4 pin dimmable bulbs - how do these configure?

[Sarah Austin]

I found an interesting compact fluorescent bulb, a 32w bulb GX24Q3 COMPACT
fluorescent 4 pin 3500K F32/

Says it's dimmable and uses a base GX24q-3.

Now what does that fit in to dim it?

Do they have ceiling fixtures for them, table lamps or what?

[Jeff Engel]

That lamp would fit into any form of fixture (suspension, flush mount,
sconce, floor, or table) with that base. The fixture would have a
compatible dimming ballast, or a non-dimming ballast. Another
consideration is the dimmer wall switch itself, which must be compatible
with the ballast. This gets a little complicated, so we can hope that
someone on sci.engr.lighting spells it out clearly for us.

Getting to the question of who has fixtures for them, and what type, is
a matter of shopping effort. You won't find these lamps scattered
around an ordinary lighting retailer. Your sales associate will have to
look in the catalogs to find which manufacturers and models are offered
in this configuration. Expect to place a special order, which will take
some time to fill. You can save your money during the wait, since it
won't be cheap.

Our mfg. rep agency sells fixtures to showrooms, and experience tells us
that dimming CF fixtures are not often bought for display in the store.
This results in fewer sales, of course. But store owners usually
attribute the fewer sales to the higher price of dimming gear. So we
have a chicken egg in a horse cart, going nowhere. Make the effort to
find the fixture that does what you want, Sarah. It will be good for
the planet, and for yourself.

[Victor Roberts]

As Jeff has said, that lamp is dimmable ONLY when used with
a dimming ballast. The "dimmable" label is used on the
lamp because 2-pin plug-in CFLs are not (properly) dimmable,
even if connected to a dimming ballast.

--
Vic Roberts
http://www.RobertsResearchInc.com
http://www.cflfacts.com
To reply via e-mail:
replace xxx with vdr in the Reply to: address
or use e-mail address listed at the Web site.

This information is provided for educational purposes only.
It may not be used in any publication or posted on any Web
site without written permission.

[Liron]

BTW: you've probably gathered this from the previous posts, but it's a non
integrated CFL so requires an external ballast.

Liron

"Victor Roberts" <x...@lighting-research.com> wrote in message
news:sh3bf5hrop84c4af7...@4ax.com...

[Victor Roberts]

What part of my post leads you to believe I don't
understand, or did not report properly, that 4-pin and 2-pin
CFLs all require external ballasts?

[TKM]

"Jeff Engel" <searc...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:hd3q88$e25$1...@news.eternal-september.org...

There are more dimmable CFL (and other fluorescent) fixtures and products
out there than one might expect. The Lighting for Tomorrow Competition
included them in the 2009 program and had 40+ submission and 8 winners --
about as many as the standard CFL entries in past years. These are all
fixtures or products targeted for the residential market. Some dimming
systems were better than others, of course; but, to even be considered, the
system had to dim to 20% of full output. See:
http://www.lightingfortomorrow.com/2009/09winners.shtml Dimming will be
included in the 2010 competition as well.

Terry McGowan

[Liron]

Hi Victor,

It was in response to an earlier post by someone else.

Liron

"Victor Roberts" <x...@lighting-research.com> wrote in message

news:srndf59s7hasi9frj...@4ax.com...