Cold Lights and Voltage.

[Wayne Crider]

I pulled apart my 4x5 Graflarger to clean things up and noticed that the power cord wiring was brittle and cracked. Upon cutting the cord back to find wiring that was good I wound up cutting it all the way back, and since it is a tar encased enclosure it is now trashed. Does anyone have any idea on just what ballast would be needed to push a cold light or Aristo bulb. I emailed Louise Kessler at Aristo and she either can't, or won't tell me. I also asked about buying a power supply if they made them. It's just funny that you manufacture something and don't know what kind of power supply it takes to power it. Spec's on the Graflarger were 115V, 75va input, unknown voltage output. I tried checking the output voltage but got conflicting readings. Thanks

[Eric Woodbury]

Coldlights take a high voltage to get them started and then once started they become a short and must be current limited. The high voltage 'kick start' would depend on the length and other factors. I would not mess with it. If it needs repair, either send it to the manufacturer or buy a new one.

However, it sounds as though this one works but the insulation is the problem. Can it be re-insulated? Take it to a sign maker that deals in neon if you don't like the other answers.

[Wayne Crider]

The ballast is gone, but the idea of going to a sign maker may have merit.

[Wayne Crider]

Just to add info to the thread, the bulbs are apparently made by the following company for Aristo. http://www.voltarc.com/ The contact address for Louise Kessler is at the bottom of the Aristo page.