Star Tech Journal

Rapid Start Fluorescent La1np Problems
Frank "The Crank" Seninsky
Alpha-Omega Amusements & Sales
Edison, New Jersey
PROBLEM
Some games are equipped with fluorescent
lamps using rapid start ballasts. In most of
these games you probably have encountered
lamp starting problems.
more hours oflamp life, are more power efficient
(if operated in a dual lamp configuration) and
operate on a very high power factor because of a
built-in capacitor.
Every time you turn on the game the whole
length of the fluorescent tube will just give out a
very faint white glow. All
you have to do is barely
touch the lamp and it
turns on to full bright-
ness like magic. But
this doesn't solve your
lamp starting problem.
In addition, you get rid of that troublesome little
guy, called the starter, which always takes the
lamp with him when he
dies out. However,
rapid starts are a lot
more susceptible to
starting problems like
the one mentioned
above.
SOLUTION
PRE HEAT
The solution to this is to
spray the lamp (or
lamps if two lamps are
operated on the same
ballast) with silicon,
then rub the silicon
along the entire length
of the tube. The silicon
breaks up any moisture
along the bulb walls.
This moisture tends to
by-pass the open circuit
starting voltage pro-
vided by the ballast
during starting to initi-
ate the arc across the
tube.
Some fluorescent lamps
are designed to work
only in pre-heat circuits
(that is when you have
to apply the silicon
treatment described
above). Some are made
exclusively for rapid
start. Most are now
made to work on both
systems.
RAPID START
Rapid start ballasts are
actually superior to the
more common pre-heat
type (the one that uses a
starter) that we find
behind most video game
marquees. They provide
However, even a lamp
made for rapid starting
will not have any start-
ing difficultly at all if
operated on a pre-heat
ballast. On the other
hand, a non-rapid start
lamp may have all kinds
of starting problems if
operated in a rapid start
circuit.
So, Get out the silicon
and light up your
games.