I am trying to operate a 50 Watt Mercury Vapor bulb for my lighting collection but at this time and age there is nonthing out there

[Russell Brand]

Is there anything at all ( I tried every lead possable) to operate a 50 W GE Mercury vapor bulb. Is this a loss cause?

[Ed Pawlowski]

Do you have a proper fixture with a ballast?

What is the function ballast on mercury Vapour lamp? Ballasts are used to initiate and control the arc in mercury and metal additive curing lamps. Ballasts provide an instantaneous high voltage to strike the elements within a mercury vapor lamp, creating a plasma that, once initiated, is sustained by the ballast.

[invalid unparseable]

High power ones are usually for greenhouses, but 50W is mostly likely for lizard solarium. Many of such low power mercury vapour lamps don't require external ballast. Just search Amazon or some pet shop website. If the bulb has normal screw thread like a regular light bulb, then most likely it doesn't require a ballast. Get a light fixture with ceramic socket because these bulbs are very hot. Normal plastic socket will melt. If you cannot find light fixture with ceramic socket from Home Depot, then try pet shops that sell reptiles.

[bud--]

Arc discharge lamps - mercury, high/low pressure sodium, fluorescent, neon - basically operate at constant current. They don't like constant voltage supply. A ballast (and neon sign transformer) provide much more of a constant current supply than constant voltage. High voltage pulse start is particularly important with high pressure sodium.

Almost no information was provided about the lamp. Where did it come from. Lighting, sun tan, grow lite, .... Part number.