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Ummmm....I think I broke the light rig....

imaguitargod

imaguitargod

Well, you know that old lighting rig?

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Well, I plugged in the long tubes and then I plugged in the bulbs. I plugged it in and was like, "Ya, that's the stuff". Then I unplugged it, and pulled the bulbs out and plugged it back into the wall.

Uh oh! The tubes are not powering up fully. They just sat there half on. I plugged in a different set of tubes and the same thing happened, not fully turning on.

Any advice? Is there a fuse I might have blown out? Do you think this rig is a one or the other sort of thing when it comes to bulbs (only have bulbs in and not blubs and tubes at the same time)?
 
Replace the ballast.

EDIT:

Upon further inspection, it deems that the bulbs are part of the circuit. Put the bulbs back in.
 
probably the ballast need to be replaced...just a guess..
 
IGG,

If it is a fuse, it would be an internal one on the rig, otherwise you wouldn't get any power at all. It also seems unlikely that it is bulbs or tubes only, as you said it worked the first time.

Does the thing use a ballast? That's about the only thing I can think of.

Mike

Edit: Looks like everyone says ballast - some just type faster than I do!
 
its the thingy that powers up the bulb...have you got any "instruction" manuals for the lights?...maybe your mom has then stashed some where...
 
AlabamaJack said:
its the thingy that powers up the bulb...have you got any "instruction" manuals for the lights?...maybe your mom has then stashed some where...
Click to expand...

I'll ask her, but I'm almost 100% sure that she doesn't. Think I should dismantle the thing to locate the ballast and then call around to see if anyone has one to replace it? How much do these things run and where should I look for them?
 
DD's one step ahead of me....

I don't know the cost of a ballast....
 
Omri said:
Ancient stuff. just buy a new fixture, probably cheaper.
Click to expand...

Depending on how old your fixture is...the ballist could cost almost as much as 2 - 3 new fixtures at walmart and that is if you could find a ballist for it. JMO...
 
Did you ever try what DD said and put the bulbs back in?

There are various kinds of ballasts, some ar pretty cheap, some are not. See what you need for your rig. I prefer fixing stuff over buying it new as long as it's not far more expensive.

I don't think it's the starter, I'm not an expert, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I think if the starter was broken it (the rig) wouldn't work at all.
 
With real old lights, the starter can be a problem. We always had to turn them a half-rotation or so to get the lights to completely power up. We also had to replace them every couple of years. But this was back in the '60s and'70s though.

Mike
 
Curious, did you check the wattage?

Mum had one very similar to that one, and those old ones used diff bulbs than are available now. If it wont break the circuit, try taking one tube out.
 
Ok, problem solved. After getting it upside down. Mom and I decided to f with it one last time. The bulbs flickered and started to work. Turns out, the connectors are old and are falling apart so it's not making a connection.

We sort of jury rigged it and it's working but we have to be careful not to disturb it.
 
that means no midnight fondling of the plants IGG...what are you going to do?
 
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