I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts when the
rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The lamp has a
polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1 3/8" that has
the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on the bottom but no other
markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick goes to the base of the lamp
where the clamp is located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb
with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp (that
works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works perfectly with
the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have a brand new spare bulb
that I've tried in the non-functional fixture and it too fails to light in the
bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of problems.
Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick white flashes in the
bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The behavior I observe is that
when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb either has one quick white flash
but then I only see the heaters glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no
white flash at all, and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've
tried plugging the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits and
fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has
always been entirely quiet and never got particularly warm, and that has not
changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

"Peter" wrote in message
...
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts when
the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The lamp
has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1
3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on the
bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick goes to
the base of the lamp where the clamp is located. The lamp uses a single
18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have a
brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture and it
too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of problems.
Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick white flashes
in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The behavior I
observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb either has
one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters glowing in each of
the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all, and all I see is the
glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging the lamp into another
outlet in case the problem was related to grounding (I've read that these
quick start bulbs need their circuits and fixtures to be grounded to work
properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has always been entirely quiet
and never got particularly warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

I think that what you're calling the "lamp", what I would call the fixture,
has a bad ballast transformer. If it is integral to the fixture, it's
probably not worth trying to replace.

On 4/23/2010 10:56 AM, RBM wrote:
wrote in message
...
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts when
the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The lamp
has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1
3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on the
bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick goes to
the base of the lamp where the clamp is located. The lamp uses a single
18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have a
brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture and it
too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of problems.
Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick white flashes
in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The behavior I
observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb either has
one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters glowing in each of
the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all, and all I see is the
glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging the lamp into another
outlet in case the problem was related to grounding (I've read that these
quick start bulbs need their circuits and fixtures to be grounded to work
properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has always been entirely quiet
and never got particularly warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

I think that what you're calling the "lamp", what I would call the fixture,
has a bad ballast transformer. If it is integral to the fixture, it's
probably not worth trying to replace.


Thanks for the clarification and the feedback. Yes, I was using "lamp" and
"fixture" interchangeably, in distinction from the "bulb". You're right, "bulb"
and "lamp" are closer in meaning; "fixture" is the entire unit from plug to bulb.

I opened the "brick"(held together by 4 small recessed screws)after sending my
inquiry and it appears to contain only a ballast with 2 wires at each end (this
conforms with the wiring diagram on the ballast label). The label identifies
the ballast as a Fu-chi brand PC-4526P-B 300 mA for PL-C 18w. Extensive work on
Google has failed to yield a useful hit for a replacement. The closest I saw
had 3 output wires and no dimensions were provided.

"Peter" wrote in message
...
On 4/23/2010 10:56 AM, RBM wrote:
wrote in message
...
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when
the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The lamp
has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1
3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on the
bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick goes
to
the base of the lamp where the clamp is located. The lamp uses a single
18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a
brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture and
it
too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems.
Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick white
flashes
in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The behavior I
observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb either has
one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters glowing in each of
the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all, and all I see is the
glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging the lamp into another
outlet in case the problem was related to grounding (I've read that
these
quick start bulbs need their circuits and fixtures to be grounded to
work
properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has always been entirely
quiet
and never got particularly warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

I think that what you're calling the "lamp", what I would call the
fixture,
has a bad ballast transformer. If it is integral to the fixture, it's
probably not worth trying to replace.


Thanks for the clarification and the feedback. Yes, I was using "lamp"
and "fixture" interchangeably, in distinction from the "bulb". You're
right, "bulb" and "lamp" are closer in meaning; "fixture" is the entire
unit from plug to bulb.

I opened the "brick"(held together by 4 small recessed screws)after
sending my inquiry and it appears to contain only a ballast with 2 wires
at each end (this conforms with the wiring diagram on the ballast label).
The label identifies the ballast as a Fu-chi brand PC-4526P-B 300 mA for
PL-C 18w. Extensive work on Google has failed to yield a useful hit for a
replacement. The closest I saw had 3 output wires and no dimensions were
provided.

That's what happens when Google gets kicked out of China. It may be possible
to get a replacement from the manufacturer of the fixture, but more and
more, I'm finding that approach fruitless as well.

If you are able to find parts they are likely to cost more than a new
fixture.

So, so true. It's a shame, but this is a throw away society.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Pat" wrote in message
nvilleaccesscompany...
If you are able to find parts they are likely to cost more
than a new
fixture.

On 4/23/2010 10:56 AM, RBM wrote:
wrote in message
...
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts when
the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The lamp
has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1
3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on the
bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick goes to
the base of the lamp where the clamp is located. The lamp uses a single
18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have a
brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture and it
too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of problems.
Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick white flashes
in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The behavior I
observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb either has
one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters glowing in each of
the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all, and all I see is the
glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging the lamp into another
outlet in case the problem was related to grounding (I've read that these
quick start bulbs need their circuits and fixtures to be grounded to work
properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has always been entirely quiet
and never got particularly warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

I think that what you're calling the "lamp", what I would call the fixture,
has a bad ballast transformer. If it is integral to the fixture, it's
probably not worth trying to replace.


OK, it seems unanimous here and on alt.engineering.electrical. If the problem
is the ballast, I'm ditching the fixture. Used every search engine I can think
of, including metabrowsers and I couldn't locate a replacement (if this were a
shop light I would have an embarrassment of riches deciding where to buy). Too
bad, I probably didn't use the fixture for more than about 300 hours. I think I
paid about $25 for the fixture on sale at an art supply store about 3 years ago.
Maybe that's why the item was on sale!

I think I'll stick to the old fashioned fixture that requires you to hold down
the on button while the filaments heat up, and then release the button. Those
seem to last forever (or as long as the switch does!)

Peter wrote:
On 4/23/2010 10:56 AM, RBM wrote:
wrote in message
...
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when
the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The lamp
has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1
3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on the
bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick
goes to
the base of the lamp where the clamp is located. The lamp uses a single
18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also
have a
brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it
too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems.
Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick white
flashes
in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The behavior I
observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb either has
one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters glowing in each of
the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all, and all I see is the
glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging the lamp into another
outlet in case the problem was related to grounding (I've read that
these
quick start bulbs need their circuits and fixtures to be grounded to
work
properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has always been entirely
quiet
and never got particularly warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

I think that what you're calling the "lamp", what I would call the
fixture,
has a bad ballast transformer. If it is integral to the fixture, it's
probably not worth trying to replace.


Thanks for the clarification and the feedback. Yes, I was using "lamp"
and "fixture" interchangeably, in distinction from the "bulb". You're
right, "bulb" and "lamp" are closer in meaning; "fixture" is the entire
unit from plug to bulb.

