ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades This is rather strange

Sadly, we haven't seen Test Card F here for about 20 years with 24hr broadcasting from all the commercial stations. Unfortunately our only remaining non 24hr broadcaster stopped using the Philips PM5544 pattern and replaced it with images off a weather satellite. Not much use for aligning your set! Just as well I made a 3hr recording of the Philips pattern before it was gone.

to Kiwi, I have used compact flourescents all over my new house but have installed them in oyster fittings so the glass of the fitting acts like a filter. I cant tell the difference except at bill time, I will admit that not all the flourescent lights are the same with the coulors ranging from a welding flash, (cheap chinese one i tryed) to a soft warm light from a nelson globe that is the same size and shape as an incandescent. I am currently using Mirabella lights that come from woolies. They are cheaper than the philips at the wholesaler and have a nicer light.

Teleivision topic split into new thread here:
https://www.electrical-contractor.net/ubb/Forum9/HTML/000980.html

Mike,

I noticed the same the other day. I was using a potmeter-switch, and turned it down, while the lamp started flashing. I asked our EC, and he said, it slowly collects the energy and burn out in a flash. That repeats over and over again.
So I changed the switch to an on-off type.

Hi Gloria,
I take that you were trying to use a dimmer on a fluorescent lamp?.
Fluorescent lamps are not made to be dimmed.
A compact fluorescent lamp will flash if there is not enough current to maintain the gaseous discharge within the tube.
Dimmers will only work on an Incandescent (Filament) type lamp.
In some cases you can do the Diac and Triac some damage by switching fluorescents on and off with a dimmer in line.
Other side of the coin,
Having installed these lamps in my bedroom, there is one feature that I like about them.
Having been to a few night-time fire calls, I like the fact that they don't come on instantly to full brightness.
A nice soft white glow is enough for me to throw some clothes on and be gone, instead of being blinded with an instant 200W of incandescent light, which takes a wee while for your eyes to adjust to.
And I'm saving power!.
Mind you the Heat-pump has had a hiding lately.

Operating CFL's with electronic control gear at reduced voltage kills them. I discovered this while repairing a couple of them. Running via a current limited power supply and lower voltage while testing them revealed the switching transistors getting very hot. I couldn't see anything wrong so applied full mains voltage and everything ran cool. Obviously at lower voltages the transistors were not being driven into saturation.
The point is don't run them on a supply of less than 340V peak...light dimmers and square wave inverters with a 240V peak output. The original Philips CFL's with a proper iron cored choke were much more immune to this sort of thing but don't seem to have been available for quite a few years.

Now, I don't know about you, Mike...but a 60 watt bulb hanging from the ceiling throws out enough light for general purpose use.

200 watts? Dang!

What's that, Mike !

200 watts !! Lamp or Heater

Takes the nite chill out of your room I guess.

Well Ray,
Now that you come to mention it, for an Electrician, I'm pretty slack as far as my own lighting needs at home go.
I've been here for like 12-13 years and although I've trebled the number of socket outlets in the place, I'm left with the original lighting fixtures in the place.
Most of them are them gaudy brass-looking fittings.
80% of my light fittings are wall-mounted, even when I moved in here, the lights in the kitchen were on the walls, I took them out and replaced them with a single 5ft fluoro over the sink.
Both the bedrooms have wall-lights and that is the reason for the 200W (2 x 100W lamps), because on the other side of the room, you can't see to read things.
This room that I'm using as my office, is a prime example, the original Architect couldn't have put the lights on the plans in a worse place.
One day I'll get around to installing some proper downlights and stuff.
But as my catch-phrase has become in the last few years, "It'll be a while".
Eh, Paul.

Tell me about it. I could use about 48 hours in a day at the moment.