US3484535A - Moisture proof ballast construction for plastic signs and the like - Google Patents
Moisture proof ballast construction for plastic signs and the like Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US3484535A US3484535A US646830A US3484535DA US3484535A US 3484535 A US3484535 A US 3484535A US 646830 A US646830 A US 646830A US 3484535D A US3484535D A US 3484535DA US 3484535 A US3484535 A US 3484535A
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- ballast
- container
- leads
- wall
- cover
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
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Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01F—MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
- H01F38/00—Adaptations of transformers or inductances for specific applications or functions
- H01F38/08—High-leakage transformers or inductances
- H01F38/10—Ballasts, e.g. for discharge lamps
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S174/00—Electricity: conductors and insulators
- Y10S174/02—Ballasts
Definitions
- a ballast for mounting on the upper surface of a supporting member has a casing which comprises a seamless drawn sheet metal container with flared upper edges and a flanged cover with the flanges rolled under the flared upper edges.
- the container is preassembled with the ballast leads.
- a receptacle at the upper edge of each end wall of the container is filled with a thermosetting resin which forms a moisture-proof seal with the insulation of the ballast leads, the leads extending through openings in the container and wall and the opposite wall of the receptacle.
- Mounting brackets are secured to the end walls of the container and have bolt receiving flanges spaced above the bottom wall to accommodate a bolt locating nut so that the bottom wall can be maintained in heat conducting contact with the supporting surface.
- a plastic sign is a display sign having one or two translucent faces which are back lighted by fluorescent lamps powered by a fluorescent lamp ballast.
- Plastic sign ballasts have a much higher failure rate than ballasts used for indoor lighting due to presence of water, and excessive heating. Due to inaccessibility of the ballast, particularly in large elevated sign installations, the labor cost of ballast replacement is many times that of replacement of indoor ballasts. The problem of long ballast life has not entirely been solved because previous attempts to overcome the water probelm aggravate the overheating problem.
- Ballasts are customarily enclosed in a casing comprising an open top container called a can, and a cover.
- the ballast components are first placed in the can, with the terminal panel facing upwardly; then the soldered connections are made between the various leads and the lugs of the terminal panel; the ballast is then potted, which is to say, filled with an insulating material, such as an asphaltic compound or a resin; and then a dielectric insulating liner is placed over the terminal panel and submerged below the level of the potting compound. Then the potting compound is permitted to cool and solidify after which the cover is applied. In some instances, the cover is applied first, and the potting compound injected through a hole in the cover.
- the ends of the cover are extended beyond the end walls of the can and provided with holes or notches to serve as mounting flanges for the fully assembled ballast.
- the ballast is customarily mounted on the under surface of a supporting member, but in plastic signs the ballast is more frequently mounted on the upper surface of the supporting member, with the result that the cover constitutes the base of the ballast.
- the cover is referred to as the base and the two types of mounting can be referred to as the base-up or upright mounting, and the basedown or inverted mounting, respectively.
- the top edges of the end wall are notched to accommodate the ballast leads.
- the leads extend from the lower edge of the casing.
- the ballast In indoor lighting with base-up mounting the ballast is generally secured to the supporting member by bolts, the bolts extending downwardly through the support and flange, and the nuts holding the base securely against the lower surface of the supporting member so that the heat developed by the ballast will be conducted into the supporting member and dissipated.
- the cooling effect of the supporting member is often included in the design calculations to meet temperature specifications.
- the water may accumulate on the supporting surface at a greater rate than it runs off, with the result that the to inch spacing provided by double nutting is insuflicient to avoid moisture penetration. This is particularly true where the supporting member is flanged or otherwise confined.
- the usual can is a structure provided with seams, as illustrated in Koke Patent No. 3,299,201.
- the end wall seams are also a source of moisture penetration.
- I provide a drawn seamless can, and provide mounting brackets at the lower portions of the end walls thereof so that when the ballast is mounted on the upper surface of a supporting structure, the cover will be located at the top of the ballast.
- the ballast is entirely waterproof unless the accumulated water is deep enough to cover the ballast.
- I provide mounting brackets such that the bottom of the can will be maintained in heat conducting contact in the upper surface of the supporting member even though double nutting is employed.
- I provide an improved arrangement for bringing the leads through the end walls of the ballast which provides a waterproof seal. This eliminate creepage of moisture along the joint between the wire insulation and the potting compound, which creepage occurs under moist or humid conditions even though there is no standing water on the supporting surface.
- My lead seal construction also permits the ballast to be mounted in a vertical position without danger of having water run down the leads and into the ballast.
