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FL inverter | 26 comments (26 topical, 0 editorial)
Re: FL inverter (3.00 / 0) (#13)
by BT Humble (bt_humble@bigpond.com) on Sun Jun 5th, 2005 at 10:42:31 PM MST
(User Info) http://www.humbletown.org


Wait a minute.  It sounds like he's got the CFL bulb only.  If that's the case then the inverter should work fine.  Amanda, were you thinking he was going to drive the CFL ballast and starter too?

If it was just the tube with no ballast, it should have 4 pins on the base (ie. start and end connection for 2 separate filaments).

BTH


[ Parent ]



Re: FL inverter (3.00 / 0) (#14)
by commanda (alwynne at unwired dot com dot au) on Sun Jun 5th, 2005 at 10:53:24 PM MST
(User Info)

Conflicting data here. He says the ballast is built into the base, but then his tube only has 2 prongs.

Now I'm confused.

Amanda

[ Parent ]



Re: FL inverter (3.00 / 0) (#15)
by whatsnext on Mon Jun 6th, 2005 at 06:42:36 AM MST
(User Info)

I might be confused also. I thought there was only two pins. I'm at work now but as soon as I get home I'll check again.
John..........

[ Parent ]


Re: FL inverter (3.00 / 0) (#16)
by commanda (alwynne at unwired dot com dot au) on Mon Jun 6th, 2005 at 03:16:33 PM MST
(User Info)

I think I know what he's got. It's like the tubes used for backlighting laptop displays. It's a cold cathode fluoro tube, ccfl, as against a compact fluoro, cfl.

To me, a cfl is a fluoro tube and integrated ballast (actually a sophisticated inverter) that has a base the same as a normal incandescant bulb.

All these inverter circuits should drive a ccfl just fine.

Amanda

[ Parent ]



Re: FL inverter (3.00 / 0) (#17)
by whatsnext on Tue Jun 7th, 2005 at 07:52:49 PM MST
(User Info)

OK Amanda,
The bulb in question says Phillip mexico PL-S(or 5) 13W/27. The little base has 6 and E heat stamped into it's base which is plastic not ceramic. It only has two prongs. I pulled the porch fixture apart to see what's inside. One of the 110VAC leads is attached to one of the lamp prongs. The other one goes into what looks like a choke the other lead of which then goes straight to the bulb, I think. The 'choke' says:Quality Flourescent, Lamp Ballasts since 1939 and Cat, CU 452, 12-13-14-15-18-20-22W, 120V 60HZ .35A.
Does this help?
John........

p.s. The bulb looks like the old style CFL bulb but without any of the base. Two staight tubes with a little passageway between the tubes. Oh, and the bulb is non-polarized.

[ Parent ]



Re: FL inverter (3.00 / 0) (#18)
by commanda (alwynne at unwired dot com dot au) on Tue Jun 7th, 2005 at 10:07:55 PM MST
(User Info)

I did a Google; can confirm it's an "S", not a five, but no other information.

Going by your description of the ballast choke, I'd say the tube should work just fine with any of the inverters published.

Amanda

[ Parent ]



Re: FL inverter (3.00 / 0) (#19)
by whatsnext on Wed Jun 8th, 2005 at 08:25:36 AM MST
(User Info)

Amanda, So is the ballast really just a choke? And if so what does a choke do to make the bulb work? I always thought ballasts had a lot more wires coming out of them.
Thanks, John........

[ Parent ]


Re: FL inverter (3.00 / 0) (#20)
by commanda (alwynne at unwired dot com dot au) on Wed Jun 8th, 2005 at 03:38:19 PM MST
(User Info)

In a common, old style, fluorescent tube, yes the ballast is just a choke. When the tube fires, the gas inside ionises, and becomes conducting. The choke limits the current that can flow through the ionised gas to dI/dT. Energy is stored in the choke and released on the next AC cycle. Because the impedance of the mains is effectively zero, without the choke, the ionised tube would appear as a near dead short across the mains without the choke.

I made a post about a week back, "heads up", in which I advised that a small resistor in series with the tube may be necessary with some inverters.

It is unfortunate that the term "electronic ballast" has come into common use. The mass produced cfl lamps have a rectifier and inverter built into them, and called "electronic ballast".  I have seen these lamps run off an inverter from 12 volts, but you have to rectify the high voltage, and regulate it to about 350 volts.

Amanda

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FL inverter | 26 comments (26 topical, 0 editorial)

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