[The Seabat]

Howdy: I got a small problem with replacing a switch on a fluorescent
desk lamp. It's a swing-arm with a circular bulb. The old switch has
two black wires coming out of one side and a white wire on the other
side. There is a terminal in the middle of the back that the hot line
attaches to.

The plug to the bulb has two whites and two blacks. The two blacks and
one white attach to the leads from the switch. The other white lead
attaches directly to the nuetral line.

I have finally found a replacement switch for this puppy, but it has
two black and two blue wires coming from it. Each color is on opposite
corners of each other. Both of these are pushbutton switches.

How do I wire up the new switch?? I'm at a loss. There are no markings
on the back or side as to polarity or anything, just the usual
amp/volt rating. And help would be greatly appriciated. Sure would
hate to toss out a perfectly good $70 lamp because of a darn faulty
switch.

Thank you.

 

[The Seabat]

Just a thought! If I were to wire both blacks to the hot lead and both
whites to the neutral lead and then put a regular wall switch between
the power plug and the wall switch (or just switch the wall
recepticle) would this work??? If I can't get the switch to work!

 

[Feltch Pipe]

Howdy: I got a small problem with replacing a switch on a fluorescent
desk lamp. It's a swing-arm with a circular bulb. The old switch has
two black wires coming out of one side and a white wire on the other
side. There is a terminal in the middle of the back that the hot line
attaches to.

The plug to the bulb has two whites and two blacks. The two blacks and
one white attach to the leads from the switch. The other white lead
attaches directly to the nuetral line.

I have finally found a replacement switch for this puppy, but it has
two black and two blue wires coming from it. Each color is on opposite
corners of each other. Both of these are pushbutton switches.

How do I wire up the new switch?? I'm at a loss. There are no markings
on the back or side as to polarity or anything, just the usual
amp/volt rating. And help would be greatly appriciated. Sure would
hate to toss out a perfectly good $70 lamp because of a darn faulty
switch.

Thank you.

Slack Shit Pipe?

 

[SQLit]

Howdy: I got a small problem with replacing a switch on a fluorescent
desk lamp. It's a swing-arm with a circular bulb. The old switch has
two black wires coming out of one side and a white wire on the other
side. There is a terminal in the middle of the back that the hot line
attaches to.

The plug to the bulb has two whites and two blacks. The two blacks and
one white attach to the leads from the switch. The other white lead
attaches directly to the nuetral line.

I have finally found a replacement switch for this puppy, but it has
two black and two blue wires coming from it. Each color is on opposite
corners of each other. Both of these are pushbutton switches.

How do I wire up the new switch?? I'm at a loss. There are no markings
on the back or side as to polarity or anything, just the usual
amp/volt rating. And help would be greatly appriciated. Sure would
hate to toss out a perfectly good $70 lamp because of a darn faulty
switch.

Thank you.

The colors of wires mean nothing except to the people that built them.
Use a multi meter and see what the wires really do. The two blacks may be
the same and they used the switch as a junction point.

 

[J. B. Wood]

How do I wire up the new switch?? I'm at a loss. There are no markings
on the back or side as to polarity or anything, just the usual
amp/volt rating. And help would be greatly appriciated. Sure would
hate to toss out a perfectly good $70 lamp because of a darn faulty
switch.

Thank you.

Hello, and the fluorescent desk lamp that I've had for many years is wired
like a traditional fixture (ballast in series with the lamp) with the
exception that instead of a bimetallic starter a special DPST pushbutton
switch consisting of a toggle off-on section and a momentary-contact
section (to start the lamp) is employed. IOW when the pushbutton is
depressed and held down AC is applied and the filaments (heaters) of the
bulb are connected in series to allow the bulb to start. When the button
is released the momentary-contact part of the switch is again open, the
filaments are no longer in the circuit but now AC is flowing through the
ballast to illuminate the bulb. Pushing the button a second time again
energizes the filaments but this time when the button is released AC is
removed from the lamp circuit. A replacement switch of this type might
not be readily available at your local hardware store, thouogh. Hope this
helps. Sincerely,

John Wood (Code 5550) e-mail: [email protected]
Naval Research Laboratory
4555 Overlook Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20375-5337