fluorescent light doing very weird things w.t.f. ?

[rlemmon]

Hi guys, my cab has a fluorescent light fixture from walmart. The otherday I was playing a game and I thought I smelt something burning. I tracked the smell to themarquee area and removed the plexi. The fixture smelled like burnt rubber and the bulb was dark in the middle with a little light on each side.

I bought a new fixture and installed it. The next day it started acting weird.
I looked up at my marquee and the light was waving from left to right really quickly. It sort of looked light one of those plasma balls that respond to sound and touch. Does anyone know what could cause this ?

I wonder if theres a short in my surge protector or something ?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

This is the light I have.

http://www.amazon.com/Lights-America-7000-Fluorescent-Counter/dp/B00002N5H5

[NightGod]

Did you get a completely new fixture or just the bulb?

[Luigi]

I'd try to replace all components, not only the tube.


I have a Lady Bug wall-cab that had a defective starter. Each time the light flickered there was one more credit on the game

[SavannahLion]

I'm a little confused by your wording. When you write "fixture", do you mean the whole fixture or just the bulb itself?

[rlemmon]

Hi guys, I replaced the whole fixture with a new one. I think I may have figured out the problem.


I found a site that basically says that if the room temperature is too cold  the gas insside the bulb won't getting warm enough which causes the weirdness.

LINK   http://nemesis.lonestar.org/reference/electricity/fluorescent/trouble.html

I hope this is all that's wrong. It could be since my cabs in an air conditioned room.
Thanks.
 

[Kevin Mullins]

I found a site that basically says that if the room temperature is too cold  the gas insside the bulb won't getting warm enough which causes the weirdness.

It could be since my cabs in an air conditioned room.

It's true that flourescent lights will glow dimly and pulse with rings like you said when it's cold...... but damn.....how cold do you keep it in there?

[rlemmon]

Kevin, when it started it was 60 degrees. I don't usually keep it so cold but the temperature dropped while i was sleeping and the ac was on.

I think I was wrong when i said the bulb was to cold.  I left it run today and when i went to check on it it was waving again and the bulb was hot so I guess the temperature theory is out the window. I guess I'll just leave it unplugged until I figure out whats wrong. 

[Kevin Mullins]

Those are supposed to have a replaceable starter..... can you turn it on, let it warm up a bit, and then pull the starter to see if it lights up properly?

You might have to pop the cover off of it to get to the starter.

[rlemmon]

Kevin, it doesn't have a replaceable starter its soldered on the pcb.
Thanks

[Kevin Mullins]

Oh..... Ok.
I was just going by the description given on your link.

Product Description
18" energy efficient fluorescent light with 15W replaceable tube and starter.

Have you measured the actual voltage (AC) going to the lamp fixture ?

[rlemmon]

No, I didn't measure the voltage. I don't have a multimeter.

The link may not be for the exact model, Its made by the same manufacturer and looks the same.

Thanks

[rlemmon]

Does anyone know if fluorescent lights are affected by magnetic interference ? maybe my speakers could be a part of the problem.

 

 ( they are shielded but they were cheap so maybe there not completely shielded)

[ChadTower]

Buy a multimeter.

[rlemmon]

Im son'y know how to use a Multimeter. 

[ChadTower]

Now is the time to learn.

[Mamed for life]

Now is the time to learn.

Thanks for this link, Chad. I picked up a multimeter for €10 a few weeks back (and some forstner bits for €5) but had no idea how to use it, this looks good!

MfL

[TOK]

My garage goes down into the low 40's in the winter and my fluorescent lights don't do that (they do hum, but give off same light). You either have one hell of an air conditioner or temperature isn't your problem.

[SavannahLion]

Maybe rlemmon has a Nintendo cab?

[RichSorr]

Does anyone know if fluorescent lights are affected by magnetic interference ? maybe my speakers could be a part of the problem.

 

 ( they are shielded but they were cheap so maybe there not completely shielded)

nope

[rlemmon]

Its a handmade cab.








I bought a new light but it's too big to fit above the speakers, so i have to exchange it. Thanks for all the help guys. I'll let you know how things go. 

[richms]

Newer tubes have less mercury in them, so they have really bad warm up times and cold weather performance. I have got some 5 foot ones that took about 10 mins before the light was even along the whole length of them in really cold days in my garage/workshop (8°C - no idea what that is in caveman °) - blame the environmentalists for that change rather then sorting out a recovery system where they can be recycled.

[Kevin Mullins]

(8°C - no idea what that is in caveman °)

Ug, wumpa wumpa, me thinkith is 46.4 degree Fahrenheit.   

[Crowquill]

I bought a new light but it's too big to fit above the speakers, so i have to exchange it. Thanks for all the help guys. I'll let you know how things go. 

Maybe the light violated one of the prime directives 

A couple weeks ago I picked up a basic 18" under-cabinet fixture for my Neo-Geo from Home Depot. It was branded as GE and I think it was THIS ONE. I didn't think it was anything special except for the lines on the front about "no hum" and "no flickering". They didn't lie. It instantly starts up and doesn't make a sound. Another thing I liked about this fixture is that it takes standard F15T8 18" bulbs instead of the funky mini-bulbs that cost more than the fixture. It cost somewhere around $8.50 (bulb included). I'm probably going to pick up a second to replace the buzzing fixture in my Primal Rage cabinet.