Abstract: A fluorescent ballast assembly has a primary coil wound on a primary coil bobbin and a lag coil wound on a lag coil bobbin, each coil having wire starts, taps and finishes. A strip circuit board including a plurality of pin receiving holes and a plurality of wire insertion holes corresponding to the wire starts, tabs and finishes, is attached substantially perpendicular to and in contact with the bobbins. The strip circuit board has an insulating support with conductive strips attached thereto, preferably manufactured using automated equipment. Substituting a mechanically constructed and assembled strip circuit board for a printed circuit board eliminates the need for chemical plating or etching operations, reducing costs and easing assembly.

Abstract: A fluorescent lamp ballast is provided which is uniquely suited to automated manufacture and assembly. The versatile ballast construction includes primary and lag coil bobbins each having substantially planar flanges at their respective ends, with a magnetic core having portions disposed inside and on opposite sides of the bobbins. A primary coil is wound on the primary coil bobbin, and a lag coil is wound on the lag coil bobbin, the coils having starts, taps and finishes. Each bobbin flange has a plurality of holes extending inwardly from an outer flange edge, with conductive pins partially inserted into a number of the flange end holes, each of the pins being electrically coupled to one of the coil starts, taps and finishes. A planar elongated printed circuit board whose length and width dimensions are approximately the same as that of the bobbins positioned end-to-end, is part of the ballast assembly.