I opened the "brick"(held together by 4 small recessed screws)after
sending my inquiry and it appears to contain only a ballast with 2
wires at each end (this conforms with the wiring diagram on the ballast
label). The label identifies the ballast as a Fu-chi brand PC-4526P-B
300 mA for PL-C 18w. Extensive work on Google has failed to yield a
useful hit for a replacement. The closest I saw had 3 output wires and
no dimensions were provided.


Sounds like a standard 18 watt ballast. Just go to an electrical
lighting store probably cost about $6. I bought one a few months ago at
Lowes on closeout, cost me 18 cents.

Peter wrote:
On 4/23/2010 10:56 AM, RBM wrote:
wrote in message
...
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when
the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The lamp
has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1
3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on the
bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick
goes to
the base of the lamp where the clamp is located. The lamp uses a single
18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also
have a
brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it
too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems.
Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick white
flashes
in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The behavior I
observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb either has
one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters glowing in each of
the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all, and all I see is the
glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging the lamp into another
outlet in case the problem was related to grounding (I've read that
these
quick start bulbs need their circuits and fixtures to be grounded to
work
properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has always been entirely
quiet
and never got particularly warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

I think that what you're calling the "lamp", what I would call the
fixture,
has a bad ballast transformer. If it is integral to the fixture, it's
probably not worth trying to replace.


OK, it seems unanimous here and on alt.engineering.electrical. If the
problem is the ballast, I'm ditching the fixture. Used every search
engine I can think of, including metabrowsers and I couldn't locate a
replacement (if this were a shop light I would have an embarrassment of
riches deciding where to buy). Too bad, I probably didn't use the
fixture for more than about 300 hours. I think I paid about $25 for the
fixture on sale at an art supply store about 3 years ago. Maybe that's
why the item was on sale!

I think I'll stick to the old fashioned fixture that requires you to
hold down the on button while the filaments heat up, and then release
the button. Those seem to last forever (or as long as the switch does!)


Did you try switching the starters?

Tony wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/23/2010 10:56 AM, RBM wrote:
wrote in message
...
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when
the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The lamp
has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1
3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on the
bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick
goes to
the base of the lamp where the clamp is located. The lamp uses a
single
18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also
have a
brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it
too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems.
Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick white
flashes
in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The behavior I
observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb either
has
one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters glowing in
each of
the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all, and all I see is the
glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging the lamp into another
outlet in case the problem was related to grounding (I've read that
these
quick start bulbs need their circuits and fixtures to be grounded to
work
properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has always been entirely
quiet
and never got particularly warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

I think that what you're calling the "lamp", what I would call the
fixture,
has a bad ballast transformer. If it is integral to the fixture, it's
probably not worth trying to replace.


OK, it seems unanimous here and on alt.engineering.electrical. If the
problem is the ballast, I'm ditching the fixture. Used every search
engine I can think of, including metabrowsers and I couldn't locate a
replacement (if this were a shop light I would have an embarrassment
of riches deciding where to buy). Too bad, I probably didn't use the
fixture for more than about 300 hours. I think I paid about $25 for
the fixture on sale at an art supply store about 3 years ago. Maybe
that's why the item was on sale!

I think I'll stick to the old fashioned fixture that requires you to
hold down the on button while the filaments heat up, and then release
the button. Those seem to last forever (or as long as the switch does!)


Did you try switching the starters?

It's a manual start light fixture where you push and hold a button
for a second or two.

TDD

The Daring Dufas wrote:
Tony wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/23/2010 10:56 AM, RBM wrote:
wrote in message
...
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer
starts when
the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp
has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1
3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on
the
bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick
goes to
the base of the lamp where the clamp is located. The lamp uses a
single
18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also
have a
brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it
too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems.
Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick white
flashes
in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The behavior I
observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb
either has
one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters glowing in
each of
the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all, and all I see is the
glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging the lamp into
another
outlet in case the problem was related to grounding (I've read that
these
quick start bulbs need their circuits and fixtures to be grounded
to work
properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has always been
entirely quiet
and never got particularly warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

I think that what you're calling the "lamp", what I would call the
fixture,
has a bad ballast transformer. If it is integral to the fixture, it's
probably not worth trying to replace.


OK, it seems unanimous here and on alt.engineering.electrical. If
the problem is the ballast, I'm ditching the fixture. Used every
search engine I can think of, including metabrowsers and I couldn't
locate a replacement (if this were a shop light I would have an
embarrassment of riches deciding where to buy). Too bad, I probably
didn't use the fixture for more than about 300 hours. I think I paid
about $25 for the fixture on sale at an art supply store about 3
years ago. Maybe that's why the item was on sale!

I think I'll stick to the old fashioned fixture that requires you to
hold down the on button while the filaments heat up, and then release
the button. Those seem to last forever (or as long as the switch does!)


Did you try switching the starters?

It's a manual start light fixture where you push and hold a button
for a second or two.

TDD

OOPS! Sorry, premature postification. That's a different fixture
that may actually have a starter.

TDD

Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2"
x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on
the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick
goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is located. The lamp uses
a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture and
it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb
either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters glowing
in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all, and all I
see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging the lamp
into another outlet in case the problem was related to grounding (I've
read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits and fixtures to be
grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has always
been entirely quiet and never got particularly warm, and that has not
changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD

On 4/24/2010 10:45 AM, Tony wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/23/2010 10:56 AM, RBM wrote:
wrote in message
...
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when
the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The lamp
has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1
3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on the
bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick
goes to
the base of the lamp where the clamp is located. The lamp uses a single
18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also
have a
brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it
too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems.
Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick white
flashes
in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The behavior I
observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb either
has
one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters glowing in
each of
the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all, and all I see is the
glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging the lamp into another
outlet in case the problem was related to grounding (I've read that
these
quick start bulbs need their circuits and fixtures to be grounded to
work
properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has always been entirely
quiet
and never got particularly warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

I think that what you're calling the "lamp", what I would call the
fixture,
has a bad ballast transformer. If it is integral to the fixture, it's
probably not worth trying to replace.


OK, it seems unanimous here and on alt.engineering.electrical. If the
problem is the ballast, I'm ditching the fixture. Used every search
engine I can think of, including metabrowsers and I couldn't locate a
replacement (if this were a shop light I would have an embarrassment
of riches deciding where to buy). Too bad, I probably didn't use the
fixture for more than about 300 hours. I think I paid about $25 for
the fixture on sale at an art supply store about 3 years ago. Maybe
that's why the item was on sale!

I think I'll stick to the old fashioned fixture that requires you to
hold down the on button while the filaments heat up, and then release
the button. Those seem to last forever (or as long as the switch does!)


Did you try switching the starters?
The fixture has no starter that I could find. If I found 1, it would be the 1st
thing I'd do.

