Patent ID: 8008867

Claim:
A backlighting arrangement comprising: a first lead and a second lead arranged to receive and return an alternating current; at least one luminaire, each of said at least one luminaire comprising a pair of linear lamps each lamp of said pair exhibiting a far end removed from each of a first and a second end of said luminaire; at least one first balancing transformer pair, each of said first balancing transformer pair associated with a particular one of said at least one luminaire, the primary winding of a first balancing transformer of each of said first balancing transformer pair serially coupled between said first lead and the first end of said associated at least one luminaire, and the primary winding of a second balancing transformer of each of said first balancing transformer pair serially coupled between said second lead and the second end of each of said associated at least one luminaire; and at least one second balancing transformer pair, each of said second balancing transformer pair associated with a particular one of said at least one luminaire, the primary windings of said second balancing transformer pair being arranged in series with, and serially coupled between, said far ends of the associated pair of linear lamps of said particular luminaire, wherein the secondary windings of all of said at least one first balancing transformer pair and said at least one second balancing transformer pair are serially connected in a closed in-phase loop.