2D lamp LED replacement

[Fevric J. Glandules]

Hi,

I have two 16W CFL 2D 4 pin lamp fittings [1] in my office.

The other night one of them went "phut" and went out.

As both lamps work (switched them around, one still works) I

*assume* that it's the ballast in the broken one that is broken.

I *could* (I think) replace the ballast - but for really not a lot more I could replace the CFL lamp with an LED one. Heck, might even replace both.

Most of the LED replacement lamps I can find seem to be 2 pin; not 4 pin.

Some questions - apologies if obvious but I have spent a fair while trying to poke the interwebs for answers.

Can one plug a 2D lamp into a 4 pin fitting? If so would I need to bypass the ballast or can it be left as it is? Would it be sensible to bypass it anyway, as it is broken and perhaps not to be trusted?

[1] FTAOD - that's the smaller of the two 2D fittings.

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

Fevric J. Glandules wrote on 13/07/2021 :

Physically, the 2 pin will not fit the 4 pin socket. electrically you could swap the 4 pin socket for a 2 pin and that would work. The ballast is not needed and the starter is swapped for a shorted version.

[Alan]

Dont even bother trying to repair it, just buy a new LED fitting. £13 upwards depending on how good looking you want it.

[Theo]

+1. The LED bulb is going to want the ballast bypassed, and which point you're having to monkey with the innards of the fitting. By the time you have it off the wall to do that, you might as well just get a new LED fitting.

Theo

[Fevric J. Glandules]

The socket is all-in-one; it's labelled "electronic ballast" and presumably contains the starter and whatever else is needed.

I'd swap it out if I could find a 2 pin replacement. It's mounted to the base of the fitting with two screws roughly 75mm apart - is that a standard?

FWIW it's an "Eterna D151" which is now discontinued.

[Fevric J. Glandules]

Thanks for the suggestions, *but*:

I have two of these mounted to the plywood ceiling of my shed / office.

I'm not *that* fussed by aesthetics but I'd still rather have a matched pair. More to the point unless the new fitting's back plate has the relevant holes (mounting, supply) in precisely the same places I'd have to drill new mounting points and it would probably uncover some of the unpainted plywood.

OTOH the ballast / socket is held on to the back plate by two screws and it looks like it would be trivial to replace it - if only I could find a replacement. Either a straight swap or something LED compatible; not too fussed.

[ARW]

Only if you buy a new light with a smaller diameter.

Have you googled for

gr10q led?

[Fevric J. Glandules]

You're saying that the hole for the mains cable will have the same offset from the centre?

Many much more specific queries than that!

One prob is that GR10q refers to both the small (135mm) lamps (as I have) and the larger 180mm ones.

[ARW]

You just drill your own hole where you need it

GR10Q is a standard sized base.

[Fevric J. Glandules]

More work! I had to do that when I replaced the kitchen strip light with an LED one and it was a pain.

Well, the connector is.

What I am after is one of these:

the right size for a 135mm lamp.

[ARW]

It will work.

I fitted 48 today.

Have a Google for rocking horse shit-:)

Sorry pal but the only other option is to use a blank GR10Q base with a separate ballast.

[Fevric J. Glandules]

Yes, that's what it feels like. Available from alibaba etc., that's it. And how much do I trust it not to burst into flames while I'm not around to observe?

But if I went LED then I'd only need a GR10q socket, no?

FWIW I switched around the working and non-working ballasts so the working light is the one over my desk. Took minutes. Now it would be nice to resurrect the other one (which never got used much)...

Or perhaps it is also time to have another go at fixing my grandad's

1960s Anglepoise.

Of which, amazing customer service. The basic design of the "classic" didn't change for decades, so I sent them a picture of it and they very swiftly replied with an approximate year (decade) of manufacture.

[ARW]

Correct. And it took me a while to spot your problem. I still think if you could prise apart your built in socket and ballast you could remove the ballast.

:-)

All the best with it