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one corresponding
to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull it out
about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a neon bulb with an
opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of the glass bulb. There are
2 wires coming out of the base of this little bulb, 1 connected to the black,
and the other to the white power wires that enter the base of the socket.
Perhaps this is the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?

Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one
corresponding to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull
it out about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a
neon bulb with an opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of
the glass bulb. There are 2 wires coming out of the base of this little
bulb, 1 connected to the black, and the other to the white power wires
that enter the base of the socket. Perhaps this is the hard-wired
starter? There are no markings on it at all. I reattached the bulb,
plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the little glass
bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?

If you get a standard starter look at the contact end and if it has a
aluminum can, you can bend the tabs back and remove the guts and there
will be the silvered bulb with a capacitor in parallel with it. Some
of the new starters are in a plastic can but you can open them too.
The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open. When power
is applied a glow discharge takes place which heats a bimetal contact. A
second or so later, the contacts close providing current to the
fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished, there is no
longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open. The inductive
kick generated at the instant of opening triggers the main discharge in
the fluorescent tube. If the contacts open at a bad time - current near
zero, there isn't enough inductive kick and the process repeats. That's
the tink, tink sound you hear.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

TDD

On 4/24/2010 12:30 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one
corresponding to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket,
pull it out about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost
like a neon bulb with an opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the
inside of the glass bulb. There are 2 wires coming out of the base of
this little bulb, 1 connected to the black, and the other to the white
power wires that enter the base of the socket. Perhaps this is the
hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I reattached
the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink"
"tink" "tink". What do I replace it with?

If you get a standard starter look at the contact end and if it has a
aluminum can, you can bend the tabs back and remove the guts and there
will be the silvered bulb with a capacitor in parallel with it. Some
of the new starters are in a plastic can but you can open them too.
The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open. When power
is applied a glow discharge takes place which heats a bimetal contact. A
second or so later, the contacts close providing current to the
fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished, there is no
longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open. The inductive
kick generated at the instant of opening triggers the main discharge in
the fluorescent tube. If the contacts open at a bad time - current near
zero, there isn't enough inductive kick and the process repeats. That's
the tink, tink sound you hear.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

TDD
Can I use the glow tube from an FS-2 starter (rated for 14, 15, and 20W bulbs)
or do you recommend a different standard starter? Also, my socket does not seem
to be using the capacitor; I assume that I should ignore that component and just
replace the defective glow tube with the new one.

Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 12:30 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one
corresponding to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all
now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket,
pull it out about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost
like a neon bulb with an opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the
inside of the glass bulb. There are 2 wires coming out of the base of
this little bulb, 1 connected to the black, and the other to the white
power wires that enter the base of the socket. Perhaps this is the
hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I reattached
the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink"
"tink" "tink". What do I replace it with?

If you get a standard starter look at the contact end and if it has a
aluminum can, you can bend the tabs back and remove the guts and there
will be the silvered bulb with a capacitor in parallel with it. Some
of the new starters are in a plastic can but you can open them too.
The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open. When power
is applied a glow discharge takes place which heats a bimetal contact. A
second or so later, the contacts close providing current to the
fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished, there is no
longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open. The inductive
kick generated at the instant of opening triggers the main discharge in
the fluorescent tube. If the contacts open at a bad time - current near
zero, there isn't enough inductive kick and the process repeats. That's
the tink, tink sound you hear.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

TDD
Can I use the glow tube from an FS-2 starter (rated for 14, 15, and 20W
bulbs) or do you recommend a different standard starter? Also, my
socket does not seem to be using the capacitor; I assume that I should
ignore that component and just replace the defective glow tube with the
new one.

The capacitor is for suppressing radio interference, you can install or
leave it out. Get a starter that matches the wattage of your lamp. The
starters will often operate over a wide range. You can actually test
the rest of the light fixture (carefully) if you briefly short across
the starter wires and see if the light comes on. That's what the old
style push to start fluorescent desk lamps do. You can get tiny crimp
connectors form your local Radio Shack for the small wires but soldering
will do.

TDD

Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 12:30 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one
corresponding to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all
now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket,
pull it out about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost
like a neon bulb with an opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the
inside of the glass bulb. There are 2 wires coming out of the base of
this little bulb, 1 connected to the black, and the other to the white
power wires that enter the base of the socket. Perhaps this is the
hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I reattached
the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink"
"tink" "tink". What do I replace it with?

If you get a standard starter look at the contact end and if it has a
aluminum can, you can bend the tabs back and remove the guts and there
will be the silvered bulb with a capacitor in parallel with it. Some
of the new starters are in a plastic can but you can open them too.
The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open. When power
is applied a glow discharge takes place which heats a bimetal contact. A
second or so later, the contacts close providing current to the
fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished, there is no
longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open. The inductive
kick generated at the instant of opening triggers the main discharge in
the fluorescent tube. If the contacts open at a bad time - current near
zero, there isn't enough inductive kick and the process repeats. That's
the tink, tink sound you hear.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

TDD
Can I use the glow tube from an FS-2 starter (rated for 14, 15, and 20W
bulbs) or do you recommend a different standard starter? Also, my
socket does not seem to be using the capacitor; I assume that I should
ignore that component and just replace the defective glow tube with the
new one.

Yes, an FS-2 should work fine.

On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 10:32:44 -0400, Tony
wrote:

Peter wrote:
On 4/23/2010 10:56 AM, RBM wrote:
wrote in message
...
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when
the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The lamp
has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1
3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on the
bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick
goes to
the base of the lamp where the clamp is located. The lamp uses a single
18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also
have a
brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it
too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems.
Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick white
flashes
in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The behavior I
observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb either has
one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters glowing in each of
the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all, and all I see is the
glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging the lamp into another
outlet in case the problem was related to grounding (I've read that
these
quick start bulbs need their circuits and fixtures to be grounded to
work
properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has always been entirely
quiet
and never got particularly warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

I think that what you're calling the "lamp", what I would call the
fixture,
has a bad ballast transformer. If it is integral to the fixture, it's
probably not worth trying to replace.


Thanks for the clarification and the feedback. Yes, I was using "lamp"
and "fixture" interchangeably, in distinction from the "bulb". You're
right, "bulb" and "lamp" are closer in meaning; "fixture" is the entire
unit from plug to bulb.

I opened the "brick"(held together by 4 small recessed screws)after
sending my inquiry and it appears to contain only a ballast with 2
wires at each end (this conforms with the wiring diagram on the ballast
label). The label identifies the ballast as a Fu-chi brand PC-4526P-B
300 mA for PL-C 18w. Extensive work on Google has failed to yield a
useful hit for a replacement. The closest I saw had 3 output wires and
no dimensions were provided.


