Colin Theys Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Hi Everyone, I just picked up a pair of inexpensive old Kino Flos. They're in great shape, but the ballasts and bulbs appear to be old (they're 40w instead of the HO 75w). I was wondering if anybody here has experience with the old units and knows what to look out for vs. the new ones. I already noticed you can't turn the lights back on for 7 seconds after turning them off. The ballasts are BAL-400 and BAL-400s. I know they'll work, but if I replace the bulbs with HO bulbs, will they produce the higher output? I'd test, but don't have any bulbs around. Thanks everyone, -Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Theys Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 Well, I have a bad habit of answering my own questions, but figured I'd leave the info in case someone stumbles across this later! Been doing some research and discovered that, in fact, Kino has only changed the labels on the lamps, not the actual lamp. More detail about this can be foudn in the lamp troubleshooting doc on kinoflo.com "Previous lamps carried industry standard descriptions relating to wattage. We originally maintained these descriptions since Kino Flo lamps can operate in industry standard architectural fixtures as well as Kino Flo’s systems. Lamps operate at higher wattages and with more light output in Kino Flo systems. To accurately reflect these true wattages on our systems we redefined the labels.... Some customers believe the new HO labeled lamps are brighter than previous models. The new lamps are brighter than old lamps due to the lumen depreciation of the older lamp. The formulation and construction have not changed. Only the label was changed. It’s still the same lamp." If anyone knows any quirks of the older ballasts or anything, let me know. Thanks, -Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve London Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I've got one and it works fine. I needed to spray the contacts on the fixture, feeder cable and ballast with oil-free contact cleaner to make all four lamps always light, but that's all. If you have the money you can upgrade the ballast to a brand new one directly from Kino-Flo for something like 40% off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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