CFL's again

I've just purchased a 20watt CFL from Tesco. On the box it is labelled

20watts, 1220 lumens, equivalent to 89watt conventional. On the lamp itself, the only understandable markings say 240volt, 140 mA. The 20watt Osram long life cfl that failed after a few months said 240volt 165 mA The Tesco Value 15watt lamp that I put in while I found the replacement was labelled 240volt 144mA, which when multiplied up comes to over 33 watts. I understand that power factors may be involved, but this all seems a bit odd.

Also, why are these things packed in the box so that when opened from the top one can't get them out without touching the glass?

I have turned into Victor Meldrew.

Reply to
Bill
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Why is that a problem? They aren't halogens.

If it really bothers you just remember to open the box from the bottom. B-)

As for the power ratings volts and current who knows without an accurate power meter.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

And how is he supposed to get the lamp into the fitting without toughing the glass?

Reply to
ARWadsworth

I think you're supposed to open them upside-down so that they fall on the floor and break and everyone dies of mercury poisoning. ;)

I've had that same thought about the packaging before too, but I assumed it was probably just limited to whoever made my bulbs (GEC, I think).

Reply to
Jules Richardson

Get someone else to do that step. Duh. ;)

Reply to
Jules Richardson

Well 33 VA, not the same in this circumstance.

You have answered your own question really. CFLs are effectively based on a cheap SMPSU, quite often without any power factor correction. Hence the currents drawn, can be in excess of those suggested by the actual power consumption.

Not anything to worry about, because the real power will be the same regardless.

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Also, why are these things packed in the box so that when opened from

;-)

Reply to
John Rumm

Reply to
John Rumm

It means don't use the glass to put it in or remove it from the lampholder, as you might end up applying enough force to break it in your hand. The multi-loop glass tubes are much more fragile than the glass of a regular filament lamp. You should hold the plastic base to insert/remove it.

This depends on the power factor, which probably varies wildly between different makes of lamp. The current draw by itself is no use for working out the power consumption. I'm not sure why the bother to mark it on the lamps. Is it only useful for working out the fusing and cable sizes for a large installation, or the VA rating if you're running it from a generator or inverter (where it's usually the VA rating which matters, rather the power rating).

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

Indeed. I get them mixed up all the time - to the point where I know I'm probably going to type the wrong one, so I stop and think about it for a moment, and still type the wrong one. :-)

Reply to
Jules Richardson

GEC (the British one, indeed Britain's largest private employer back the the early 1980s when I worked for them) long since went bust. The lamp manufacturing part (GEC Osram) never made CFLs AFAIK, and GEC sold it's part of Osram to Siemens in the late 1980s, after which we couldn't get them on staff discount anymore (not that I ever did). What little is left of GEC is now called Telent, after most of what remained after going bust and bank restructuring was sold to Ericsson (including the well known Marconi name, which is what GEC renamed itself to in the latter 1990s as it owned the Marconi name, and decided it was better recognised than the GEC name at the time).

GE (the US one) is still a large successful company. I believe it's the only company to have been in the NYSE top 100 for 100 years.

GEC and GE were never anything to do with each other, although they did trade companies occasionally, e.g. GEC sold half of Hotpoint to GE at one point.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

Back in the late 60s, just after GEC had taken over (to simplify somewhat) AEI and EE, I heard a story that a chap retiring from the shop floor in Rugby said that, as an apprentice, he had the job of unscrewing GE nameplates from imported motors, and putting AEI ones on (its BTH component had direct links with GE). As he finished his career, he was now putting GEC nameplates on AEI motors.

Chris

Reply to
Chris J Dixon

which used to be the BTH (British Thompson Houston) works. This is of course quite different from Companie Francais de Thompson Houston (once CFT and now just Thompson)

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Reply to
charles

I think he really meant if the fitting is deep inside a fitting, but mostly you can just hole the plastic bit. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

I think what they mean about touching is not exactly what they say. I think applying significant force via the glass is what they really mean, as most are secured internally by glue and it can break off and leave just the wire ends holding the glass. I had a b/q one do this and it eventually fell to bits. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

When I worked there, there was an older chap who boasted that he'd left GEC three times, without ever joining it once. They kept acquiring the companies he left GEC to go and work for.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

Can you remember his first name? There was a colleague who had done something similar, ended up at Plessey and then, after some years, GEC made a bid for Plessey (could be about 30 years ago, or more). He referred to GEC as "the Great Executioner Cometh" and was beginning to get a persecution complex.

Reply to
PeterC

Mike S.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

I remember working with a scots engineer once, who was quite keen to get back working nearer home, and desperate to escape the GEC empire. Eventually got a job with Plessey in Scotland a about a year before they got swallowed! ;-)

Reply to
John Rumm

Not the same chap (Denis), then - but the same persecution!

Reply to
PeterC

My factory became Radstone Engineering, survived for about 30 years and was then taken over by GEC Fanuc!

Reply to
PeterC

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