Florescent Shop Lights?

[Rob07002]

Anyone know if they make strip lights that can be connected in series? In other words like the way Christmas lights work where you plug 1 into the other and so on....

Also can someone with the Home Depot diamond plate shop lights tell me if they are plug in or have to be hard wired?

Thanks

 

[autoist]

Mine are hard wired in series

 

[Wile1Coyote]

I have thought of that before since it really is nuts to have to plug each one in seperately OR to lop the ends off and hard wire them but no in my experience I have never seen a shop light that had a plug on it so you could energize the next fixture down the line.

 

[krooser]

Mine are hard wired in series

I don't think you have these wired in a series circuit...if one bulb burns out they would all go out.

You must have them wired in a parallel circuit...

 

[autoist]

Ah, I'm not an electician...so I may get my terminology mixed up, sorry...they all go on when the switch is energized, but when one burns out, the others continue to work

 

[dboat]

Ah, I'm not an electician...so I may get my terminology mixed up, sorry...they all go on when the switch is energized, but when one burns out, the others continue to work

that would be parallel, I believe..

 

[Rob07002]

I have thought of that before since it really is nuts to have to plug each one in seperately OR to lop the ends off and hard wire them but no in my experience I have never seen a shop light that had a plug on it so you could energize the next fixture down the line.

Sounds to me like a no.... Well who wants to go into biz with me and start making them... This idea seems to make total sense yet it doesn't appear available....

 

[bmwpower]

Sounds to me like a no.... Well who wants to go into biz with me and start making them... This idea seems to make total sense yet it doesn't appear available....

They're probably not manufactured this way for a reason. Possible liability if someone connected a bunch of these things together. Wiring on these things can be questionable.

Furthermore, how would you do this? In order to do it properly, you'd have to have a lead on each end of the light - one for incoming power and one for outgoing power to the next light. Wired in this fashion, you'd have the first light passing the entire load of the whole circuit.

 

[joecaver]

we have them like that at work. one end has the male plug the other end has the female plug. They are large, heavy, explosion proof units that are used in the paint shop areas.

 

[TOMWELDS]

Im actually confused by this question...lol...if one goes out, the rest stay on?? Isnt that how they work? If one fixture goes out, the others DO stay on. Or do you mean the other BULB?

 

[Rob07002]

I don't it would be that difficult to make. Its been a LONG time since I've thought about electronics, but if the lights were wired in parallel, then the amps and voltage would be distributed evenly. If $5 Christmas lights can work this way why not these lights..... I'm sure there would be a limit to how many you could connect this way but 4 or 5 in a row shouldn't be a problem...Right?

 

[joecaver]

the ones at work are made that way. If one unit dies it has no affect on the others. I can recall hooking up 8 to 10 in a run and each unit had 3 four foot bulbs.

 

[byrdman]

Also can someone with the Home Depot diamond plate shop lights tell me if they are plug in or have to be hard wired?

Thanks

they plug in.

 

[byrdman]

Also can someone with the Home Depot diamond plate shop lights tell me if they are plug in or have to be hard wired?

Thanks

I've got them, they plug in.

 

[MXtras]

This could be done easily - you would have to take the lamp apart, but it's an easy thing to do. I don't know of any that are this way out of the box, though.

Scott