- my improved construction which permits upright mounting of the ballast has the advantage that the dielectric insulating liner is not disposed between the heat generating components and that surface of the casing which is in heat conducting contact with the supporting member. This dielectric insulating liner has lower heat conduction than the poting compound, and hence low temperature operation is improved when it is located above the core and coil assembly as provided in my invention.
- a further object of my invention is to provide a con- 3 tainer and sealed lead combination in the form of a preassembled unit to facilitate ballast assembly.
- my invention reduces the probability of failure due to overheating and moisture penetration, and still permits a double nut mounting. Furthermore, by sealing the leads to the container, the ballast may be handled by the leads without damage to the soldered connections.
- FIG. 1 is an exploded elevation of a ballast casing embodying my invention
- FIG. 2 is a plan view of the container portion of the FIG. 1 casing, with some leads preassembled thereto;
- FIG. 3 is an end view of FIG. 2;
- FIG. 4 is a vertical section along line 44 of FIG. 2, and showing a preassembled lead
- FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevation along line 5-5 of FIG. 2;
- FIG. 6 is a detail of the interlocking edges of the container and the cover.
- FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section showing the manner of mounting.
- the casing comprises a container 10 and a cover 11.
- the container has a flared edge 12 and the cover has a flange 13.
- the flange 13 is rolled over the flared edge 12 to provide a rolled seam 14, as shown in FIG. 6.
- a head of sealing compound 40 may be applied to the flared edge 12 as shown in FIG. 4, or to the inner surface of the flange 13.
- the container 10 comprises a bottom 15, end walls 16, and side walls 17.
- Lead receiving openings 18 are formed in the end walls 16.
- a receptacle 19 is located at the upper edge of the inner surface of each end wall 16.
- the receptacle as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, comprises a side wall 20, a bottom wall 21 which abuts the container wall 16, end walls 22, and flanges 23 which are spot welded at 24 to the container walls 16.
- Openings 25 are formed in the side wall which are in substantial alignment with the lead receiving openings 18.
- the edges of openings 18 and are rolled edges, as shown in FIG. 4.
- ballast shown has at least six leads and usually eight or more.
- a set of openings 18, 25, is provided for each lead or for each pair of leads. It will be observed that the openings 18 and 25 are of a width sufficient to receive two leads side by side so that the six openings will accommodate up to twelve leads.
- thermosetting sealing material 27 Such as polyester, epoxy, urethane or silicone thermosetting resins.
- the sealing material 27 forms a bond with the surface of the insulation of the lead 26, and also with the painted metal walls of the receptacle.
- the leads 26 are customarily insulated with neoprene or as imilar non-fibrous insulating material, and the thermosetting sealing compound forms a bond with the neoprene or other insulation which not only prevents any seepage of water along the surface of the insulation, but also provides a mechanical connection which permits the ballast to be handled by the leads, the bond being sufficiently strong that it will not be broken by the forces encountered in handling the leads of a relatively heavy ballast.
- sealing material also makes a bond with the wall of the receptacle avoids the possibility that a crevice will open up between the sealing material 27 and the container, due to flexing of the container in handling, or due to thermal expansion, which would serve as a moisture path bypassing the bond with the lead insulation.
- the sealed leads and the container constitute a preassembled unit, which simplifies the assembly and soldering operations.
- the leads are positioned in the container and receptacle so that the length of that portion of each lead extending into the container is predetermined to permit subsequent internal connection to be made to the ballast components with no excess or slack.
- the components such as the core-coil assembly 29, shown in dotted line, and a condenser 29a are placed into the drawn can with its preassembled leads.
- the internal connections are then made to the components, and the can is filled with a suitable potting compound, which may be either the usual asphaltic potting compound, or a thermosetting material which, when cured, will not soften or flow when heated.
- a fiber insulating liner 28 is placed over the components 29 during the potting operation, and submerged about A of an inch below the top surface. In the case of a thermosetting potting material, the liner 28 is not necessary.
- the cover 11 is placed on the edges 12 and the flanges 13 rolled over as in FIG. 6.
- the potting material can be injected through a suitable opening (not shown) in the cover 11, as shown in the aforesaid Koke Patent No. 3,299,201.
- the mounting means for the ballast comprises a bracket 30 at each end, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
- Each bracket has a wall contacting body portion 31, a flange portion 32 which extends outwardly at right angles to the body portion, and a downturned end 33.
- the flange portion 32 is disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of the bottom wall 15 of the can, but spaced above same by substantially inch, for example.
- Bolt holes 34 are provided in the flange portion 32.
- a bolt retaining nut 37 is first threaded on to the bolt before the ballast is located.
- the retaining nut 37 prevents the bolt 36 from dropping through the support member 35.
