Need ATI 8x54w Repair Help.

[SilvermistInc]

So I recently I traded in a Radion for this awesome ATI 8x54w T5 fixture. The problem is, half the bulbs won't turn on. The shop owner warned me about this beforehand, he says the guy who gave him the unit claims to have disabled half the ballasts, because the unit was "too bright." (Yeah, no duh.)

Anyway, I'd love some help on where to start testing connections to figure out where electricity isn't going to where it's supposed to. I do HVAC for a living. Some I'm at least vaguely familiar with spicy electrons.

 

[theatrus]

Nothing looks disabled per say. Also, each ballast looks like its wired to two adjacent sockets (but its hard to trace from the picture) - this would mean a disabled ballast should not light two adjacent lamps, however, you have a 3+1 lit. Maybe someone did something to the lamp sockets?

Also, I love what salty air does to metals - so many tasty red and green oxides

That push in ideal/wago connector (orange) is a bit of a red herring, though the clip looks factory.

If a ballast is dead, the good news is those HEP ballasts are obtainable.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Looks like the '0' in the 1st photo is pointing to the tombstones that arent igniting. If the original owner did that, thats where I'd start. Looks like a funky ballast layout that the original owner did as @theatrus said. Prolly have two failed ballasts overall, could be junk tombstones also, or even junk bulbs (I figure you moved bulbs around to test for the possible bad tombstone/bulb issue.

 

[PeterErc]

How to Test An Electronic Ballast With A Multimeter-Easy and Simple Guide

How to Test An Electronic Ballast With A Multimeter. Easy and Simple Guide Explaining the Process Step-by-Step.

homelyitems.com

Here’s a great start

 

[Red_Beard]

Usually when im looking at stuff like that i start at one end and work my way through it. So in this instance i would grab a multimeter and make sure all the ballasts are getting 110vac input. If theybare all getting 110 in, the issue is downstream. Check ballast output following the above link. Then check tombstones and bulbs. Could be a few bad bulbs too. Maybe for a quick sanity check swap a working pair with a bad pair and check if no light follows the bulb or the fixture

 

[theatrus]

Looks like the '0' in the 1st photo is pointing to the tombstones that arent igniting. If the original owner did that, thats where I'd start. Looks like a funky ballast layout that the original owner did as @theatrus said. Prolly have two failed ballasts overall, could be junk tombstones also, or even junk bulbs (I figure you moved bulbs around to test for the possible bad tombstone/bulb issue.

I missed the O/I labeling (outside, inside?) (or is it a D?). Good catch - since its the same pattern.

I assume there are two power cords? That was pretty usual for this generation of light for dawn/dusk.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I missed the O/I labeling (outside, inside?) (or is it a D?). Good catch - since its the same pattern.

I assume there are two power cords? That was pretty usual for this generation of light for dawn/dusk.

Just looked at the pictures again, good call on your previous post about the wago. That ain't standard to those fixtures @ all. Usually there is no wire breaks/splices from the ballast to the tombstone. IIRC on the 6 bulb ati fixtures, it was 2 plugs, one powered 4 bulbs and the other powered two. Thus I'm thinking 4+4 bulbs as well.

 

[SilvermistInc]

Quick update. All the bulbs work. The 1 and 0 in sharpie are what I wrote while making sure what ports worked or didn't work. I'll be testing the ballasts shortly with the help of the link Peter has posted. Will update soon.

 

[SilvermistInc]

While I try to figure out how to understand the guide sent to me. Here's a video update of a bulb that can't quite fire, but wants to.

 

[SilvermistInc]

Alright, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to continue testing. I couldn't find any alligator clamps for my meter, so I'm overnighting some from Amazon. To be continued!

I have confirmed that each ballast is getting 120v in. So we're good on that end.

 

[SilvermistInc]

Soooo... Turns out ATI has a YouTube channel just for DIY repair/troubleshooting. https://www.youtube.com/@ATINorthAmerica/videos
Also the replacement parts are cheap af.

ATI SunPower T5 Fixture Parts Store

Find parts and components for the ATI SunPower High-Output T5 Fixture, featuring Miro-Silver reflectors and an active cooling system.

store.atinorthamerica.com

I'll still be troubleshooting the ballasts, just so some internet strange can come across this and learn a thing or two. But I'll just be replacing the ballasts.

 

[theatrus]

Soooo... Turns out ATI has a YouTube channel just for DIY repair/troubleshooting. https://www.youtube.com/@ATINorthAmerica/videos
Also the replacement parts are cheap af.

ATI SunPower T5 Fixture Parts Store

Find parts and components for the ATI SunPower High-Output T5 Fixture, featuring Miro-Silver reflectors and an active cooling system.

store.atinorthamerica.com

I'll still be troubleshooting the ballasts, just so some internet strange can come across this and learn a thing or two. But I'll just be replacing the ballasts.

Yeah, worth ruling out the ballasts being bad or not. Could be corrosion in the tombstones as well - thats what usually happens to me. Can be useful to unseat and reseat each wire - note that these are programmed start electronics ballasts, so if they don't "see" a bulb they tend to just shut off, which can look like a bad ballast if you're just checking for the presence of voltage.

Good luck