Sounds like a standard 18 watt ballast. Just go to an electrical
lighting store probably cost about $6. I bought one a few months ago at
Lowes on closeout, cost me 18 cents.


Turning the plug around makes no difference?
How about grounding the fixture? Flourescent tube lamps basically
require a "ground plane" to light properly - sometimes simply
"stroking" the tube when you power it on will make it light.

On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one corresponding
to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull it out
about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a neon bulb with an
opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of the glass bulb. There are
2 wires coming out of the base of this little bulb, 1 connected to the black,
and the other to the white power wires that enter the base of the socket.
Perhaps this is the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one corresponding
to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull it out
about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a neon bulb with an
opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of the glass bulb. There are
2 wires coming out of the base of this little bulb, 1 connected to the black,
and the other to the white power wires that enter the base of the socket.
Perhaps this is the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.

ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.

TDD

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 10:32:44 -0400, Tony
wrote:

Peter wrote:
On 4/23/2010 10:56 AM, RBM wrote:
wrote in message
...
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when
the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The lamp
has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1
3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on the
bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick
goes to
the base of the lamp where the clamp is located. The lamp uses a single
18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also
have a
brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it
too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems.
Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick white
flashes
in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The behavior I
observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb either has
one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters glowing in each of
the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all, and all I see is the
glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging the lamp into another
outlet in case the problem was related to grounding (I've read that
these
quick start bulbs need their circuits and fixtures to be grounded to
work
properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has always been entirely
quiet
and never got particularly warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
I think that what you're calling the "lamp", what I would call the
fixture,
has a bad ballast transformer. If it is integral to the fixture, it's
probably not worth trying to replace.


Thanks for the clarification and the feedback. Yes, I was using "lamp"
and "fixture" interchangeably, in distinction from the "bulb". You're
right, "bulb" and "lamp" are closer in meaning; "fixture" is the entire
unit from plug to bulb.

I opened the "brick"(held together by 4 small recessed screws)after
sending my inquiry and it appears to contain only a ballast with 2
wires at each end (this conforms with the wiring diagram on the ballast
label). The label identifies the ballast as a Fu-chi brand PC-4526P-B
300 mA for PL-C 18w. Extensive work on Google has failed to yield a
useful hit for a replacement. The closest I saw had 3 output wires and
no dimensions were provided.

Sounds like a standard 18 watt ballast. Just go to an electrical
lighting store probably cost about $6. I bought one a few months ago at
Lowes on closeout, cost me 18 cents.


Turning the plug around makes no difference?

Whoa, I'm getting lost in this and the previous thread. I think I'll
stay lost for now, I'm getting tired.


How about grounding the fixture? Flourescent tube lamps basically
require a "ground plane" to light properly - sometimes simply
"stroking" the tube when you power it on will make it light.

On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:10:54 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one corresponding
to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull it out
about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a neon bulb with an
opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of the glass bulb. There are
2 wires coming out of the base of this little bulb, 1 connected to the black,
and the other to the white power wires that enter the base of the socket.
Perhaps this is the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.

ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.

Most starters were neon.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

"The most common fluorescent starter is called a "glow tube starter"
(or just starter) and contains a small gas (neon, etc.) filled tube
and an optional radio frequency interference (RFI) suppression capacitor
in a cylindrical aluminum can with a 2 pin base."

zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:10:54 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one corresponding
to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull it out
about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a neon bulb with an
opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of the glass bulb. There are
2 wires coming out of the base of this little bulb, 1 connected to the black,
and the other to the white power wires that enter the base of the socket.
Perhaps this is the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.
ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.

Most starters were neon.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

"The most common fluorescent starter is called a "glow tube starter"
(or just starter) and contains a small gas (neon, etc.) filled tube
and an optional radio frequency interference (RFI) suppression capacitor
in a cylindrical aluminum can with a 2 pin base."

THE NE2 LAMP WILL NOT WORK AS A STARTER!!! GEEZ!!! YOU HAVE NO CLUE
HOW IT WORKS IF YOU THINK A NE2 LAMP IS THE SAME THING!! LOOK IT UP!

TDD

zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:10:54 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one corresponding
to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull it out
about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a neon bulb with an
opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of the glass bulb. There are
2 wires coming out of the base of this little bulb, 1 connected to the black,
and the other to the white power wires that enter the base of the socket.
Perhaps this is the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.
ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.

Most starters were neon.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

"The most common fluorescent starter is called a "glow tube starter"
(or just starter) and contains a small gas (neon, etc.) filled tube
and an optional radio frequency interference (RFI) suppression capacitor
in a cylindrical aluminum can with a 2 pin base."

You should read a little further on the link you posted. Yes the glow
tube can be neon, but it is not just a neon lamp. Try reading this part:

"The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open." (whoa,
say that again!) *The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally
open.* (one more time?) _The glow tube incorporates a switch which is
normally open._

OMG, there is even more on your link!

"When power is applied, a glow discharge takes place which heats a
bimetal contact. A second or so later, the contacts close and provide
current to the fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished,
there is no longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open.

The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open. When power
is applied, a glow discharge takes place which heats a bimetal contact.
A second or so later, the contacts close and provide current to the
fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished, there is no
longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open.

Now be a man and admit you were wrong.

On 4/24/2010 9:10 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one
corresponding to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all
now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket,
pull it out about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost
like a neon bulb with an opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the
inside of the glass bulb. There are 2 wires coming out of the base of
this little bulb, 1 connected to the black, and the other to the
white power wires that enter the base of the socket. Perhaps this is
the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while
observing the little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks,
no "tink" "tink" "tink". What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.

ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.

TDD
Follow up:

I cannibalized an unused FS-2 starter I found in my "junk box" and wired in it's
glow bulb in place of the defective glow bulb I clipped out. To my surprise and
disappointment, when I replaced the CFL bulb, plugged in the fixture and turned
it on, the fixture and the glow bulb both continuously flickered. I waited
about 5-10 seconds to see if it would stabilze; it didn't. I turned off the
fixture, waited about 10 seconds, tried again with the same result. I then
added the capacitor from the FS-2 in parallel with the glow bulb (as it was
wired within the FS-2). Same behavior.

Should I assume that the glow bulb from the FS-2 is mismatched to this circuit
(although the CLF is 18W and the FS-2 is rated for 14, 15, and 20W bulbs), or
that something else is wrong in the circuit? Should I buy a starter with a
higher rating and try again with that?

