This application note describes a demo board able to drive a 54 W linear T5 fluorescent lamp. The ballast control is done by the L6585D that integrates PFC and half-bridge control circuits, the relevant drivers, and the circuitry able to manage all lamp operating phases (pre-heating, ignition and run mode). Protections against main failures (lamp disconnection, anti-capacitive mode, PFC over-voltage) are guaranteed and obtained with a minimum number of external components. Finally, the electronic solution allows better control of the filament current and lamp voltage during pre-heating with the unquestionable benefit of increasing the mean lamp life.