- the ballast is placed on the support member with the bolts 36 extending through the bolt holes 34 and the nuts 38 are applied and tightened up.
- the flange portion 32 and the downturned end 34 provide a nut receiving recess 39 for accommodation of the bolt retaining nut 37 which permits the bottom wall 15 to be urged firmly against the upper surface of the support member 35 in heat conducting relationship.
- the downturned end 33 provides a lower edge which is disposed substantially in the plane of the lower surface of the bottom wall to provide a support abutting edge
- an exaggerated clearance between the edge and the support is shown in FIG. 7.
- this clearance is of the order of from .01 to .03 inch to accommodate surface irregularities and in normal operation the clearance is taken up by the nut 38.
- the bottom wall 15 is resiliently urged against the support surface 35, but the resilience is that provided by a slight dishing of the flange portion 32 or span, rather than a cantilever type of flexing which would overstress the bend between the body portion 31 and the flange portion 32, if the downturned end were omitted.
- a ballast comprising a casing, ballast components disposed in said casing, potting compound surrounding said ballast components and embedding same in said casing, said casing comprising a drawn sheet metal container having a bottom wall,
- each end wall comprising a wall contacting body portion, a flange portion extending longitudinally from said body portion and disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of said botom wall and spaced above same, and a downturned end portion terminating substantially in the plane of said bottom wall to provide a support surface abutting edge,
- said flange portion having a bolt receiving opening
- ballast may be secured to the upper surface of a horizontal supporting member with said bottom wall in heat conducting relationship thereto, said casing providing a waterproof enclosure for said ballast with respect to standing water of a depth at least as great as the height of said lead receiving openings.
- a ballast as claimed in claim 1 which includes sealing material disposed between said flared edges and said cover.
Description
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US64683067A | 1967-06-19 | 1967-06-19 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US3484535A true US3484535A (en) | 1969-12-16 |
Family
ID=24594642
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US646830A Expired - Lifetime US3484535A (en) | 1967-06-19 | 1967-06-19 | Moisture proof ballast construction for plastic signs and the like |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US3484535A (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3851225A (en) * | 1973-06-07 | 1974-11-26 | Ltd Syst Inc | Water resistant ballast construction |
US3873757A (en) * | 1974-04-08 | 1975-03-25 | Bell Telephone Labor Inc | Communications circuit protector |
US4851611A (en) * | 1986-04-22 | 1989-07-25 | Weber S.R.L. | Device for the external connection of electrical cables of a container body |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US921018A (en) * | 1907-08-03 | 1909-05-11 | Westinghouse Electric & Mfg Co | Electrical apparatus. |
US1774935A (en) * | 1928-11-23 | 1930-09-02 | Mangin James | Adjustable wall-box strap |
US3329762A (en) * | 1966-01-21 | 1967-07-04 | Universal Mfg Co | Feed through insulator |
-
1967
- 1967-06-19 US US646830A patent/US3484535A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US921018A (en) * | 1907-08-03 | 1909-05-11 | Westinghouse Electric & Mfg Co | Electrical apparatus. |
US1774935A (en) * | 1928-11-23 | 1930-09-02 | Mangin James | Adjustable wall-box strap |
US3329762A (en) * | 1966-01-21 | 1967-07-04 | Universal Mfg Co | Feed through insulator |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3851225A (en) * | 1973-06-07 | 1974-11-26 | Ltd Syst Inc | Water resistant ballast construction |
US3873757A (en) * | 1974-04-08 | 1975-03-25 | Bell Telephone Labor Inc | Communications circuit protector |
US4851611A (en) * | 1986-04-22 | 1989-07-25 | Weber S.R.L. | Device for the external connection of electrical cables of a container body |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: BANKERS TRUST COMPANY A NY BANKING CORP. OF AGENT Free format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:MAGNETEK, INC., A DE CORP.;REEL/FRAME:004302/0928 Effective date: 19840706 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: MAGNTEK, INC., SUITE 902, 16000 VENTURA BOULEVARD, Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:LITTON SYSTEMS INC;REEL/FRAME:004301/0393 Effective date: 19840701 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: BANKERS TRUST COMPANY, A NEW YORK BANKING Free format text: TO AMEND AND RESTATE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT RECORDED ON SEPTEMBER 14, 1984, REEL 4302, FRAME 928.;ASSIGNOR:MAGNETEK, INC., A CORP OF DE.;REEL/FRAME:004529/0726 Effective date: 19860212 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: CITICORP INDUSTRIAL CREDIT, INC., A CORP. OF NEW Y Free format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:CITIBANK, N.A.,;REEL/FRAME:004563/0395 Effective date: 19860429 |