Halides

[crazyelece]

Again magnetic or electronic ballast? If magnetic I highly doubt it is in the ballast, but either way from everything you have said I think it is more likely a ballast/bulb combination problem. Not all ballasts can run different types of bulbs and your bulb may not be matched properly to the ballast. This will cause starting issues and holding issues. It could also just be the bulb; flickering, not igniting, and pulsing are the more common indicaters of a spent bulb but shutoff is also. If you know of anyone else with a correct ballast have them try and light your bulb.

 

[Aquascaper]

No idea? How do you tell if its a magnetic or an electronic ballast?

 

[crazyelece]

Magnetic it would be a big transformer and maybe a cap or ignitor. Electronic it would have all sorts of resistors, capacitors, transistors, diodes, etc on a circuit board (it may be potted so you can't see the components but then it would look like a case filled with plastic or epoxy).

 

[Aquascaper]

Then its magnetic, two capacitors either side

 

[crazyelece]

Is there any numbers or markings on it so that you could look up the specs? Is the transformer a multi tap (meaning it could be wired for a variety of differnt input voltages)? Could you get a pic and post it up?