On 4/24/2010 8:32 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 10:32:44 -0400,
wrote:

Peter wrote:
On 4/23/2010 10:56 AM, RBM wrote:
wrote in message
...
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when
the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The lamp
has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1
3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code "GG10051F" on the
bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord from the brick
goes to
the base of the lamp where the clamp is located. The lamp uses a single
18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also
have a
brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it
too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems.
Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick white
flashes
in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The behavior I
observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the bulb either has
one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters glowing in each of
the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all, and all I see is the
glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging the lamp into another
outlet in case the problem was related to grounding (I've read that
these
quick start bulbs need their circuits and fixtures to be grounded to
work
properly) but it did not help. The "brick" has always been entirely
quiet
and never got particularly warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

I think that what you're calling the "lamp", what I would call the
fixture,
has a bad ballast transformer. If it is integral to the fixture, it's
probably not worth trying to replace.


Thanks for the clarification and the feedback. Yes, I was using "lamp"
and "fixture" interchangeably, in distinction from the "bulb". You're
right, "bulb" and "lamp" are closer in meaning; "fixture" is the entire
unit from plug to bulb.

I opened the "brick"(held together by 4 small recessed screws)after
sending my inquiry and it appears to contain only a ballast with 2
wires at each end (this conforms with the wiring diagram on the ballast
label). The label identifies the ballast as a Fu-chi brand PC-4526P-B
300 mA for PL-C 18w. Extensive work on Google has failed to yield a
useful hit for a replacement. The closest I saw had 3 output wires and
no dimensions were provided.


Sounds like a standard 18 watt ballast. Just go to an electrical
lighting store probably cost about $6. I bought one a few months ago at
Lowes on closeout, cost me 18 cents.


Turning the plug around makes no difference?
How about grounding the fixture? Flourescent tube lamps basically
require a "ground plane" to light properly - sometimes simply
"stroking" the tube when you power it on will make it light.
Thanks for the suggestion. The fixture has a polarized 2 prong plug. I've got
one of those handy-dandy circuit testers with 3 neon bulbs on 1 end and a 3
prong polarized plug on the other and it tells me that the circuit I'm using for
the fixture is properly grounded. I did try making nice to the glass tube while
it was attempting to light - no change. No, I don't think grounding is the
problem. Besides, the fixture worked just fine for 3 years plugged into the
same receptacle.

On 4/24/2010 3:18 PM, Tony wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 12:30 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position.
The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical
lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp
works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also
have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried
plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help.
The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one
corresponding to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all
now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket,
pull it out about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost
like a neon bulb with an opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the
inside of the glass bulb. There are 2 wires coming out of the base of
this little bulb, 1 connected to the black, and the other to the white
power wires that enter the base of the socket. Perhaps this is the
hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I reattached
the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink"
"tink" "tink". What do I replace it with?

If you get a standard starter look at the contact end and if it has a
aluminum can, you can bend the tabs back and remove the guts and there
will be the silvered bulb with a capacitor in parallel with it. Some
of the new starters are in a plastic can but you can open them too.
The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open. When power
is applied a glow discharge takes place which heats a bimetal contact. A
second or so later, the contacts close providing current to the
fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished, there is no
longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open. The inductive
kick generated at the instant of opening triggers the main discharge in
the fluorescent tube. If the contacts open at a bad time - current near
zero, there isn't enough inductive kick and the process repeats. That's
the tink, tink sound you hear.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

TDD
Can I use the glow tube from an FS-2 starter (rated for 14, 15, and
20W bulbs) or do you recommend a different standard starter? Also, my
socket does not seem to be using the capacitor; I assume that I should
ignore that component and just replace the defective glow tube with
the new one.

Yes, an FS-2 should work fine.
Follow up:

It didn't work. I cannibalized an unused FS-2 starter I found in my "junk box"
and wired in it's glow bulb in place of the defective glow bulb I clipped out.
To my surprise and disappointment, when I replaced the CFL bulb, plugged in the
fixture and turned it on, the fixture and the glow bulb both continuously
flickered. I waited about 5-10 seconds to see if it would stabilze; it didn't.
I turned off the fixture, waited about 10 seconds, tried again with the same
result. I then added the capacitor from the FS-2 in parallel with the glow bulb
(as it was wired within the FS-2). Same behavior.

Should I assume that the glow bulb from the FS-2 is mismatched to this circuit
(although the CLF is 18W and the FS-2 is rated for 14, 15, and 20W bulbs), or
that something else is wrong in the circuit? Should I buy a starter with a
higher rating and try again with that?

On Sun, 25 Apr 2010 02:29:12 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:10:54 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one corresponding
to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull it out
about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a neon bulb with an
opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of the glass bulb. There are
2 wires coming out of the base of this little bulb, 1 connected to the black,
and the other to the white power wires that enter the base of the socket.
Perhaps this is the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.
ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.

Most starters were neon.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

"The most common fluorescent starter is called a "glow tube starter"
(or just starter) and contains a small gas (neon, etc.) filled tube
and an optional radio frequency interference (RFI) suppression capacitor
in a cylindrical aluminum can with a 2 pin base."

THE NE2 LAMP WILL NOT WORK AS A STARTER!!! GEEZ!!! YOU HAVE NO CLUE
HOW IT WORKS IF YOU THINK A NE2 LAMP IS THE SAME THING!! LOOK IT UP!

What a moron.

On Sun, 25 Apr 2010 10:51:46 -0400, Tony wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:10:54 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one corresponding
to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull it out
about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a neon bulb with an
opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of the glass bulb. There are
2 wires coming out of the base of this little bulb, 1 connected to the black,
and the other to the white power wires that enter the base of the socket.
Perhaps this is the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.
ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.

Most starters were neon.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

"The most common fluorescent starter is called a "glow tube starter"
(or just starter) and contains a small gas (neon, etc.) filled tube
and an optional radio frequency interference (RFI) suppression capacitor
in a cylindrical aluminum can with a 2 pin base."

You should read a little further on the link you posted. Yes the glow
tube can be neon, but it is not just a neon lamp. Try reading this part:

"The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open." (whoa,
say that again!) *The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally
open.* (one more time?) _The glow tube incorporates a switch which is
normally open._

OMG, there is even more on your link!

"When power is applied, a glow discharge takes place which heats a
bimetal contact. A second or so later, the contacts close and provide
current to the fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished,
there is no longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open.

The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open. When power
is applied, a glow discharge takes place which heats a bimetal contact.
A second or so later, the contacts close and provide current to the
fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished, there is no
longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open.

Now be a man and admit you were wrong.

Oh, you mean they don't have a neon tube in them? Funny, it said they did.

Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 3:18 PM, Tony wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 12:30 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position.
The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical
lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp
works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also
have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few
quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily.
The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the
heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried
plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their
circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help.
The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one
corresponding to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all
now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket,
pull it out about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost
like a neon bulb with an opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the
inside of the glass bulb. There are 2 wires coming out of the base of
this little bulb, 1 connected to the black, and the other to the white
power wires that enter the base of the socket. Perhaps this is the
hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I reattached
the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink"
"tink" "tink". What do I replace it with?

