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Philips 40W TL-X Lamp Lit on Display/Demo Board Here is a Philips TL-X 4ft 40W tube lit on the display/demo board we built. The lampholders were particularly hard to obtain, we finally got them from Al_M, an LG member in Australia, who knew of a retailer who stocked them, so thanks to him..! The wiring to the far end of the tube is concealed in a routed channel on the reverse side of the board. Quoting from the Philips technical information leaflet: [i]TL-X XL 40W/33-640 SLV/25 The TL-X XL lamp (tube diameter 38 mm) has an extended lifetime and is fitted with an internal ignition strip for electromagnetic starterless operation or high-frequency non-preheat operation. In combination with a special lampholder, all possible sparking effects during ignition are eliminated. This lamp is used in flameproof and increased-safety luminaires for both indoor and outdoor applications, such as the (petro-)chemical industry, offshore, mines and any location where traces of explosive gases may be found.[/i] Keywords: Lamps

Philips 40W TL-X Lamp Lit on Display/Demo Board

Here is a Philips TL-X 4ft 40W tube lit on the display/demo board we built. The lampholders were particularly hard to obtain, we finally got them from Al_M, an LG member in Australia, who knew of a retailer who stocked them, so thanks to him..! The wiring to the far end of the tube is concealed in a routed channel on the reverse side of the board.

Quoting from the Philips technical information leaflet:

TL-X XL 40W/33-640 SLV/25 The TL-X XL lamp (tube diameter 38 mm) has an extended lifetime and is fitted with an internal ignition strip for electromagnetic starterless operation or high-frequency non-preheat operation. In combination with a special lampholder, all possible sparking effects during ignition are eliminated. This lamp is used in flameproof and increased-safety luminaires for both indoor and outdoor applications, such as the (petro-)chemical industry, offshore, mines and any location where traces of explosive gases may be found.

40W_TL-X_Tube_Display-Demo_Board_-_Lamps_Lit_2.jpg 20191231_182414.jpg DSC00375.JPG DSC06710.JPG
Lamp/Fixture Information
Manufacturer:Philips Lighting
Model Reference:TL-X
Lamp
Lamp Type:T12 Fluorescent type MCFB
Base:Tube - Fa6 / Ballast lamp - B22d-3
Shape/Finish:Tube - T12 / Ballast lamp - A60
Service Life:26,000 hours
Burning Position:Universal
Electrical
Wattage:Tube 40W / Ballast Lamp 75W
Voltage:Tube 103V / Ballast Lamp 150V
Current:0.43A
Optical
Lumen Output:2300 lm
Lumen Efficacy:58 lm/W
Colour Temperature:4000K
Colour Rendering Index:60
Physical/Production
Dimensions:Tube - 4ft
Application/Use:Lighting in possibly explosive environments
File information
Filename:40W_TL-X_Tube_Display-Demo_Board_-_Lamps_Lit_2.jpg
Album name:Ria / Fluorescent Lamps
Keywords:Lamps
Filesize:1740 KiB
Date added:20 Aug 2025
Dimensions:2245 x 1588 pixels
Displayed:7 times
URL:https://trad-lighting.net/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=953
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Comment 1 to 7 of 7
Page: 1

Sammi   [Wed 20 Aug 2025 at 16:58]
I love working together to get summat like this done.! Cool Fluorescent Lamp
Ria   [Wed 20 Aug 2025 at 17:03]
Me too, it's satisfying when it all comes together and actually works Love
Tuopeek   [Wed 20 Aug 2025 at 18:31]
Nice to see an official ballast lamp. Remember a neighbour having a fitting in their kitchen with this when I was a kid. Think there were some fittings that used resistive wire too but that sounds less efficient.
Sammi   [Thu 21 Aug 2025 at 11:43]
I remember hearing about somebody that had a fluorescent inspection lamp where the flex was a resistive ballast, and he found out the hard way that shortening the flex wasn't a good idea..! Mind Blown Embarrassed
Tuopeek   [Thu 21 Aug 2025 at 20:27]
That's a dirty trick! Laughing I've seen resistive used in old car ignition circuits so, yeah can catch the unsuspecting.
Max   [Thu 21 Aug 2025 at 21:11]
Nice setup! It's the first time I see a modern picture of a TL-X in combination with its proper ballasting lamp. Well done!

Sammi, Tuopeek: My father had such a fluorescent inspection light and, initially, I was really puzzled that I couldn't find any ballast in the luminaire. I understood only when I realized that the power cord was not a standard one with copper wires. That cord was really long, which was quite impractical, and my father ended up replacing it with a shorter one (I did not tell him about my findings back then). This ended with a flash of light accompanied with a loud bang Laughing
Ria   [Fri 22 Aug 2025 at 09:35]
I just remembered I have one of these inspection lamps bought on a trip to France somewhere in the region of 40 years ago (showing my age now Mind Blown Mr. Green )
See here for a picture, I put a BLB tube in it at the time for use as a UV inspection lamp.

By the way if anyone knows of a source of ballast lamps, of the two I have like this, one has failed, so I could do with one or two. I do have one that is crown silvered, but as I don't have a crown silver fixture, it isn't a lot of use..!
Of course a crown silver fixture (with B22d-3 lampholder) would come in useful... Wink

Comment 1 to 7 of 7
Page: 1