Sylvia Else wrote:
On 20/09/2011 1:11 PM, Trevor Wilson wrote:
Sylvia Else wrote:
Has anyone here tried retrofitting low ESR capacitors to CFLs with a
view to improving their turn-on performance - i.e. so that they
reach full brightness quickly?

Sylvia.

**The full brightness thing is not associated with the electronics.
It's an issue with the gas in the tube and, to a lesser extent, the
phosphor coating. You can prove this for yourself, by measuring the
light output of a standard (iron ballast) fluoro. Light output
gradually increases over a few seconds (or minutes, depending on
ambient temperature). Don't sweat it anyway, LEDs will replace them in
most applications
very soon. I've been mucking about with a couple of these recently:

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/12w-350...p-12-14v-80310

It delivers almost double the light output of an 11 Watt T5 fluoro
and is far more compact, dimmable and has nicer colour temperature.


Having got used to the higher colour temperatures of CFLs, I find
that I prefer them.

**CFLs are not so different to regular fluoros. Each manufacturer has
his/her own formulation for the phosphor coating. As a conseqence, the
colour balance will be slightly different for each. I find that different
lamps have different purposes. For my workbench, I need accurate colour
rendition (for checking colour codes on components) and I use 36 Watt, quad
phosphor lamps for that purpose. For other areas, I use different lamps.


Incandescents weren't given a lower colour temperature because people
preferred them, it was just the way they came out.

**Well, yes.

If the first
practical domestic electric lights had been of daylight colour
temperature, I imagine that's what everyone would always have wanted,
and people would have given short shrift to this yellow rubbish.

However, I note that the led emitter strips are available in higher
colour temperatures.

**They are available in a wide range of colour temperatures. The range is
increasing rapidly.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au