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PostPosted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 10:05 am 
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One of the biggest killers of Beta 5s in my part of the world seems to be water ingress.

The local 50w SON conversions seem to suffer as bad, if not worse than the SOX versions.

Any update/mods package would have to deal with that isssue. Big Clip B5s seem the most prone.


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 8:58 pm 
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Beta 2s and 5s are being lost from Durham's  streets at an alarming rate due to the current LED replacement programme and concrete column replacement programme. However most are being raplaced with Thorn Isaros so keeping it in the family! A good number were also lost to Thorn  Oracles in 2012 too. I would rate the Oracle very well for both design and light control.


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PostPosted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 6:12 am 
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The look of the Beta 5 has been kept but you can tell its cheap. The ally casting is poor. The LEDs are of the "cheap stick on strip kind" - you know the Ebay stuff you see around. They are stuck to the gear tray which is v shaped to throw the light sideways. No real forward facing LEDs. Overall not the best. Time will tell which is best!


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2014 9:21 pm 
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mazeteam wrote:
The clip strength is similar to that of the QSM... keep fingers out of the way otherwise it'll have 'em!

TBH, blackpool gets a battering from the elements most of the year anyway... I've got a pic of the prom where waves are lashing up and along the prom and a jubilee tram is trying to navigate through about 3-5 inches of seawater (which isn't best for a good electrical earth connection), so the lanterns themselves will be constantly bombarded with gales and the odd bit of spray from the sea.


Maybe the different lighting manufacturers should elect to place their lanterns on the Blackpool Promenade as part of their testing procedures?  Then if it passes the tests they can say it has been "Blackpool Tested" lol!

Make it part of a new display of public lighting in the illuminations period, as per the old displays they used to hold in days of old?


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 10:29 pm 
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Further to the discussion of the poor sealing qualities of the Beta 5s:

The main requirement with any type of street lantern is the prevention of the ingress of dirt and moisture. Although everyone will be well aware of IP ratings, it is useful to recap on those relevant to Ukastle. The enclosed lanterns of the 50s had a rudimentary system of sealing the optics against the elements, which was generally a thick felt gasket material. After many years of use, this would rot or fall away and become ineffective.  When the international IP system was introduced, street lanterns of the period would have generally had a rating of IP23 where the first numeral signified that the equipment was "protected from touch by fingers or objects greater than 12mm". The second numeral signified that the equipment was "protected from water spray less than 60' from the vertical". An example of a lantern with a rating of IP23 would be the 1980s Thorn Gamma 6.

The majority of lanterns such as the Beta 5 etc, generally had an IP rating of 54. This implied that the lantern was (5). "protected from the ingress of dust" and (4) "protected from water spray from any direction".

In the case of the IP5X, the rating additionally stated that "although the ingress of dust is not totally prevented, it cannot enter the enclosure in sufficient quantities to affect the satisfactory operation of the equipment".
This is why street lanterns have traditionally been cleaned both on a cyclical basis and at relamping. Even a lantern with a good quality gasket will not totally exclude foreign bodies.

The issue with any lighting equipment, is that it gets hot whilst in use and consequently "breathes". Because pressure increases with temperature, the air within the enclosure is pushed out of the fitting due to the rise in temperature. However, when the street lamp turns off in the morning, the temperature and pressure inside the lantern drops. The partial vacuum thus created draws in the outside air which is laden with dirt particles and moisture. This cycle is repeated every night and day and subsequently causes dirt to be deposited on the interior surfaces.

Poorly fitting bowls and toggles can also allow admission of insects and dirt, however as we know, the most notorious threat to lantern sealing is when the GRP canopy found in Alpha 8s, Z7995Ms et al, begins to shed fibres and becomes an attractive site for lichen and moss. Being hygroscopic, these organisms can breach seals and cause a lantern to fill with water and the metalwork to corrode. Bowls that have been stained brown by the stagnant, rusty water are a classic symptom of this type of attack.

Now, I may be mistaken (and my apologies for going slightly off the Thorn topic)  but a 135W GEC Z9553 I once owned, had a small vent in the bottom of the bowl. This wasn't simply drilled as an afterthought, but was located centrally close to the back end. I suspect this was to prevent the build up of pressure and reduce the chance of dirt being drawn back in when the lantern cooled. The vent hole was also fitted with a grommet, presumably to prevent moisture accessing the lantern through the vent from the outside. (I'm pretty sure the Philips MA range had a similar device in their bowls, but I may be mistaken).

The following picture is of my collection in the late 90s. It shows the GEC Z9553 in the background and the GRP canopied Z9538 in the typical scabby condition.


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PostPosted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 10:00 pm 
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Hi All,

Well I never thought LEDs would impact on Carlisle's lighting scheme, how wrong could I be. In the past few weeks we have gone from 1 LED fitting to I would guess about 200 with another 800 planned!

The fittings are Thorn R2L2 LED lanterns. I must say I am quite impressed with them. Although it is strange going from an LED lit street to a MA50 lit street.

Tonight was good as it is very foggy up here, you can really see how they manipulate and throw the light out.

Are any other towns using these around the country?

Regards,

Andrew.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 7:15 pm 
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Hello, hoping that I can get some advice to repair a Thorn Gamma 6.  I was thinking that I would have to replace it but finding your forum has given me some hope of getting it going again.

A previous owner of our house installed some ex Stranraer council  lamps and from old pictures (one shown in attachment). I can see that four were originally fitted. Two remain, one on a concrete post and the other attached to the house.  Sadly the one on the post stopped working recently and opening it up reveals that the wire from the ignitor to the ballast has become badly burnt (taking the ignitor terminal with it)

Is it possible to get a replacement ignitor (Thorn G53434) or equivalent ?  

The lamp was original other than I fitted a light sensor shortly after we moved in - hopefully I haven't damaged it by doing that, it had appeared to be running well like that for almost three months

http://www.ukastle.co.uk/imgsrv.php?i=h ... ge_id=3074

thanks,
andrew


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 9:44 pm 
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Is the Gamma 6 running a high pressure sodium (SON)  lamp? Cross referencing the ignitor part number suggests that it is.

Replacement ignitors are easily available - you can use a generic part rather than a Thorn replacement.


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 6:15 pm 
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Hello, it was running a 70W SON-T type lamp when we got it.

I can see various types online; standard, timed, superimposed. For a 'standard' one, or any advantage in using one of the other types (additional mods required or ?)

Sorry for all the questions,

Thanks,

Andrew


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 6:49 pm 
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Standard SON ignitor will do - they are usually 3 terminal. If the Thorn ignitor was 4 wires, then the ballast will usually still support a 3 wire type. The usually connections are N, lamp and the "non live end" of the ballast. Some Philips ignitors require a mid ballast tapping, so best to avoid those.


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