Flicker of compact fluorescent lamps
charles adams
Ecotone) in my house. When they are switched off, they occasionally
flicker briefly. (First noticed a few days ago when I came home very
late and crept upstairs in traditional husband manner without
switching the light on).Is this normal - or a symptom of a
horrendously expensive electrical fault?
Charles
JhnWil875
>From: charle...@fsmail.net (charles adams)
Sounds like some sort of fault, not necessarily electrical, could be RF in your
wiring that causes it.
I am sure that others will expand on what I have wrote.
John.
NumptyDumpty
"charles adams" <charle...@fsmail.net> wrote in message
news:23614ab3.04022...@posting.google.com...
Yep, creeping up the stairs late at night without switching on the lights is
perfectly normal husband behaviour (welcome to the club).
charles adams
Yes, many thanks for the tutorial in club behaviour!
However, does anyone have an on-thread opinion about the fluorescent flicker?
Thanks, Charles
Colin Brook
Mar 2004, charles adams <charle...@fsmail.net> wrote
Hello, I've had this problem for a while with one bulb; I spoke to
Philips technical help line who said that this happens from time to time
with particular specimens of the bulb - change the bulb to a different
one and it goes away. It occurs when the bulb is used in a two or
multi-way switched environment and the rest of the explanation about
voltage build up leading to the bulb thinking it was going to strike but
then not was not, for me, very complete or convincing.
Regards, Colin
--
Colin Brook - Winchester (UK)
mailto:co...@cbassoc.demon.co.uk
Fax:+44(0)8701641293 Mobile:07976258703
Craig Graham
> Hello, I've had this problem for a while with one bulb; I spoke to
> Philips technical help line who said that this happens from time to
> time
> with particular specimens of the bulb - change the bulb to a different
> one and it goes away. It occurs when the bulb is used in a two or
> multi-way switched environment and the rest of the explanation about
> voltage build up leading to the bulb thinking it was going to strike
> but
> then not was not, for me, very complete or convincing.
Possible- I guess the bulbs are very high resistance when off, so induced
voltages won't dissipate. The unit then gets to the point where it sees 240V
on the input and tries to switch on, but as soon as it draws current it
loses the voltage. If so, shoving a resistor in excess of say half a megohm
across the screw terminals in the light fitting would stop the flicker. With
a light that shows repeatable flicker you could then increase the resistance
to get the highest possible value (hence smallest waste current when on)
that solves the problem.
--
Dr. Craig Graham, Software Engineer
Advanced Analysis and Integration Limited, UK. http://www.aail.co.uk/
Bob Eager
wrote:
> It occurs when the bulb is used in a two or
> multi-way switched environment
Can anyone explain why, though?
--
Bob Eager
begin by not using Outlook Express...
Capitol
Craig Graham wrote in message ...
. If so, shoving a resistor in excess of say half a megohm
>across the screw terminals in the light fitting would stop the flicker.
With
>a light that shows repeatable flicker you could then increase the
resistance
>to get the highest possible value (hence smallest waste current when on)
>that solves the problem.
If you're going to do this use a VR37 type resistor. These are the only
products likely to survive being used in this application.
Regards
Capitol
Ian Stirling
> Colin Brook wrote:
>> Hello, I've had this problem for a while with one bulb; I spoke to
>> Philips technical help line who said that this happens from time to
>> time
>> with particular specimens of the bulb - change the bulb to a different
>> one and it goes away. It occurs when the bulb is used in a two or
>> multi-way switched environment and the rest of the explanation about
>> voltage build up leading to the bulb thinking it was going to strike
>> but
>> then not was not, for me, very complete or convincing.
>
> Possible- I guess the bulbs are very high resistance when off, so induced
> voltages won't dissipate. The unit then gets to the point where it sees 240V
> on the input and tries to switch on, but as soon as it draws current it
> loses the voltage. If so, shoving a resistor in excess of say half a megohm
I'd guess this is voltage fed into the bulb, and rectified into DC to feed
the storage capacitor (this is used to eliminate flicker).
The leakage on this is probably well under a microamp.
Any current over this will cause the capacitor to gradually be charged.
Once it gets up to somewhere over a hundred volts or so, it'll try to start,
but as it's only got the energy in the capacitor, and none more coming in,
just flicker.
N. Thornton
> On Wed, 3 Mar 2004 13:21:44 UTC, Colin Brook <ne...@cbassoc.demon.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
> > It occurs when the bulb is used in a two or
> > multi-way switched environment
>
> Can anyone explain why, though?
capacitive coupling. It happens more when the neutral is swithed
instead of the live.
Regards, NT
charles adams
Thanks, but what the 'ng 'll is capacatitive coupling?!. Please answer
as if to a flatliner!
Charles
G&M
> as if to a flatliner!
>
with a voltage on it.
Or even simpler if the switch is off, there is still a small amount of
electricity on the off side of the switch, Not enough to bite (usually :-)
but enough to light a bulb now and then.
PoP
>An electrical charge induced in one wire in close proximity to another wire
>with a voltage on it.
A slightly modified description - "...with a CHANGING voltage on it".
Capacitors don't pass DC but do pass AC. By comparison an inductor
does pass DC but won't pass AC.
Theoretically anyway - there are always leakages :)
PoP
---
If you need to contact me please submit your comments
via the web form at http://www.anyoldtripe.co.uk. I'll
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use...@isbd.co.uk
> On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 00:48:13 -0000, "G&M" <m11...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> >An electrical charge induced in one wire in close proximity to another wire
> >with a voltage on it.
>
> A slightly modified description - "...with a CHANGING voltage on it".
>
> Capacitors don't pass DC but do pass AC. By comparison an inductor
> does pass DC but won't pass AC.
>
increases with frequency whereas a capacitor's impedance decreases
with frequency. A capacitor is the inverse of an inductor, a perfect
capacitor has infinite resistance to DC, a perfect inductor has zero
resistance to DC.
--
Chris Green
PoP
>An inductor certainly *does* pass AC, it's just that its impedance
>increases with frequency whereas a capacitor's impedance decreases
>with frequency. A capacitor is the inverse of an inductor, a perfect
>capacitor has infinite resistance to DC, a perfect inductor has zero
>resistance to DC.
I was painting blue sky. I am fully aware that an inductor will pass
AC, but confusing people with logical explanation did not seem to be
the order of the day.
Christ, some people do like banging their soapbox's ;)