New tools are often nothing special. Most of the time they are incremental updates, but occasionally, they alter the makeup of an existing idea enough to be considered original – like the one-handed reciprocating saw, for example. But other times, they are downright original. I mean, truly original – as in “the first of its kind”. Milwaukee pulled this off when it saw a need for identifying and fixing fluorescent lighting. There simply wasn’t a meter on the market that could troubleshoot and fix this style of lighting quickly and easily. What the new Milwaukee Fluorescent Lighting Tester does is allow maintenance professionals to extend a probe, turn to the lamp function, press the test function and check to see if the lamp is good or bad. But how? The meter emits high-frequency voltage when it contacts the glass. This process “activates” the bulb because the rod acts as a ballast which will energize a good lamp.
Milwaukee Fluorescent Lighting Tester Features
That. Is. Really. Cool. If you don’t get how cool this is, just scale it up. Imagine a maintenance professional that is responsible for a 30-story building (or more) and who is required to keep up with lighting on all those floors. Do that math and consider how much time can be saved not having to remove a bulb to test it – and knowing whether it’s the bulb or ballast that is defective.
Now the time savings becomes VERY apparent. Milwaukee claims you can cut in half the repair and detection time for a standard commercial building.
There’s even a pin check that verifies if the tube has a working filament. Additional features include a removable antenna adapter to increase
“flicker” response, audible and visual indicators for easy readings. The tool also has the requisite built-in LED work light and it’s already UL approved and comes with Milwaukee’s 5-year warranty. The tool is optimized for T8 which covers 80% of all installed lighting. T5 and T12 lamps can be tested, but at this point, the ballast test is designed for T8. Remember, (as far as we know) nothing like this exists in the market today, so this is a big coup for Milwaukee.
“There are 1 million electricians and 1.6 million maintenance technicians across the US alone, and Lighting is the #1 or #2 application for both of these groups. Fluorescent lights make up the vast majority of the lighting used in commercial and industrial locations, but no complete tester exists in the market. Without a complete solution, professionals have adopted a replace and hope strategy… change the lamp or ballast and hope that fixes the problem. With the new Fluorescent Lighting Tester, professionals can troubleshoot with confidence.”
– Jon Morrow, Director of Marketing, Test and Measurement for Milwaukee Electric Tool
Complete with a 2-1/2 foot, fully retractable antenna, users can easily reach all lighting fixtures. And since they will only change the lamps and ballasts that need replacing, users will save invaluable time and money by adding this easy-to-use tool to their arsenal.
Features
- Test all T5, T8, T12 fluorescent lamps
- Optimized for T8 electronic ballasts
- Check pin connections on all T5, T8, T12 lamps
- Includes: 2210-20 Fluorescent Lighting Tester, Adapter, 4 AA Batteries, Manual and Carrying Case
Specifications
- Max. Antenna Output in LAMP Test mode: 3000 V
- Max. PIN Test Capacity: 30 V~
- Min. Antenna Sensitivity in BALLAST Test mode: 10V at 1″
- Surge Protection: 6 kV Peak
- Operating Altitude: 2000 m
- Battery: 4 AA NEDA 15A, IEC LR6
- Battery life: 75 hrs normal use
- Drop Test: 2 m
- Safety Compliances: UL 61010-1 (EN 61010-1), Double Insulation
- Certifications: CULUS, CE, C1, ROHS, PAHS
The Milwaukee 2210-20 Fluorescent Lighting Tester will hit stores in February 2012 and will retail for approximately $199.