If you get a standard starter look at the contact end and if it has a
aluminum can, you can bend the tabs back and remove the guts and there
will be the silvered bulb with a capacitor in parallel with it. Some
of the new starters are in a plastic can but you can open them too.
The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open. When power
is applied a glow discharge takes place which heats a bimetal
contact. A
second or so later, the contacts close providing current to the
fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished, there is no
longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open. The inductive
kick generated at the instant of opening triggers the main discharge in
the fluorescent tube. If the contacts open at a bad time - current near
zero, there isn't enough inductive kick and the process repeats. That's
the tink, tink sound you hear.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

TDD
Can I use the glow tube from an FS-2 starter (rated for 14, 15, and
20W bulbs) or do you recommend a different standard starter? Also, my
socket does not seem to be using the capacitor; I assume that I should
ignore that component and just replace the defective glow tube with
the new one.

Yes, an FS-2 should work fine.
Follow up:

It didn't work. I cannibalized an unused FS-2 starter I found in my
"junk box" and wired in it's glow bulb in place of the defective glow
bulb I clipped out. To my surprise and disappointment, when I replaced
the CFL bulb, plugged in the fixture and turned it on, the fixture and
the glow bulb both continuously flickered. I waited about 5-10 seconds
to see if it would stabilze; it didn't. I turned off the fixture,
waited about 10 seconds, tried again with the same result. I then added
the capacitor from the FS-2 in parallel with the glow bulb (as it was
wired within the FS-2). Same behavior.

Should I assume that the glow bulb from the FS-2 is mismatched to this
circuit (although the CLF is 18W and the FS-2 is rated for 14, 15, and
20W bulbs), or that something else is wrong in the circuit? Should I
buy a starter with a higher rating and try again with that?

I don't recall ever seeing a starter for 14 to 20 watt bulbs besides the
FS-2. I do recall though seeing many FS-2's that didn't list 18 watts.
I have no idea why they are like that, but the -2 is the proper
starter. Are you really sure the starter from the "junk box" isn't
junk? I'd also try the other bulb again with that starter.

As far as a different wattage starter, sometimes when a bulb is going
bad, but still works sometimes, the wrong type starter will sometimes
work for a while. It's not a fix, it's a patch, and not even a good one.

Lets back up. How are you with electrical circuits... meaning would you
remove the starter again and short the two ends from the lamp together
to see if it lights? (plugged in and turned on) Shorting it only for a
second or less, the ends of the bulb glow, opening the short and the
bulb should fully light and stay lit.

zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Sun, 25 Apr 2010 10:51:46 -0400, Tony wrote:

zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:10:54 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one corresponding
to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull it out
about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a neon bulb with an
opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of the glass bulb. There are
2 wires coming out of the base of this little bulb, 1 connected to the black,
and the other to the white power wires that enter the base of the socket.
Perhaps this is the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.
ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.
Most starters were neon.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

"The most common fluorescent starter is called a "glow tube starter"
(or just starter) and contains a small gas (neon, etc.) filled tube
and an optional radio frequency interference (RFI) suppression capacitor
in a cylindrical aluminum can with a 2 pin base."
You should read a little further on the link you posted. Yes the glow
tube can be neon, but it is not just a neon lamp. Try reading this part:

"The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open." (whoa,
say that again!) *The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally
open.* (one more time?) _The glow tube incorporates a switch which is
normally open._

OMG, there is even more on your link!

"When power is applied, a glow discharge takes place which heats a
bimetal contact. A second or so later, the contacts close and provide
current to the fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished,
there is no longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open.

The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open. When power
is applied, a glow discharge takes place which heats a bimetal contact.
A second or so later, the contacts close and provide current to the
fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished, there is no
longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open.

Now be a man and admit you were wrong.

Oh, you mean they don't have a neon tube in them? Funny, it said they did.

Yes a sometimes neon, but always with a bimetal contact inside. That
makes it a starter. Are you saying that NE2 neon bulbs have bimetal
contacts inside them?

On 4/25/2010 2:17 PM, Tony wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 3:18 PM, Tony wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 12:30 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer
starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position.
The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor
cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with
code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical
lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp
works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also
have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional
fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few
quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows
steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the
heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at
all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried
plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their
circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help.
The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one
corresponding to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all
now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket,
pull it out about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost
like a neon bulb with an opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the
inside of the glass bulb. There are 2 wires coming out of the base of
this little bulb, 1 connected to the black, and the other to the
white
power wires that enter the base of the socket. Perhaps this is the
hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I reattached
the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink"
"tink" "tink". What do I replace it with?

If you get a standard starter look at the contact end and if it has a
aluminum can, you can bend the tabs back and remove the guts and there
will be the silvered bulb with a capacitor in parallel with it. Some
of the new starters are in a plastic can but you can open them too.
The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open. When power
is applied a glow discharge takes place which heats a bimetal
contact. A
second or so later, the contacts close providing current to the
fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished, there is no
longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open. The inductive
kick generated at the instant of opening triggers the main
discharge in
the fluorescent tube. If the contacts open at a bad time - current
near
zero, there isn't enough inductive kick and the process repeats.
That's
the tink, tink sound you hear.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

TDD
Can I use the glow tube from an FS-2 starter (rated for 14, 15, and
20W bulbs) or do you recommend a different standard starter? Also, my
socket does not seem to be using the capacitor; I assume that I should
ignore that component and just replace the defective glow tube with
the new one.

Yes, an FS-2 should work fine.
Follow up:

It didn't work. I cannibalized an unused FS-2 starter I found in my
"junk box" and wired in it's glow bulb in place of the defective glow
bulb I clipped out. To my surprise and disappointment, when I replaced
the CFL bulb, plugged in the fixture and turned it on, the fixture and
the glow bulb both continuously flickered. I waited about 5-10 seconds
to see if it would stabilze; it didn't. I turned off the fixture,
waited about 10 seconds, tried again with the same result. I then
added the capacitor from the FS-2 in parallel with the glow bulb (as
it was wired within the FS-2). Same behavior.

Should I assume that the glow bulb from the FS-2 is mismatched to this
circuit (although the CLF is 18W and the FS-2 is rated for 14, 15, and
20W bulbs), or that something else is wrong in the circuit? Should I
buy a starter with a higher rating and try again with that?

I don't recall ever seeing a starter for 14 to 20 watt bulbs besides the
FS-2. I do recall though seeing many FS-2's that didn't list 18 watts. I
have no idea why they are like that, but the -2 is the proper starter.
Are you really sure the starter from the "junk box" isn't junk? I'd also
try the other bulb again with that starter.

As far as a different wattage starter, sometimes when a bulb is going
bad, but still works sometimes, the wrong type starter will sometimes
work for a while. It's not a fix, it's a patch, and not even a good one.

