Jolt Country

Replaced the bulb. Replaced the fluorescent starter. What else could it be? I feel the components get warm, but no light.

Should I just replace the whole fixture with a new aquarium light fixture?

Throw the entire thing into the garbage and make sure that I'm sitting at the bottom of the dumpster pleading for you to do it.

There may be issues of size or the fact an aquarium is by definition a wet area but could a low-wattage CFL be used? CFLs have the advantage that the ballast is part of the bulb's screw thread and thus have a brand-new ballast when you replace it. Which means you can use it anywhere an incandescent could be installed.

Tdarcos wrote:There may be issues of size or the fact an aquarium is by definition a wet area

Oh my god.

Tdarcos wrote:There may be issues of size or the fact an aquarium is by definition a wet area but could a low-wattage CFL be used? CFLs have the advantage that the ballast is part of the bulb's screw thread and thus have a brand-new ballast when you replace it. Which means you can use it anywhere an incandescent could be installed.

Good question. A CFL bulb wouldn't work in this case because you want a nice, even line going all the way across the marquee. There's at least one design I know of (the Dynamo-style cab) that uses two bulbs and it looks like shit. SOURCE: my Robotron board is in a Dynamo cab and I can confirm it looks like shit.

Now, you might be able to get away with a row of LEDs, especially since white LEDs now shine brighter than most stars at their core, but picking up a $15 bracket is easier.

I was never one for authenticity when it comes to parts you can't see. I think I paid around $20 (give or take) at Home Depot for a replacement fixture and bulb and then just ran the wires from it to the power supply. I lived with so many broken things on my machines that just getting one marquee to light up felt like a win.

White LED strips are super cheap now, though. And easy. Cut off the length you need (you need to do it in 3-LED chunks, but the strip is marked) and then put 12V DC across it. Done. And they usually have adhesive backing anyway so you can just stick them straight to a surface, like the inside top of the marquee box.

Bruce

Thanks for all the input, guys. I'll let you know what I ended up doing once I get the more critical (monitor chassis) stuff done.