothing!
I built lots of high-voltage projects, such as tube Amps, and while powered always with one hand in my pocket! Thank you all for your response! - Actually, I was l looking for some truly technical advice on why the circuit fails to work? Yes, that would really help me. Therefore I'm afraid to solely rely on prayers...

 

[Bluejets]

and while powered always with one hand in my pocket!

Well, that kind of shows your age, as that is basically codswallop.

I once saw an American electrical handbook from the 1940's saying "mains test for dead" could be done using the back of one's hand which goes into the same catagory.

Aside from that it appears some of the circuits described might be theoretical rather than practical so it may or may not be in your case.
Mods to include the capacitor I'd tend to think would be a must, but one must recognise the values shown were for 120vac not 240vac so most like have an impact on the outcome.

I'd tend to leave well alone as both moderators above have suggested.
Gazillions of low voltage projects around to keep you amused AND off a ladder.
Start on a few Arduino, good for the brain cells and plenty of assistance online when you need it.
Grandkids will think you are fantastic.
As an example, I am a retired lecky (well, not so much retired, they still have my phone number) and just completed an "Arduino Birthday Clock" for the kids back in Thailand. Kept me busy for 3 days trying to get the thing to work exactly as I wanted, and satisfy the scrutiny of "those who know programming better than I".

 

[jjj]

Far more important for "good for brain cells" is the reduction of uric acid in old age. See Dr. Sirkus for more Info.
Thanks for the technical advice... that a capacitor you tend to think would be a must. Of course, it has to be safety certified capacitor or a 600V type. That much I already knew 50 years ago... Thanks anyway, Joh (...searching for professional technical advice on SIDAC)

 

[Bluejets]

searching for professional technical advice on SIDAC

Google has plenty of info.

 

[Martaine2005]

With high voltage, I always keep one hand away. Either in my pocket or I sit on it. Avoids touching a different potential by accident.
Also back of the hand, that’s obviously for when the hand uncontrollably grabs what’s delivering the shock. So in my honest opinion, both are legitimate safety measures.
But by far the safest is to discharge the circuit and avoid working on live circuits.


Martin

 

[Bluejets]

With high voltage, I always keep one hand away. Either in my pocket or I sit on it. Avoids touching a different potential by accident.
Also back of the hand, that’s obviously for when the hand uncontrollably grabs what’s delivering the shock. So in my honest opinion, both are legitimate safety measures.
But by far the safest is to discharge the circuit and avoid working on live circuits.


Martin

Workplace health and safety would have a field day with that outlook I'm afraid.

 

[Martaine2005]

I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but only what was drummed into me as a youngster. Kept me alive (to date).
These days, insulated gloves, eye protection, hard hats, protective foot ware etc etc, can get in the way. Although I have used all PPE when necessary.
And to add, an isolation transformer is a must for any budding hobbyist and professional alike.


Martin

 

[John Canon]

I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but only what was drummed into me as a youngster. Kept me alive (to date).
These days, insulated gloves, eye protection, hard hats, protective foot ware etc etc, can get in the way. Although I have used all PPE when necessary.
And to add, an isolation transformer is a must for any budding hobbyist and professional alike.


Martin

These are all good precautions.

Back in high school Electronics class our instructor recommended the "one hand in pocket" routine. So that became the running joke for a while: quick! put your hand in your pocket! your circuit has 2 dry cells!

 

[Martaine2005]

These are all good precautions.

Back in high school Electronics class our instructor recommended the "one hand in pocket" routine. So that became the running joke for a while: quick! put your hand in your pocket! your circuit has 2 dry cells!

yeah, that rings many bells!.
I got a whack recently from a live heat sink, 240V. It wasn’t pleasant but made me jump!. Luckily I had an insulated probe in the other hand. Complacency is our worst enemy. Therefore any safety measure is better than none!.


Martin

 

[debe]

When i was a linesman with ETSA here in SA we worked on live 240V & 400V AC mains, standing on wooden laders. In our training testing if you was isolated was to touch the wire you was working on with the back of your hand, this was in the late 60s & in working on live wires for 8 yrs i dont recall any one being electrocuted.

 

[debe]

This is the circuit from Electronics Australia back in 1982. I built & used several back then, cost of parts was $5.

 

[Bluejets]

Never heard so much old wifes tale bs in all my born days.
Current generation has much to be thankful for now all you home grown "experts" are out of the main loop.

 

[debe]

I was not a home grown expert at all. If you worked as a linesman like i did back in the late 60s. Then that was what you was taught at line school when working on live lines.

 

[bertus]

Hello,

I have extracted the pages from the Electronics Australia magazine about the starter @debe showed.

Bertus

 

[jjj]

Thank you debe & bertus for your circuit. This is what I (as a versed hobby technician) was actually looking for!
Problem: The thing is, I trusted that SIDAC circuit and bought 15 pieces of it and only now discover that the SIDAC circuit fails to work.
I liked the circuit because it only consisted of 4 parts!! Now I am stuck with the SIDACs and cannot find technical advice on how to make it work. The Internet shows only the one and the same circuit and no additional Info.

 

[bertus]

Hello,

Your origenal schematic seems to come from this page:
http://schematics-diagrams.blogspot.com/2012/02/fluorescent-lamps-electronic-starter.html

Bertus