Bulb/ballast forensics - any help?

[whythefnot]

The ballast went out again after just 1 day of operation. Maybe I just need a digi bulb. Seeing as how I have another digi I could put the thing in, I think it would be worth a shot. If that doesn't work, I'll cannibalize it for a little bit of wiring and fittings and recycle whatever's left. I've always preferred mag ballasts, but I'll probably start considering myself a mag ballast snob, and scoffing at these darn kids' new-fangled electro-gadgety whizzbang ballasts.

I got my last ballast kit in the mail today, had her up and running in 15 minutes with some wiring and sockets I already had. Total cost: $46 + bulb. I wonder how long it would take to run a cheap electronic ballast before I would make up the difference in power costs. It probably wouldn't survive that long, but this mag ballast would. New cap, new ignitor every few years and presto.

 

[Gry]

Neat thread . Iron core works fine for me.

 

[Jhhnn]

The ballast went out again after just 1 day of operation. Maybe I just need a digi bulb. Seeing as how I have another digi I could put the thing in, I think it would be worth a shot. If that doesn't work, I'll cannibalize it for a little bit of wiring and fittings and recycle whatever's left. I've always preferred mag ballasts, but I'll probably start considering myself a mag ballast snob, and scoffing a these darn kids' new-fangled electro-gadgety whizzbang ballasts.

I got my last ballast kit in the mail today, had her up and running in 15 minutes with some wiring and sockets I already had. Total cost: $46 + bulb. I wonder how long it would take to run a cheap electronic ballast before I would make up the difference in power costs. It probably wouldn't survive that long, but this mag ballast would. New cap, new ignitor every few years and presto.

Intermittent issues are the worst. I doubt that a digi lamp would change a thing. If it doesn't work first time every time I'd pitch it.

You want to check out the after Christmas specials at Best Buy anyway, right?

Digi ballasts are only slightly more efficient than mags. You can measure it with one of these-

http://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Elec...F8&qid=1450814396&sr=8-1&keywords=kill-a-watt

The power factor function is an easy way to test for a soft capacitor in a mag ballast. It should be >90%.