Lets back up. How are you with electrical circuits... meaning would you
remove the starter again and short the two ends from the lamp together
to see if it lights? (plugged in and turned on) Shorting it only for a
second or less, the ends of the bulb glow, opening the short and the
bulb should fully light and stay lit.
Got a lot of other stuff going on right now.

As soon as I get a chance, I'll first try a different bulb (although as I
previously noted, this bulb works perfectly normally in the other identical
fixture). The starter I took from my junk box is a GE brand; it was in an
unopened blister pack. Could be bad, but I would guess, probably not. Although
it was really difficult for me to get the leads soldered (only had about 1/8"
overlap to work with), I guess before I trash the fixture it would be worthwhile
to open one of the solder joints and try to short across the lamp. I'm
comfortable I can do that without getting a shock.

However, if that works, it doesn't solve the problem with the FS-2 glow bulb
substitution unless I really get creative with a normally open SPST switch (for
which there is no room in or on the fixture).

On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:10:54 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one corresponding
to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull it out
about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a neon bulb with an
opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of the glass bulb. There are
2 wires coming out of the base of this little bulb, 1 connected to the black,
and the other to the white power wires that enter the base of the socket.
Perhaps this is the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.

ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.

TDD
You are right - I was wrong - it is not a simple NE2 bulb - Long time
since starters were common, and as a kid we used to canibalize
starters to use the glow tube in place of NE2 bulbs for things like
oscillators.

On Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:25:18 -0400, Tony wrote:

wrote:
On Sun, 25 Apr 2010 10:51:46 -0400, Tony wrote:

zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:10:54 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one corresponding
to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull it out
about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a neon bulb with an
opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of the glass bulb. There are
2 wires coming out of the base of this little bulb, 1 connected to the black,
and the other to the white power wires that enter the base of the socket.
Perhaps this is the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.
ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.
Most starters were neon.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

"The most common fluorescent starter is called a "glow tube starter"
(or just starter) and contains a small gas (neon, etc.) filled tube
and an optional radio frequency interference (RFI) suppression capacitor
in a cylindrical aluminum can with a 2 pin base."
You should read a little further on the link you posted. Yes the glow
tube can be neon, but it is not just a neon lamp. Try reading this part:

"The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open." (whoa,
say that again!) *The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally
open.* (one more time?) _The glow tube incorporates a switch which is
normally open._

OMG, there is even more on your link!

"When power is applied, a glow discharge takes place which heats a
bimetal contact. A second or so later, the contacts close and provide
current to the fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished,
there is no longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open.

The glow tube incorporates a switch which is normally open. When power
is applied, a glow discharge takes place which heats a bimetal contact.
A second or so later, the contacts close and provide current to the
fluorescent filaments. Since the glow is extinguished, there is no
longer any heating of the bimetal and the contacts open.

Now be a man and admit you were wrong.

Oh, you mean they don't have a neon tube in them? Funny, it said they did.

Yes a sometimes neon, but always with a bimetal contact inside. That
makes it a starter. Are you saying that NE2 neon bulbs have bimetal
contacts inside them?

I never said there were NE2 bulbs inside. Learn to read.

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:10:54 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one corresponding
to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull it out
about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a neon bulb with an
opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of the glass bulb. There are
2 wires coming out of the base of this little bulb, 1 connected to the black,
and the other to the white power wires that enter the base of the socket.
Perhaps this is the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the
little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.
ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.

TDD
You are right - I was wrong - it is not a simple NE2 bulb - Long time
since starters were common, and as a kid we used to canibalize
starters to use the glow tube in place of NE2 bulbs for things like
oscillators.

No problem, I like being corrected so I can learn. Heck, I have no
fear of terrorists because as a small boy, I had Irish nuns for
teachers. They used tactile and extreme audio correction. I still
have knots on my head dating from the middle of the last century.

TDD

Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 9:10 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position.
The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical
lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp
works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also
have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried
plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help.
The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one
corresponding to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all
now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket,
pull it out about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost
like a neon bulb with an opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the
inside of the glass bulb. There are 2 wires coming out of the base of
this little bulb, 1 connected to the black, and the other to the
white power wires that enter the base of the socket. Perhaps this is
the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while
observing the little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks,
no "tink" "tink" "tink". What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.

ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.

TDD
Follow up:

I cannibalized an unused FS-2 starter I found in my "junk box" and wired
in it's glow bulb in place of the defective glow bulb I clipped out. To
my surprise and disappointment, when I replaced the CFL bulb, plugged in
the fixture and turned it on, the fixture and the glow bulb both
continuously flickered. I waited about 5-10 seconds to see if it would
stabilze; it didn't. I turned off the fixture, waited about 10 seconds,
tried again with the same result. I then added the capacitor from the
FS-2 in parallel with the glow bulb (as it was wired within the FS-2).
Same behavior.

Should I assume that the glow bulb from the FS-2 is mismatched to this
circuit (although the CLF is 18W and the FS-2 is rated for 14, 15, and
20W bulbs), or that something else is wrong in the circuit? Should I
buy a starter with a higher rating and try again with that?

Try another starter. What is the actual wattage of the lamp? You can
use alligator clip jumpers to try another starter or to short across
the connection for a second to heat the filaments in the lamp and
see if it will start. You can use jumpers to try all sorts of parts
in the circuit. The most value that you get from this is the learning
experience. I've had people admonish me for working on something that's
not worth the trouble because anyone could buy a new one for little
money. I've even gone to thrift stores and bought junk so I could take
it apart to learn how it works, I consider it entertainment.

TDD

On 4/26/2010 7:35 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
On 4/24/2010 9:10 PM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on
position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical
lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp
works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also
have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few
quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily.
The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the
heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried
plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their
circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not
help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?
Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one
corresponding to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all
now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket,
pull it out about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost
like a neon bulb with an opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the
inside of the glass bulb. There are 2 wires coming out of the base of
this little bulb, 1 connected to the black, and the other to the
white power wires that enter the base of the socket. Perhaps this is
the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while
observing the little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks,
no "tink" "tink" "tink". What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.

ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.

TDD
Follow up:

I cannibalized an unused FS-2 starter I found in my "junk box" and
wired in it's glow bulb in place of the defective glow bulb I clipped
out. To my surprise and disappointment, when I replaced the CFL bulb,
plugged in the fixture and turned it on, the fixture and the glow bulb
both continuously flickered. I waited about 5-10 seconds to see if it
would stabilze; it didn't. I turned off the fixture, waited about 10
seconds, tried again with the same result. I then added the capacitor
from the FS-2 in parallel with the glow bulb (as it was wired within
the FS-2). Same behavior.

