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NOTE: As someone gently told me, it's not neon tubes but fluorescent ones. So I let your replace it while reading it.

I have a setup with two neons, in « U » shape, controlled by a ballast that has... failed or something. Now, both neon flicks and, kind of a black oil sort of thing sunk from the ballast. enter image description here

So I went to the store with a picture of the setup Image 1 and he gave me the ballast image 2.

I'm not quite sure on how to connect existing fixture to new electronic ballast. As once I'll remove old ballast, fixture still have 1 yellow, 1 white and 1 black plus 2 reds and 2 blues wires. And, the electronic balast, 1 black, 1 white, 2 blues and 1 red wires.

What is the good setup? I kind of feel like if it's not the good ballast for my installation.

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It’s completely the wrong ballast, who sold this???? Never shop there again. Wow!

That ballast is an instant-start type for huge 8’ long tubes (2438.4 mm).

The ballast you want is the very common dual F40T12. And you want a rapid-start or programmed-start type, as that will have the same exact wiring as you already have.

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  • Well ... Don't know if I can answer to that but I'll do: I'm from Quebec, Canada and there is a store here named Rona, one of the biggest hardware store up here. It's now part of Lowe's familly I think since a year or so. But the little guy who answer me was, I think, not exactly knowing his department ... I kinda felt like he was hardly knowing the difference between a neon fixture and a TV remote ...
    – Simon Dugré
    Commented Jul 8, 2020 at 13:31
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    Or maybe the difference between a fluorescent fixture and a "neon" fixture.
    – George Anderson
    Commented Jul 8, 2020 at 15:36
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    @GeorgeAnderson anyone who makes maple syrup that good can call fluorescent anything they like. Not all that wrong anyway; technologically, fluorescent and neon are in the same family of discharge lights. (The other family being the HID bunch: sodium, mercury vapor and metal halide).
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Jul 8, 2020 at 16:20
  • @Harper-ReinstateMonica Agreed on the syrup! But while both fluorescent and neon are discharge technologies, there are substantial differences. Neon (and other inert gases) emit photons of a certain frequency (color) depending upon the configuration of the electron orbitals. You see that color directly thru clear glass. Fluorescent light is created when UV light (created in the same manner of discharge as other inert gases) strikes the phosphor coating, causing it to glow.
    – George Anderson
    Commented Jul 8, 2020 at 16:31
  • To be honest, we are all here calling that a neon tube. At least, in French as I'm talking french. Fluorescent are something do sometime hear, but rarely. But well, I'll keep sure to install fluorescent tubes next time I planned to make my own maple syrup for you guys. No kidding, thanks to teach me the difference between both.
    – Simon Dugré
    Commented Jul 8, 2020 at 18:47

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