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Forum Index : Electronics : modifing CFL’s
| Author | Message | ||||
| brucedownunder2 Guru  Joined: 14/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1548 |
Hi there. I'm about to fit cfl's throughout the house where needed to dimly light the place at night-passage ways ,computer room, kitchen, bathrooms Etc. Can anyone advise if they have heard of a way to modify the CFL's from 240v ac to run on 24vdc --love to know . maybe I can carefully remove the base and do the mods there.
Bruce Bushboy |
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Chris Senior Member  Joined: 12/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 146 |
mmm, not really sure its possible. Im sure to do it you would need to pull apart the globe. Then it would need to be regassed. I think your best bet is going to www.oatleyelectronics.com, and buying some 12v lights. Then i running a 24 to 12v converter. |
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| dwyer Guru Joined: 19/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 574 |
Hi bruce well l have brought couple of 12volts CFL from Bunning couple years ago and they run only 75 milamps i think and l use for my shed if l get blackout at night and automatic turn on invent main power fail .lan |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Hey Bruce. Silicon Chip magazine did a CFL inverter a few months back. Converts 12vdc to 340vdc, and the CFL will happily run on DC. If you want I'll see if I can dig it up, you could be able to convert it to 24vdc. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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amiklic1 Newbie  Joined: 15/10/2005 Location: CroatiaPosts: 2 |
I got schematics for 12VDC to 220V/400Hz CFL inverter, that would even run "burned" CFL's. I buy the circuit schematics, and it's on my to do list for the next few weeks. I'll sure post the results here.
Is it too late for something good to be done? I'll try anyway! |
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| Chris Senior Member Joined: 12/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 146 |
Just buy some 12v CFL's, then buy or build a step down box. Wont be to hard and would enable you to have the option of 24v or 12v. |
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| MrBungle Newbie Joined: 07/10/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 34 |
Interesting, never knew the CFL's were 'hot-cathode' devices, learn something new every day! |
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| dwyer Guru Joined: 19/09/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 574 |
Hi mr bungle well that is very good indeed that you have a schematics drawing and will can you send me a copy nor picture of the CFL if is possible thank ian |
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| MrBungle Newbie Joined: 07/10/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 34 |
Sorry dwyer, I was quoting amiklic1, he has the schematics. |
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| MrBungle Newbie Joined: 07/10/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 34 |
Have since found out that the 12v ac/dc CFL's are coldcathode, which makes sense. |
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solarmike Newbie Joined: 14/11/2005 Location: CanadaPosts: 26 |
I know how to make a simple dc ballast for cpf lights. You take two TIP41C fet's and a small 28 gauge choke and one 0.1mfd ceramic disk capacitor and wire it up to a small ferrite core transformer. It only takes 5 parts! oh I forgot, There is also one resistor involved. I will dig out the schematic if you want it. There is 24 VDC CF ballasts available! Sunelco in Montana USA has them! @ http://www.sunelco.com/sunelcostore/category.aspx?categoryid =166&openid=166
You can buy them for $21 usd one other note about CF's : The simple ballast creates 1200V for start up at as soon as the gas becomes ionized, the ballast supplys 70 vac at 25 Khz to illuminate the tube. I got a wopping shock of of one once! be carful. I am solarmike |
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Bryan1 Guru Joined: 22/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1343 |
Hiya Bruce, I'm running 8 12volt cfcl's for lighting in my shed. there rated at 20 watts each and I have them hooked up to my nife batterybank. They provide reasonable light thru the day but at night they really shine. The only downside is the current used when everyone is litup and the bases are alot smaller than the 240 volt one's and the holders are crap. I thought they would fall out when hot but they've lasted well over a year. Jaycar sell them but they cost about $20 each and they can run upto 15 volts which suit my nife batteries. As suggested the Oatley's kit can run upto 3 240 volt cfcl's and had I known that that's the way I would of gone. Cheers Bryan |
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| daljit Newbie Joined: 09/09/2006 Location: IndiaPosts: 2 |
Hi Solarmike, What about your schematic etc. I may remind you that you started digging out the same on 11th December 2005. I am very eager to try your design. Please upload the schematic, PCB layout and if possible photo of the same. Thank you, Daljit Singh Its breeze to assemble circuits on PCBs |
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| RossW Guru Joined: 25/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 495 |
CFLs are ok, but inverters and all the associated stuff makes lots of RF noise and ultimately isn't terribly efficient. If all you want is low-level illumination for collision-avoidance at night time.... jump on ebay, look for some of the 10,000 or more (I've seen over 100,000 advertised) mCd white LEDs. My last house, for an experriment, had 4 of the 12,000 mCd white LEDs down the 15 metre hallway. I ran a single mini speaker flex (bell-wire) figure-8 cable, ran the 4 LEDs in series, with a current limiting resistor and 12V plugpack. Inside at night, it was like a full moon at night. Not quite bright enough to read by, but quite bright enough to walk around at night and see the cat, doorways, stairs etc. 4 of them were taking about 5mA off a 12V rail. Since then, I've planned to use them here, but I'm still trying to catch up on enough other projects. They'll keep. I think I paid $10 USD for 100 of the 12,500mCd ones. |
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| solarmike Newbie Joined: 14/11/2005 Location: CanadaPosts: 26 |
I agree that CFL,s are not as good as leds. The area they do excel in is thier warm light and good color rendition. A note about led strings and efficieny: white leds can operate on les than 3.6 VDC and so thier current will be less and thier efficieny will be grater but the light output will be more blue and dimmer. You do not need a reisitor at all to protect the leds if you use 4 in series. For the best light output you should use 3 leds and a 33 or 47 ohm resistor in series. It will draw about 20-30 mA on a 12 VDC supply. P.S. I am in Canada and I greve the loss of the great Steve Irwin. He has changed the view of millions of people forever. God bless his soul. I am solarmike |
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Prof Newbie Joined: 01/12/2005 Location: AustraliaPosts: 33 |
Hi Bruce, Bryan is on the right track. Just buy and use 240V cfl's an use an inverter to run them. This may not be the most efficient use of power from your battery but dollar wise and user friendly, you will be in front and your partner and/or visitors will not be challenged. I curently use CFL's everywhere in my home but in my new abode (costings in progress), I will be using LED's for general lighting as I believe that these will end up being the most/cost efficient for a new house installation, bearing in mind that I am the "Owner Builder". Prof. I know boats!! |
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| RossW Guru Joined: 25/02/2006 Location: AustraliaPosts: 495 |
Interesting! I built my "bunker" (a little over 800 square metres of underground home), but mostly because of (a) no aircon and (b) no grid power, went almost exclusively for CFLs. We have 120 of the blighters, 7 watts each, in the GU-10 downlight format. Downside is that they take a while to warm up. Upsie is that they really do run on the smell of an oily rag! I used "Megaman" lamps. Had a few failures, for no aparant reason. They also have 11 watt versions that I'd like to try, they're supposed to be a fair bit brighter. I particularly like that they have a very wide angle of radiation so no "pools of light" on the floor. (My ceilings are 3m which probably helps a little too). They were quite cheap too as I recall. I think the fitting and the CFL lamp worked out about $11 each! |
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