measuring flourescent tubes

[WorkshopChris]

I'm going out to get a new fluorescent fitting for the kitchen later (LEDs keep popping...) and probably grabbing an HF one unless all the supposed benefits are made up (easier start, no flicker, longer lamp life).

Have been fitting HF types hear for a while and definitely seam to last longer than conventional. And never had any problems starting. You occasionally hear rumours that in a workshop they create a strode effect with rotating machinery, but have not seen any sign of this.

Keep thinking about led replacements but i do not feel the price/ light output ratio is close enough yet.

 

[GW8IZR]

The electronic balast are better but to be honest, fluorescent lighting is just about end of life, if you are running them for long periods the payback on LED fittings is worth it and you can always move them with you.

JMHO - others will have different views of course.

 

[GW8IZR]

We have no luck with LED lighting for some unknown reason.

Expensive ones, cheap ones, mail order, sourced from trade suppliers - they all fail alarmingly quickly.

Incandescent and fluorescent last years and are 1/3 - 1/2 the price.

I would be wanting to find out the reason, if you know the reason you can (1) almost certainly mitigate the cause.

(1) That mitigation might not be cost effective for many reasons

 

[GW8IZR]

The only possible cause I've found so far is our supply voltage - while in tolerance we're right at the top end.

Don't have any trouble with anything else electrical though...

Mother in law lives next to the pole pig and her Samsung telly used to last six months tops before going bang. Regulation and load spikes were the issue - in her situation CFL tubes would fail very quickly. Mainstream LED lamps (standard BC stuff) seems fairly tolerant at her place. They are only three or four years old so still a way to go. A few doors away someone fitted solar harvesters and after that the regulation for everyone improved, just goes to show a what a dynamic transmission & load the distribution network contends with.

 

[nick952]

pdg and GW8IZR, might be worth you both looking deeper into Voltage Optimisation:- http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/etc/guide-voltageoptimisation.php

Nick.

 

[GW8IZR]

pdg and GW8IZR, might be worth you both looking deeper into Voltage Optimisation:- http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/etc/guide-voltageoptimisation.php

Nick.

Thanks Nick, I disagree fundamentally with some of that study ( well I did when I last saw it ) its not applicable in a domestic environment, its all well known stuff and well intentioned I suppose.

 

[Migmac]

off topic a wee bit why do the florescent lamps not want to work when its cold in the shop?

We had them in our chill, worked no problem.

 

[Shox Dr]

Mother in law lives next to the pole pig and her Samsung telly used to last six months tops before going bang. Regulation and load spikes were the issue - in her situation CFL tubes would fail very quickly. Mainstream LED lamps (standard BC stuff) seems fairly tolerant at her place. They are only three or four years old so still a way to go. A few doors away someone fitted solar harvesters and after that the regulation for everyone improved, just goes to show a what a dynamic transmission & load the distribution network contends with.

Used to get huge voltage differences here, so use an online ups to filter the power to the TV. No problems since

 

[Migmac]

We have no luck with LED lighting for some unknown reason.

Expensive ones, cheap ones, mail order, sourced from trade suppliers - they all fail alarmingly quickly.

Incandescent and fluorescent last years and are 1/3 - 1/2 the price.

Our first LED tubes lasted no time, got replaced under warranty and are still working fine 3 years on. They were the first ones the spark had seen failing. Thinks it must of been a bad batch

 

[GW8IZR]

Used to get huge voltage differences here, so use an online ups to filter the power to the TV. No problems since

Yes I have all my IT 'stuff on a fairly big UPS which does solve a lot of the issues.

In the case of 'er mothers telly, once it was out of warranty I fixed it by using a Sony with a PSU that was designed for the real world and its lasted years

 

[Shox Dr]

We have 21 35mm dichroic 12v bulbs in the kicthen.
Out of those 21 bulbs the same ones constantly fail.
I cant remember when I last changed some yet others last months. I've been through all the connections and found nothing

 

[WorkshopChris]

We have 21 35mm dichroic 12v bulbs in the kicthen.
Out of those 21 bulbs the same ones constantly fail.
I cant remember when I last changed some yet others last months. I've been through all the connections and found nothing

Any chance the ones that fail are on the end of the string (presuming multiply transformers) and are suffering from volt drop and drawing more power and running hotter?

 

[Shox Dr]

Any chance the ones that fail are on the end of the string (presuming multiply transformers) and are suffering from volt drop and drawing more power and running hotter?

I havent a clue. We changed all the tranfromers out to solid state, soon after they were installed around 14yrs ago. This stopped some of them failures. Would that trannies not smooth out any voltage drop?

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Am I right in thinking that fluorescent gives a soft, 'wrap-around' light whereas LED is more direction and 'harsher'?

 

[Shox Dr]

Am I right in thinking that fluorescent gives a soft, 'wrap-around' light whereas LED is more direction and 'harsher'?

I'd say only because leds are surface mounted. I've one 4' led strip in the workshop at the mo, far far better than the 6' and 5' ones in there, even with new tubes fitted. (Reminds me must get some fittings pressed out to replace them)

 

[the snooper]

ive got a 5ft flouro tube tube , i see the shops have 1500 . 1514 , 1520 which all might almost match up depending on where its measured from

is it the glass or the end of the pins you measure to ?

1520mm is 60 inches

 

[steveo3002]

1520mm is 60 inches

but are there actually seperate fittings that take 1500 /1514 /1520 bulbs or are they interchangable

think i will smash it dwn and replace the whole thing lol

 

[normspanners]

Most of my led bulbs have far outlasted the old halogens etc it was weekly thing swaping them now they just work, especially the 12v ones never changed a bulb in 3yrs ish. the low energy were a right pain, cost more in energy climbing the step ladder, to change them, the low energy side of things was leaving the step ladder out and set up, coz you knew you would need it at some point in the week, so the energy saving was not having to fetch it from the shed !!

my belief is the power supplies/ reducers go down in most 240v bulbs not the leds

 

[normspanners]

1520mm is 60 inches

60 ins ----that is very close to 5ft------------ but that is a metric 5ft
coz the metric 5ft is 1524mm

 

[steveo3002]

phillips tld 58w/35