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#144884 01/29/06 11:15 PM
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 223
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If you think plugging a flourescent lamp into a light socket to replace the incandescent bulb is a thing of recent years, take a look at this:
[Linked Image]
It's a 20W fluro light that plugs into a bayonet socket. I bought this unit in 1981 but had seen them since the late 1970's. The construction is the most interesting thing. It's basically a plastic tube with a bayonet plug mounted in the centre and the control gear inside. That's the interesting part...as you could imagine a heavy iron cored choke hanging from a bayonet light socket could be a bit heavy. So they use a resistor...
[Linked Image]
You can see how it's constructed through the hole left by the bits of broken plastic (the UV is to thank for that). It's just like a radiator element except the tube is glass instead of quartz and the resistance is a higher value (about 500 ohms). It's the first commercially made flourescent lamp I've seen using a resistor. Needless to say, efficiency isn't that great, drawing .4A at 240V (about 100W). The other thing is that the tube used in it needs to be one with a starting strip, as there is no inductive kick back to fire the tube when the starter opens. I don't think the makers ever envisaged it, but it will work on DC mains.

#144885 01/30/06 05:16 AM
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 869
Likes: 4
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Very interesting. Have never seen that before.

Must be a little bit of heat generated in theat 500 Ohms resistor.


The product of rotation, excitation and flux produces electricty.
#144886 01/30/06 03:57 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 456
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This is what was sold before CFL came to be. They were never popular.

#144887 01/30/06 04:21 PM
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,691
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They're sold here and used for places like kitchens, some table lamps....etc.

It is essntially a version of compact fluorescent lamp. Probably better since when the ring goes out, all you do is replace the ring, not the ballast.

Some years back I installed a screw-in ceiling bulb fixture in my mom's kitchen to replace the non-working fluorecent fixture (this was on a weekend and was all I had available and all I could afford at the time). I screwed one of these fluorescent rings into it.

Some time last year, during one of their inspections, the housing authority came and replaced it with a proper fluorescent lamp.

#144888 01/30/06 08:03 PM
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 223
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Quote
Must be a little bit of heat generated in theat 500 Ohms resistor.
.
It does get fairly warm but the heat is spread out over the 2' length. It calculates to about 73W. However, if the starter shorts out and the lamp is left on it would be about 115W.
This example was made in Australia by a small appliance company in Melbourne by the name of 'Companion'. They call this light a 'Flurinstant'. I'm pretty sure it was originally a UK design however. The instruction manual also mentioned a 40W and double 20W version.
Many years ago I remember seeing homemade versions of this in a car park in an old part of Sydney. However, an incandescent bulb was used as the current limiter (240V 100W gives the right current for a 20W tube) and they were all assembled hanging together with bits of wire plugged into the BC sockets. One day I'll reproduce one.

#144889 01/31/06 04:47 AM
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 354
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Aussie the fitting in your photo looks like its definitely suffered from U.V. damage. Maybe the plastic its made from is the same as the Batten-Holder it is plugged into.

IMHO the Batten-Holder fitting isn't strong enough to support that fluoro light properly.

Good idea, just a bad design.

I haven't seen these in NZ though. Has anyone else?

#144890 01/31/06 11:27 PM
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 288
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Quote
Probably better since when the ring goes out, all you do is replace the ring, not the ballast.

Last I checked, those rings are about $6. I can get a 20-pack of 14W CFLs from the Big Orange for $20. That seems like a better deal to me. [Linked Image]

#144891 02/02/06 04:09 AM
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 354
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Is the bayonet socket in the first picture melting ? The circular skirt round the socket looks oddly shaped.

#144892 02/02/06 06:35 PM
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 223
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Kiwi, the skirt on the bayonet socket was broken when the CFL previously in the socket got bumped with a ladder...the CFL survived incidentally...until it got hit by a high voltage spike in a storm.

#144893 02/04/06 11:01 AM
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 7,520
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Not a plug-in replacement, but here's a fluoro from the 1960s intended as a simple replacement for an existing central fixture:

[Linked Image]


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