Fluorescent Tube Starter (Glow Starter)

A starter is, as its name suggests, the element which "starts" a fluorescent tube. It is basically just a switch that opens and closes automatically until the fluorescent tube lights. There are two different types of starters out there, one based on an electrical switch and the other on a mechanical switch. A glow starter is a mechanical switch. It consists of a capacitor parallel to a glow lamp made of a bimetal strip (this combination makes an automatically opening and closing switch).