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Universal Therm-O-Matic X 34/40w Rapid Start Ballast (late 1970s-early 1980s)
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Imagine my surprise when I opened up an inexpensive 1980s 4ft shoplight expecting to find yet another residential-grade low-power-factor (junk) ballast and instead revealed this! It's in more or less perfect shape, with no signs of running hot, (Also evidenced by the fact it came with 40w lamps too; 1994 Sylvania F40/CW). It practically instant-starts lamps every time and runs them nice and bright, unlike many other later residential-grade ballasts.
Like many other lamps, ballasts, fixtures, etc. I've collected, this one is somewhat special to me because I have a connection to where this fixture came from. Back in 2008-2011, my dad did a bunch of work on a house for someone, and I think he may have even put up this fixture in the shed/garage; I remember when it went there, it replaced something I think may have even had Westy blackender lamps. (But those lamps/fixture are now LONG gone and I'm relying strictly on childhood memories here).
It's fairly quiet, lacking the raspy-sounding buzz many Universal ballasts like this seem to get after running daily for 30+ years. This one has probably had substantially less use than a couple other older Universals I have (Old enough they still have PCBs!). In fact, this ballast spent about three years never being powered up at all (wiring to outbuilding disconnected) up until last week LOL.
The outbuilding it was in is being torn down. I walk by that place every day to and from school so I was inquiring about the stripped-out building and was asked if I wanted the fixture. I said yes of course, and that afternoon went and saved it. After seeing the ballast inside, I'm very glad I chose to do so!
Full-power (.80a line current) and non-PCB, the BEST kind!
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.77a MagneTek? Never heard of such a thing.
I have to say, out of my last 2 recently-gotten F40 shoplights, I much prefer this ballast over that "LOA" type one.