>I think, on reflection, I posted the request in a moment of, for want of
>a better word, weakness. After being frustrated on the phone for quite
>some time, I thought I'd ask the guys who really know. When being
>given prices $33 - $42 per tube, you just know you could do it for
>less ;-)
>
>Then it dawned on me
>
> http://home.howstuffworks.com/fluorescent-lamp.htm
>
>Confirmed what I already thought I knew and filled in some blanks.
>Not quite as simple or cheap to build your own after all. Looks like
>I'll need to visit an electrical store and probably stump up for the 12V
>fittings. Oh well, live and learn

I don't see why one shouldn't be able to build something for less than that. 
My unit did not use a starter, the secondary of the transformer acts as the 
ballast, and I wired both pins at the end of the tube together, and operated 
it in the "instant-start" mode they mention several pages into that article.

A suitable ferrite core, a suitable transistor and a handful of discrete 
components I would have thought would come in at around NZ$10 unless prices 
have gone real AWOL since i was there. 

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