Should I assume that the glow bulb from the FS-2 is mismatched to this
circuit (although the CLF is 18W and the FS-2 is rated for 14, 15, and
20W bulbs), or that something else is wrong in the circuit? Should I
buy a starter with a higher rating and try again with that?

Try another starter. What is the actual wattage of the lamp? You can
use alligator clip jumpers to try another starter or to short across
the connection for a second to heat the filaments in the lamp and
see if it will start. You can use jumpers to try all sorts of parts
in the circuit. The most value that you get from this is the learning
experience. I've had people admonish me for working on something that's
not worth the trouble because anyone could buy a new one for little
money. I've even gone to thrift stores and bought junk so I could take
it apart to learn how it works, I consider it entertainment.

TDD
The lamp is a G24q-2 dual tube 18W. The glob bulb I cannibalized was from a GE
brand FS-2 starter still in a sealed bubble card. I will try to short across
the connections when I get a little break in my work schedule.

In , wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

On 4/24/2010 11:12 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
Peter wrote:
I've got a "no-name" clamp-on fluorescent lamp that no longer starts
when the rocker switch is snapped from the off to the on position. The
lamp has a polarized plug with an in-line black "brick" 7 1/2" x 2
1/2" x 1 3/8" that has the code "G0138" stamped above the code
"GG10051F" on the bottom but no other markings. The 2 conductor cord
from the brick goes to the base of the lamp where the clamp is
located. The lamp uses a single 18W 4 pin double tube bulb with code
G24q-2.

I'm sure that the bulb is good because I have a second, identical lamp
(that works normally) and when I swap the bulbs, the "good" lamp works
perfectly with the bulb from the lamp that is not working. I also have
a brand new spare bulb that I've tried in the non-functional fixture
and it too fails to light in the bad fixture.

The problem started spontaneously with no earlier indication of
problems. Normally, when the lamp is turned on, there are a few quick
white flashes in the bulb and the bulb lights and glows steadily. The
behavior I observe is that when I snap the rocker switch to on, the
bulb either has one quick white flash but then I only see the heaters
glowing in each of the two tubes, or there is no white flash at all,
and all I see is the glow of the heater filaments. I've tried plugging
the lamp into another outlet in case the problem was related to
grounding (I've read that these quick start bulbs need their circuits
and fixtures to be grounded to work properly) but it did not help. The
"brick" has always been entirely quiet and never got particularly
warm, and that has not changed.

Any suggestions (besides ditching the lamp)?

Someone mentioned this already and got me thinking. The older
fixtures like yours have a replaceable starter that is easily
accessed. For cost savings, your fixture may have a starter
hard wired into the fixture itself. Turn on one of the good
fixtures and listen closely the part of the fixture on either
end of the lamp, if you hear a couple of clicks that may have
a sound like "tink", it could be a starter. You could easily
disassemble the fixture and take the guts from a standard
starter and use the parts to replace what's in there. There
is also the possibility that instead of a conventional starter,
there could be a thermistor like what is in an old TV degaussing
circuit. You won't know unless you take it apart.

TDD
The fixture always did start with a "tink" "tink" "tink" each one
corresponding to a flash of the bulb. I don't hear that noise at all now.

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket, pull
it out about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost like a
neon bulb with an opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the inside of
the glass bulb. There are 2 wires coming out of the base of this little
bulb, 1 connected to the black, and the other to the white power wires
that enter the base of the socket. Perhaps this is the hard-wired
starter? There are no markings on it at all. I reattached the bulb,
plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while observing the little glass
bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks, no "tink" "tink" "tink".

What do I replace it with?

Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.

No, do not use an NE-2. Use the bulb that can be gutted from an FS-2
starter.

A starter bulb has a bimetal strip that bends from the heat of the glow
discharge in it, and temporarily shorts. This is explained in Sam
Goldwasser's Fluorescent Lamp/Fixture FAQ. I have a copy (possibly older
but definitely relevant) at:

http://members.misty.com/don/f-lamp.html

Official copies are available somewhere in www.repairfaq.org and
http://repairfaq.cis.upenn.edu. Look, I found one:

http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_flamp.html

Do a text search in one of these for "Fluorescent Starter Operation".

The NE-2 is a neon lamp that is intended only to take current amounting
to less than 1 milliamp. If it is substituted for a starter in an 18 watt
120V fluorescent fixture, it will conduct somewhere in the ballpark of 300
milliamps. It is unlikely to get the fluorescent lamp started, and will
definitely suffer serious damage within seconds. It could even break in
as little as 10's of seconds.

- Don Klipstein )

In , zzz wrote,
edited by me for space:

On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 20:10:54 -0500, The Daring Dufas
wrote:

wrote:
On Sat, 24 Apr 2010 11:57:29 -0400, Peter wrote:

SNIP to here to edit for space

I was able to pull off the rotating shade, unscrew the bulb socket,
pull it out about 2", and observe a 1" glass bulb that looks almost
like a neon bulb with an opaque mercury-like metallic coating on the
inside of the glass bulb. There are 2 wires coming out of the base
of this little bulb, 1 connected to the black, and the other to the
white power wires that enter the base of the socket. Perhaps this is
the hard-wired starter? There are no markings on it at all. I
reattached the bulb, plugged in the fixture, and turn it on while
observing the little glass bulb. Nothing at all; no glow, no sparks,
no "tink" "tink" "tink".
What do I replace it with?
Try an NE2 bulb? That's what used to be in the old starters.

ERRRRRRR! Wrong! I would suggest you find an old florescent starter
and take it apart, carefully break the glass off the silvered bulb
and you will find a heat activated bi-metal switch. A little searching
of The Interweb will help you learn how it works.

Most starters were neon.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question337.htm

"The most common fluorescent starter is called a "glow tube starter"
(or just starter) and contains a small gas (neon, etc.) filled tube
and an optional radio frequency interference (RFI) suppression capacitor
in a cylindrical aluminum can with a 2 pin base."

I have looked at the color of glow produced by many of those. My
experience as of the late 1970's was that few produced a neon-like color,
and that those appeared to me less-modern-than-usual as of then. I have
also seen the glow from the starters built into PL-13 CFLs.

My experience is that most starters produce a lavendar glow of a color
close to usual for argon, only a little more whitish.

===================

As much as you appear to me to hate fluorescent lamps, I suspect you
might be interested in a characteristic that some starters have. I
thought that maybe you would have mentioned this by now. Some fluorescent
lamp starters are cranky about starting in complete darkness! Some of
those starters are cranky about starting without assistance from the
photoelectric effect.

One solution was to add Kr-85 to the gas (or gas mixture) in the
starter bulb. But radioactivity got to be politically incorrect. I also
see that many aluminum can style starters have a hole in the center of the
top of the aluminum can. I wonder if that is to allow one to see whether
the starter glows, or to let light into the starter.

--
- Don Klipstein )