As some of you already know, I have been having some trouble with my e-ballast; specifically, it takes a LONG time to strike the lamp. It seems to be getting longer.

Yesterday, I decided to time it. It took 16 minutes to light the lamp. That's about 32 "clicks". Funny thing is, once it lights, it looks great.

I am, however, worried if these long startup periods are zapping the life from my Ushio...

How long does your eballast take to light?

I've been wondering about this. Supposedly, turning off the bulb before it reaches its full operating temperature can damage the bulb and make it take longer and longer to strike. If your ballast is not working well enough for the bulb to reach its full operating temperature, even after its been on for hours, then just turning it off might damage the bulb. So maybe a slow striking bulb is an indication of an imperfect ballast?

My eballast only lasted about 2 weeks, it was about 3 secs to strike when i first dropped it in, within a week it was about 20 to 25 to strike, then by the 2nd week I could leave it striking for hours and it would never fire. I also let my bulb burn in for about 10 hours on the first use. I swapped it out for the s51 mag, and it strikes as fast as I hit the switch now.

3-5 seconds to strike. Been in service for 8 months, does not vary. (though I think it was slightly longer with the old lamp.)

Strange, I also let my bulb "burn-in" for about 15 hours on the first run. I wonder if this could cause the behaviour we are seeing? I hold my breath every time I turn on the projector now. I'm waiting for the day when it takes a dump on me.

PS: Regarding the S51 ballast - can the coil and core be placed in an enclosure about the same size as the e-ballast? Does anyone have a link to the physical dimensions of the assembly . I really don't want to alter the physical appearance of my pj too much in order to accomodate an s51. It would be nice to place it inside the case, but it is already way too cramped in there.

Those eballasts are reknown for being flaky, and if you damage your bulb by not letting it warm up properly, the eballast just cant do it.

Get a magnetic one. Mine has lit instantly every time since new. They also dont need as much cooling, and they actually work for longer than a couple of weeks!

My first eballast worked great for a number of months before I shorted it out. My new one from LL worked fine for a couple of weeks, but it's been acting up lately. It never lights on the first strike anymore, and usually takes 5-10 minutes to strike. Pain in the butt.

I've had mine going for about a month now an it fires just as it did new about 5 seconds. Didn't do a burn in.

Had mine going about 2 weeks, 2-3 second to start, maybe 20 to get to full brightness. didn't do much of an initial burn in.