bof write:

Yep these were both electronic.

Right... its just another electronic appliance.


Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
wrote:

For the OP, magnetic ballasts are a lot more reliable than
electronic.

Not if you include starters and tube life. And buy good quality electronic
ones.

Tube life depends on how theyre started. Glowstarters dont behave
well in this respect, but thermal starters do better than electronic
ballasts. Shame theyre so hard to find today. A time delay relay
could be used for the same result.

Quality counts of course, but doesnt come close to giving equal
reliability. You've got a chunk of iron wound with thickish copper
wire, which is inherently immune to most failure modes, and gives
over a century life expectancy, versus a small electronic circuit,
that no matter how well built cant come anywhere close
reliability-wise.


NT