# Two 13W CFL, one ballast



## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

Could I drive two 13W CF lamps off of one 28W ballast, or am I looking for a fire with that combo?

Or even better, do they make a 2X13W ballast?


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## Robert (Feb 7, 2005)

Hi,
i guess you will use an e-ballast for the CF bulbs, so it should be no problem to run this 26W ballast with both 13W CF bulbs. 

At the moment I run 2 18W FL tubes with an e-ballast which was made for a single 36W or 38W FL tube. It works fine, had no problems so far. I had just the trouble to find out how to wire the two tubes together, so that the e-ballast will work. The trick is to connect both tubes in a row. So it becomes one large tube for the ballast. 

You can probably do the same with the CF bulbs. Find out which 2 pins belong to what (the CF bulb should have 4 pins or 2 contacts depending on the type of CF bulbs). Connect both bulbs so that the electricity comse in the first bulb, goes then to the second and then from second back to the ballast. So you connect the 2 pins on the left side of the first CF bulb with the e-ballast, the 2 pins on the right side of the same CF bulb with the 2 on the left side of the second CF bulb and the 2 pins on the right side of the second CF again with the e-ballast. If the CF bulb has only 2 contacts, one on each side, it's the same technique. (It's hard to describe these technical things in a foreign language, sorry.)

CF and FL bulbs are basically the same. The CFs are just thinner and more compact but that's it. They work the same way. 

Good luck!

best regards

Robert


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

Yep, Robert's right...just connect them in series so that it's like driving one big 36w bulb. =)


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## schaadrak (Aug 18, 2006)

freakin' awsome.

Thanks guys, that makes things a bit easier for me.


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