Fluorescent-lamp leadless ballast with improved connector

Abstract

A half-connector body has lateral ears that fit in small notches in the ends of the side walls of a ballast can, preferably at the top. An end wall, if present, traps the ears longitudinally in the notches; resilience of that wall, and of its attachment to the can bottom, enhance tight longitudinal fit. The half connector (a receptacle) presses against, and partly protrudes through an orifice in, the end wall (if present). Outside the ballast, in a new fixture, a jack slides freely in the receptacle to make wiring-harness connections. The jack has a ratchet-like manually operable hook to secure the jack until manually released. Each contact or lead in either half connector is preferably provided with individual strain relief by permanent deformation (as for example using a die punch, without heating or plastic flow) of the connector wall inward, to displace material irreversibly around the wires. In either the jack or receptacle, cylindrical female contacts make smooth wiping contact with bared ends of standard fixture wires held in the opposite half connector, serving as pin contacts. If the female contacts are in the jack, a person may replace conventional ballasts with this new one, by cutting and baring the old harness wires and inserting them individually into the receptacle. Alternatively, for field retrofit a jack can be supplied, e.g. with poke-in wiring.