Jewel Lighting Unit

[madmatt2001]

Hi All,
I have a Jewel Rio 180, and the lights have failed.I changed both tubes without success, then took the unit to my local shop, who told me it's quite common for the electonic starter to fail, and the only option is a new unit at a cost of £70.

As the tank is about 7 years old, and as always a few scratches are noticeable, I have invested in a new Fluval Vicenza 180, and I must say this is a much better designed tank, with external Fluval 205 filter and new T5(wow!!) lighting.

My question is this.

Has anyone opened up a Jewel light unit? I am going to try and fix mine, or add new lighting bits and bobs to make it work, then have this tank as a (nother) breeding tank.Does anyone know what component fails in these units?

Many Thanks

Matt

 

[rikgarner]

I have exactly the same problem! Dead Multilux from a Rio 125.

I have changed the tubes and the starters, and absolutely not a sausage. I am considering cracking mine open too, as I am reasonably handy with a soldering iron, however im not confident about getting everything re-sealed around the edges, and as we all know, water and electric......

 

[rikgarner]

Well.. I figured it wasnt going to get any less broken with me just looking at it, so I have split it open.


I don't know why I worried about seals, the screws inside are all rusty anyway.


More details to follow....

 

[rikgarner]

Well.. rather unsurprisingly there is little inside to go wrong.

Live-in goes through a thermistor to the ballast, ballast to the tube fitting nearest the mains-in on the I-bar, and then to the nearest starter. From there, the circuit continues to the other end of that tube, then across to the other, through the other starter, collects the other end of the tube then out to neutral.

I tested the thermistor and it was only showing about 40 ohms resistance, however the connectors onto the ballast were corroded and partly covered in white paint of the body of the ballast.

I am going to clean up the contacts and give firing it up a shot.