A 277 volt lighting fixture is one that is usually used in an industrial application. The reason for this is the voltage rating. A voltage potential of 277 volts is the voltage to neutral (ground) of a three phase four wire 480 volt distribution system. 480 volts / 1.73 = 277 volts. Rather than having to add a transformer to the system to provide 120 volts for lighting, manufactures produced a ballast for fluorescent fixtures that operates on the 227 volt potential.
If you are talking about the lamp then the answer is no. If you are talking about the fluorescent fixture, it should be. It is the fixture grounding that helps the tube to ignite. because of the close proximity to the metal of the fixture. There are many occasions when the fixture will not operate, but as soon as the ground is connected the fixture operates fine.
Yes a black lamp tube will work in a fluorescent fixture. Guess you don't remember the early 70's.
Yes. It depends on the fixture. If the bulb runs at line voltage (i.e. without a transformer), then yes. If it's a low voltage halogen bulb, such as a 12 volt running off of a transformer, then you'll need to find out if the transformer is dimmable.
A fluorescent light fixture is designed to operate on an AC voltage supply. To have the fixture operate off of a DC supply a power inverter would have to be installed. The power inverter would then change the DC to AC for the fixture to operate. These power inverters are reasonably priced these days and can be bought at most DIY stores.
It is unlikely that actual light fixtures will be going away any time soon. Fluorescent bulbs will eventually be obsolete as LED and newer technologies take over.
Not unless you have 277 volts in your garage. Open the fixture and check the ballast. Some of the commercial fixtures have multi tap connections for different voltages. If 120 or 240 volt tap is present then you can use the fixture.
Not necessarily. It's the wattage of the lamps that determine how much power is used. 277V lighting merely allows for more lights to be on a circuit than if they were on a 120V. The current that is printed on the ballast, times the voltage the ballast is connected to, is what determines the cost to operate the fixture. This is the true wattage of the fixture. The wattage of the lamps are independent as new electronic ballasts can power a numerous amount of tubes of various wattages.
Pragmatically - YES A manufacturing company I know of has been using 277 V fluorescent ballasts on 240 V service for many years, and they are working just fine.
A pin based fluorescent light fixture is the type of fixture that takes fluorescent tubes. On each end of the fluorescent tubes there are contact pins. These pins are used to hold the tube in the fixture and to supply the voltage to the tube from the fixture's ballast.
need a universal voltage ballast 120/277 volt or a 277volt ballast
It sounds like the fixture that you acquired was from an industrial site. 277 volts is the star point voltage of a 480 three phase system. You will have to change the ballast out to the proper voltage that you need. If you want to spend some money you can get a step up auto transformer to make the conversion but the cost would off set the cost of a new fixture many times.
If you are talking about the lamp then the answer is no. If you are talking about the fluorescent fixture, it should be. It is the fixture grounding that helps the tube to ignite. because of the close proximity to the metal of the fixture. There are many occasions when the fixture will not operate, but as soon as the ground is connected the fixture operates fine.
That is all that is needed to wire the fixture. The 277 volts is the line to neutral of a 480 volt three phase system. Any one of L1, L2 or L3 to the neutral will give you the 277 volts that you need to connect the fixture so that it will operate.
No, by reducing the input voltage by half the output voltage will also be reduced and will not have enough voltage to operate the fixture it is connected to.
No, the fixtures do not have anything is common other that emitting light. If you are talking about removing the fluorescent fixture and installing a new fixture that can take a LED lamp then the answer is yes.
no ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stepdown transformer. More expensive than buying the correct light fixture. Y-THINK-Y
no