Here's an off-topic one...yesterday I did that "Incandescent Florescent Ballast" test. I used an EOL Sylvania Design 50 F15T8 (look in my gallery) that I had/have laying around that wasn't dong much of anything since it was/is EOL and strobes/rectifies on the proper preheat ballast. So I wired up a test thingy with a duplex receptacle where the ballast would be in a normal "choke" type preheat setup, and a very well-used/worn-out On Guard FS-2 starter that was very slow/weak with the proper ballast/lamp. I first tried it with a 1960s-70s era 15w Sylvania incandescent bulb (see my gallery) as the ballast, then a 40w 130v bulb, a 40w 120v GE bulb, a 60w 130v bulb, a 60w 120v Western Family bulb, a 75w SLI/EXTRALIFE inside frost bulb, a 100w 130v bulb, and a 100w 120v bulb. I only got a clicking starter, flickering incandescent, etc. with anything below a 130v 75w bulb, which after much blinkage/rectification finally lit (albeit dimly and rectifying). A 75w 120v GE bulb seemed about right. A 100w incandescent works perfectly, although likely a bit overdriven since it quickly triggers the (normally slow/weak) starter and lights the tube brightly. It doesn't even seem to be rectifying.
I also tried it with 100 mini christmas lights with flasher bulbs and that was interesting!
