ATI Sunpower (non dimmable) having issues with four of the lights..

[averagesteve]

Hi all,

I got a great deal on a used ATI Sunpower 6 bulb, 48" fixture. It works well most of the time, however sometimes four of the six bulbs will not light up. They are on a separate plug from the other two with two separate ballasts. Sometimes when those four lights ARE working, sometimes something makes a slight humming or buzzing sound when they are working, which I assumed to be a ballast, however every time I Google buzzing or humming ballasts the results say that magnetic ones do this and nothing about electronic ones doing this, all the ballasts are electronic.

A bad ballast doesn't really make sense to me either, because the four (sometimes working) bulbs are on two different ballasts and I feel like they wouldn't be wired in series, but I guess they could be....

Anyone experience anything like this before? Last time I had the light apart I took a multimeter to the connections and it seems like everything is solid, just sometimes those four bulbs just don't work and when they do, there is a humming/buzzing sometimes. I really like the fixture and would rather repair than replace, especially since t5 fixtures (especially this non-dimmable one) are very very basic circuits and should be pretty long lasting. I just don't want to do all the work to start replacing ballasts and stuff when that may not be the case...

Thanks in advance...

 

[oreo54]

however every time I Google buzzing or humming ballasts the results say that magnetic ones do this and nothing about electronic ones doing this, all the ballasts are electronic.

Electronic ones can buzz. Led drivers, switching power supplies all can misbehave producing noises.
First place is the transformer.
Then ceramic capacitors.
See peizo effect

Improving reliability and lowering audible noise on LED drivers

Every day, more and more incandescent light bulbs are replaced by LEDs. The main disadvantage of the light bulb is its poor efficiency regarding generation of light in the visual spectrum. Roughly 5% of the electrical power is used to generate the light spectrum that is desired. The remaining...

www.eenewspower.com

Usually the switching frequency is fast enough to be inaudable.

 

[averagesteve]

Electronic ones can buzz. Led drivers, switching power supplies all can misbehave producing noises.
First place is the transformer.
Then ceramic capacitors.
See peizo effect

Improving reliability and lowering audible noise on LED drivers

Every day, more and more incandescent light bulbs are replaced by LEDs. The main disadvantage of the light bulb is its poor efficiency regarding generation of light in the visual spectrum. Roughly 5% of the electrical power is used to generate the light spectrum that is desired. The remaining...

www.eenewspower.com

Usually the switching frequency is fast enough to be inaudable.

Not quite sure I understand, there are no LEDs or control boards in this fixture, just 120v from the outlet wired directly to ballasts. Would one ballast being bad cause the other to also not work?

 

[Reefin' rumors]

Hi all,

I got a great deal on a used ATI Sunpower 6 bulb, 48" fixture. It works well most of the time, however sometimes four of the six bulbs will not light up. They are on a separate plug from the other two with two separate ballasts. Sometimes when those four lights ARE working, sometimes something makes a slight humming or buzzing sound when they are working, which I assumed to be a ballast, however every time I Google buzzing or humming ballasts the results say that magnetic ones do this and nothing about electronic ones doing this, all the ballasts are electronic.

A bad ballast doesn't really make sense to me either, because the four (sometimes working) bulbs are on two different ballasts and I feel like they wouldn't be wired in series, but I guess they could be....

Anyone experience anything like this before? Last time I had the light apart I took a multimeter to the connections and it seems like everything is solid, just sometimes those four bulbs just don't work and when they do, there is a humming/buzzing sometimes. I really like the fixture and would rather repair than replace, especially since t5 fixtures (especially this non-dimmable one) are very very basic circuits and should be pretty long lasting. I just don't want to do all the work to start replacing ballasts and stuff when that may not be the case...

Thanks in advance...

Already been through this problem also...ATI switched to a new ballast mfg...ballast can't handle the heat. Give them a call...they will help.

 

[oreo54]

Not quite sure I understand, there are no LEDs or control boards in this fixture, just 120v from the outlet wired directly to ballasts. Would one ballast being bad cause the other to also not work?

Electronic ballasts, led drivers esp. ac/ dc drivers, switching power supplies are all related in a sense.

Led driver controls the current.
Flourescent ballasts control the current.

All can " hum".

 

[averagesteve]

Electronic ballasts, led drivers esp. ac/ dc drivers, switching power supplies are all related in a sense.

Led driver controls the current.
Flourescent ballasts control the current.

All can " hum".

Ok, I actually fixed the issue of 4 of the 6 lights not working.. I took the light apart and one of the wires coming from the power cable fell out of the wiring harness (must have barely been making contact before) and when I put it back into the wiring harness and plugged it in, it started working.. Of course the humming/buzzing also started (this is actually hit or miss, it's not all the time) so now that I have the light apart and the buzzing/humming is happening, I can probably figure out where it's coming from and fix it.