I'm determined to find a reliable way of getting Krypton T8s to start on Quickstart circuits. My latest and most successful idea is the use of a HID ignitor in the circuit to get the arc to strike once the cathodes heat up. I've tried a Tridonic 50-70W
SON ignitor with a 5' 80W Quickstart circuit with some success! T8s will start as a
T12 normally would at room temperature but anything colder and the ignitor doesn't seem to be able to provide a high enough voltage to strike the arc. I haven't got any single tube Quickstart ballasts now so I've not really got anything to test with. I've been using a twin 2' 40W
ballast and just wiring the tube between the live output and neutral of the
ballast so it's essentially the same as a proper 80W one.
I need a bit of help finding some suitable ignitors please! Obviously they need to be able to strike an arc when the cathodes are hot but not when they're cold so you still get the benefits of cathode heating.
If T12s are going as the latest news suggests (mercury content) then this might be a solution!
