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chaining black light tubes in parallel without ballast

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Hi everyone,
I have a bunch of blacklight tubes in dinky little fixtures that have no ballast. To turn them on, you are required to hold down the on switch for a second, which runs current through two (four) terminals instead of one (two). I have rewired them so that I can plug one in and then touch two wires together for a second to light it instead of using the switch, but when I tried to wire two together, only one or the other will light. The adapter is rated 120v, 16A, t5/8w lamp.
I'd like to know if I increase the amperage by pluging them directly to the wall, if they will explode in my face. :O I need to wire 5 of these little buggers together to use one switch and power source.

I can post a pic or two if need be. Thanks!
 

As any fluourescent lamp, the blacklight tubes can only be operated with an individual ballast. Additionally a tandem circuit exists for 230V AC. The necessary heating of filaments during start is achieved through an individual starter device usually, that can be done with blacklight tubes as well.

Regarding your suggestion of direct mains operation, "explode in my face" isn't an too bad assumption, at least something that results in final damage of the device.
 

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    Quixote

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Like most gas discharge tubes, fluorescent lamps are negative resistance devices. Therefore, it isn't possible to put more than one lamp in parallel and get them both to light - additional components are needed...
 

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    Quixote

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@FvM:
So the AC adapter is actually a mini ballast? There is nothing else in the device but wires, the tube, and a switch. If I buy a ballast that is good for 40watts, can I use it for all 5 of the 8 watt bulbs?

@mister_rf: Can you please give me an idea of what sort of other components I'll need? I'm willing to spend a few dollars on this project, I guess.

Thank you both for the info.
 

Yes, there must be some kind of ballast, either a conventional 50/60 Hz choke or an electronic ballast, and you basically need one for each tube. With an electronic ballast, it would be technically possible to supply several fluoresecent lamps from one inverter when each lamp has an indiviual choke, but I don't know if such solutions are available.
 

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    Quixote

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My 120VAC kitchen fluorescent light uses one ballast that is designed with enough windings to light 4 tubes.
 

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    Quixote

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Audioguru said:
My 120VAC kitchen fluorescent light uses one ballast that is designed with enough windings to light 4 tubes.
Click to expand...

Interesting... Do you know the wattage of the tubes? How large are they? Are there any specs on the fixture (on a sticker underneath or something)?

Thanks to everyone for your help on this.
 

Please connect independent switches to differenciate them
 

king_cobraz_77 said:
Please connect independent switches to differenciate them
Click to expand...

I was hoping to automate these lights in some way. I have other lights on my bar in my living room that I can turn on with the press of a button on a remote and I would like to include these lights in the setup, though it's looking like it'll be more trouble and more of an expense than I can justify.


Thanks to everyone for your help.
 

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