Re: [VAL] RE: 12 v Thin-Lite fixtures

["Mark" <mark@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Touching the lamps provides a capacitance to ground that makes the rapid
start circuit start

Wow, cool...never heard of that before!  Loved your lamp solution.  Was the
wife afraid to touch the lamp from then on?  : J)

>the lamp needs a full 90 degree twist

Just had one of my Thin Lites apart and found the sockets to be crooked, and a
bit of a bitch to replace the tubes.  On mine, a ninety-degree twist would
snap off the pins or break the glass.

Take a good look at the business end of the socket itself...if they're like
mine, they only require (allow) about 45 degrees of twist, if that.

I found I had to back up the socket with a stick, to prevent it from rotating
with the tube, hitting the can, and preventing full insertion.  Even then,
after that satisfying 'click' when they snap into place, the sockets are quite
crooked.  I'll have to say, I was somewhat underwhelmed by ThinLite's quality
control.

There may very well be a difference in length of the tubes, which would
explain much.  I didn't measure mine, but now I wouldn't be too surprised.
Are the new tubes and the old tubes the same wattage?  I seem to recall
different ballasts for different watt rated fixtures.

Here's a link to ThinLite:  http://www.thinlite.com/products.htm

Hope it helps,

Mark in Modesto, trimming the post.