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#62481 02/16/06 06:36 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 115
H
Haligan Offline OP
Member
Gosh darnit there are some things that thumping should fix (candy machines) and some things that should be scientifically fixable.

So this cheapo flo light with electric ballast comes on 50% of the time. 100% if you give it a little thunk. Swapped the tubes. No change. Rotated the tubes a little and that improved the reliability for a day. I'm guessing bad contacts, but is there any way the ballast could be at fault here? I have no idea what the age of this thing is.

thx,
FM

#62482 02/16/06 06:43 PM
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 558
R
Member
Could be but I'd put $$ on it being a loose connection at one of the "endsockets".. That or the fixture may not be grounded properly.. I don't know how true it is NOW but it used to be that Fluorescent lights had to be near grounded metal to start.. touching the fixture or tube of a n ungrounded fixture sometimes would get them to start...

A.D

#62483 02/16/06 07:21 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 115
H
Haligan Offline OP
Member
I can testify to the grounding, but I will open up the tombstones and see if that's the culprit.

thx,
FM

#62484 02/16/06 10:57 PM
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,143
D
Member
Yeah... when you're paying $7.99 for a fixture, one of the places they cheapen 'em up is the contacts.


And the reflector

And the ballast


and the cord

and the housing.....

[Linked Image]

#62485 02/16/06 11:31 PM
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,273
T
Member
No expenses are spared to make them as cheaply as possible.


Tesla
#62486 02/16/06 11:38 PM
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 625
S
Member
The combined time spent posting to this tread is already valued at, what, about five times the value of the fixture?

#62487 02/17/06 12:19 AM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 693
L
Member
Seven, but who's counting?


Larry Fine
Fine Electric Co.
fineelectricco.com

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