"Steve Vitale" wrote in message
...
That's backwards. I'd suspect the ballast, not the lamp. Is the ballast
inductive or solid state? I'd try hooking up a 100 W light bulb as a
test to
replace the lamp, disconnecting the starter system if possible. If the
lamp
glows fully or not at all I'd suspect the ballast.

N
I assume that it's an electronic ballast as it uses transistors to limit
current as opposed to a coil. i assume those should be keeping things
from reaching a current where a fuse would blow? i think this is starting
to make a bit more sense.
Thanks


If the fuse blows you have a problem with the ballast. An electronic ballast
still uses a transformer, it's more like a switching power supply in a PC,
monitor, etc, but rather than regulate the output voltage it regulates the
amperage as well as provides a high voltage spike to strike the arc. Check
carefully for shorted semiconductors in the ballast circuit.