On 18/01/2018 00:53, Johnny B Good wrote:
On Wed, 17 Jan 2018 10:47:21 +0000, John Rumm wrote:

On 17/01/2018 04:55, Johnny B Good wrote:
On Tue, 16 Jan 2018 22:00:09 +0000, John Rumm wrote:

====snip====


There is a second significant advantage, in that the strips are
typically arranged into relatively high voltage chains such that they
can be be wired in sets of 4 directly across the mains with no need to
use dropper capacitors. Hence better reliability and less temperature
sensitive ageing.

I'm afraid that's most definitely untrue.

Yup, actually I would agree with that ;-)

====snip====

The first of the latest "High Efficiency" 68LPW GLS "60W equivalent"
LES
lamps bought from Asda about 5 years ago claimed a consumption wattage
rating of 12W. Testing revealed that it was actually taking 14W but I
wasn't bothered too much about that since it certainly provided far
more light output than the 20W CFL "60W equivalent" it replaced.

Do you know if that was a true power 14W or was there a reactive
component in that figure?

Actual RMS power as shown by my Metrawatt analogue watt meter.


The only downside being that it was rather heavier than the replaced
CFL
due to the use of a meaty well engineered finned heatsink which placed
an extra burden on the height adjustable pendant luminaire over the
dining table.

I recall someone trying to use an (early ish) CFL in an anglepoise. The
results were fairly predictable!

The Asda lamp wasn't as heavy as those early Philips jam jar SL13s of
which I presume you speak. The anglepoise seems to handle the weight of
the Asda lamp with ease (certainly far better than the Ikea pull down
pendant luminaire I'd transplanted it from).

====snip====


[1] Curiously, this Asda branded lamp quotes 50/60Hz in addition to the
220 to 240 volt supply @67mA (implying a PF of 0.85) which strongly
suggests an electronic ballast more sophisticated than a mere dropper
capacitor.

However, the 220 to 240 volt range seems to be more in keeping with
UK
and European supply voltages where 50Hz is the standard frequency of
supply so it's just possible that the mention of 60Hz may simply be a
matter of mislabelling (possibly a "force of habit" error).

The only other place where 60Hz is standard outside of the USA that
comes to mind is Japan (well, roughly half of Japan - the other half
does use 50Hz) so it seems a little unusual that a lamp designed to
operate in the range of 220 to 240 should also include the 60Hz option.

Possibly just someone specifying something they felt ought to be in the
spec... (wither that or they had a job lot returned from someone trying
to use them on an aircraft 400Hz supply ;-)

Since ICBA to find a couple of 7AH SLAs to black start my spare APC
SmartUPS700 in 60Hz mode, this claim of 60Hz compatibility is going to
remain untested for the foreseeable future.

Yup, there are some things that even enquiring minds don't really need
to know!

Well, since it functions quite well as a slightly brighter equivalent to
a 60W incandescent light bulb in the anglepoise lamp, I'm not overly
bothered about the details. Replacing it with a 150LPW version in a few
years time is only going to save a mere 7 watts or so which is neither
here nor there in the larger scheme of things anyway. It will eventually
be replaced, but only after I've had my money's worth out of it.

I'm looking forward to the more efficient LED GLS lamps *finally*
reaching the market not for their reduced running costs so much as for
removing the need to stop being so fussy about which of the existing
luminaires can safely take a 150W equivalent lamp without risk of
premature failure due to overheating. :-)

The slight reduction in the overall electricity bill is a welcome side
effect but not enough reason by itself to invest in the improved
efficiency of 150 and 200 LPW lamps. The original CFLs grabbed all the
low hanging fruit of electric lighting running cost savings over two
decades ago, leaving LED GLS lamps to slowly gather the high hanging
fruits of energy savings during the past 5 years as an exercise in
diminishing returns.

Twenty years ago, it made good financial sense to invest 50 quid in CFLs
to knock 250 quid off the annual electricity bill. Today, it would take a
50 quid investment in the latest LED GLS lamps just to knock another 40
to 50 quid off the electricity bill. It's just not enough of a saving,
especially when you know you'll most likely be able to achieve the same
savings a year or two later for a mere 20 or 30 quid investment in LED
lamps.

If you save money, the electric companies will increase the cost to you,
they will make sure they don't lose out