On 6/8/2011 10:34 PM, Robert Green wrote:
wrote in message
...
On 6/7/2011 1:29 PM, wrote:
On Jun 6, 9:58 pm, wrote:
Is there such a thing as a true "instant start" CFL which produces full
intensity brightness as soon as it is turned on? I am trying to find an
indoor bulb which will not require any warm up period to attain full
brightness.
So what kind of cockamaime, contrived logic is behind this
requirement?

The reason I ask is to not necessarily be hurtful, but to see if
perhaps there is some other solution to your problem. People come in
this newsgroup on a regular basis asking for some piece of Rube
Goldberg unconventional uninvented technology to solve a problem that
a different piece of common technology would solve with a lot less
hassle.
As I posted earlier in this thread, my question arises from my attempt
to provide bright hallway and staircase access for elderly people with
diminished eyesight. The original 100 watt incandescent bulbs are only
switched on briefly, and CFLs take too long to get adequately bright.

As it turns out, the recommendation from "Mal" was 100% correct. I went
to Lowes today, found the recently introduced General Electric "hybrid
technology" bulbs he described, and took some home for testing.

They work superbly well.

The two part hybrid design automatically turns on both the CFL and
halogen filament to provide full intensity output upon start-up. As the
CFL warms up, the halogen bulb is extinguished, and within maybe a
minute or so the lamp is 100% CFL.

There is a small color shift as the color temperature shifts from warmer
(approx 2500 degrees Kelvin) to a cooler, bluer CFL temperature as the
halogen lamp is replaced by the CFL output. The effect is not something
you would normally see unless you are looking for it.

The 75 watt equivalent version of the bulb consumes 20 watts, produces
over 1200 lumens output, is warrantied for 5 years for free replacement,
and is estimated to last for 7.3 years in average service. They are sold
at Lowes for $13 for two bulbs.

This is an ideal solution for me, saving a lot of watts, maintaining
true "instant on", and having (supposedly) a long, warrantied life
expectancy.

The nearest LED equivalent at Lowes was being offered on "clearance" for
$29 for 1 bulb. Much longer predicted life but considerably lower
lumens, 840 to be exact.

I am extremely impressed with this new, dual hybrid design from a
lighting performance point of view. Time will tell if their MTBF /
failure / life expectancy prediction holds.

I personally trust that GE will stand behind their warranty and are
unlikely to be exaggerating their claims. On the other hand, I have
several examples of "instant on" CFLs from Sylvania, Phillips, etc.
which are not in any way delivering anywhere near full output until
literally a minute or two after they are switched on. This GE is in a
class by itself.

Thanks again to all who responded. As always, the knowledge and talent
on this forum is incredible and very much appreciated.

That's great news. I am about to order one from Amazon to see how they
interact with my X-10 home automation system. CFL bulbs have been a serious
problem for X-10 users because their electronic profile is so different from
tungsten incandescent bulbs, the kind X-10 was designed around. Of course,
Amazon's price is double that of Lowe's, but it might be weeks before I got
up that way and I wanted to see how X-10 controller modules reacted to the
lightbulb.

I'm hoping these will eliminate the terrible problem of CFL's turning
themselves back on because of how they work with the slight current trickle
used in X-10 circuits to sense local control of the switch. I've got my
fingers crossed. It could be the miracle bulb for both of us!

--
Bobby G.


I modified lamp modules in 2 different ways to make them silent
appliance modules. They both work with CFLs with no problems. One
of the mods uses a solid state relay and doesn't retain the X10
local on feature, which is ok with me. This mod will switch up to 5
amps. Here's a link http://mysite.verizon.net/res1fl57/id11.html
The other mod is a little more complicated as you have to add a deal
roach (upside down IC), etc. It does retain the local on, but in my
case, I disconnected that lead because I know the small current
which it squirts into the lamp would probably cause CFLs or even LED
Christmas lights some problems. Here's a link
http://idobartana.com/hakb/silent_local.htm I think just removing
the 330K resistor removes the local sense current. But both work
very well.