fluorescent lamp - not even close. You need to read real data sheetsm and not just marketing hype.
Vic Roberts
formatting link
Rogues Gallery
formatting link
reply via e-mail: replace xyz with vdr in the Reply to: address or use e-mail address listed at the Web site.
This information is provided for educational purposes only. It may not be used in any publication or posted on any Web site without written permission.
There is no need for a sine wave inverter. E-ballasts work just fine on DC, and most will probably work on square wave input, though I have not tested this.
Vic Roberts
formatting link
Rogues Gallery
formatting link
reply via e-mail: replace xyz with vdr in the Reply to: address or use e-mail address listed at the Web site.
This information is provided for educational purposes only. It may not be used in any publication or posted on any Web site without written permission.
Whilst that is likely in the US (I'm always somewhat surprised to see large US supermarket lit with rows and rows of 4' T12 tubes), it's not true here. 4' was a popular size in the home in the 1960's, but in supermarkets and other similar installations, they tend to be 5', 6' or 8' tubes (8' is becoming rarer now), but never 4', possibly because of their low loading compared with the longer tubes. In offices, you can find 4' tubes in 1200x600mm modular ceiling lights, but 2' tubes in 600x600mm modular ceiling lights are much more common. (These are giving way to externally ballasted compact fluorescents now.)
Depends entirely where you NEED the light. The LED can provide as much light in a restricted area as the flourescent does - but will NOT light as large an area to that brightness. So the question is - how much light do you need and where??? If the light scattered all over by the flourescent is needed - use flourescent. If it is just wasted (not needed anyway) try the LED solution.
I agree - if the inverter is run in it's "sweet spot" - but if, say, a 1200 watt inverter is used to power a 13 watt load, the efficiency drops WAY DOWN because the quiescent load (what it takes to run the inverter with no load) becomes a sizeable percentage of the total power consumed. - and just how efficient IS a magnetic ballast?? Likely something closer to 80 than 90 - so combine that (let's say
80) with the (possibly) 70% efficiency of a lightly loaded inverter, and you are down to about 56% efficiency - where, particularly for task lighting, a low voltage halogen is DEFINITELY worth considering. (and an LED positively SHINES.) (pun intended)
That may well be their peak efficiency. But driving an inductive load which requires a decent sine wave? And the efficiency of the fittings is likely poorer too if not getting the correct waveform.
It would be very interesting to know the actual efficiency of this setup in practice. I'd say you'd be surprised.
Plenty of camping style 12v fluorescents available, and I can totally confirm the battery lasts about 5 times as long as using normal 12v bulbs, since I have both.
Generally 8 or 16watts fittings are less than £20.
Depends entirely where you NEED the light. The LED can provide as much light in a restricted area as the flourescent does - but will NOT light as large an area to that brightness. So the question is - how much light do you need and where??? If the light scattered all over by the flourescent is needed - use flourescent. If it is just wasted (not needed anyway) try the LED solution.
That's the point I'm making - any figures are likely just a guess when dealing with this unknown. Quoted efficiencies are always under ideal circumstances.
Of course it would be better to use proper low voltage florries or decent LED lighting - but the OP has ruled this out on cost grounds.
We dont have precise figures on the invertor, but low loading isnt going to make a big difference. One can work this out from understanding the way they operate. It is possible to find figures for smpsus.
Short tubes and LEDs both significantly have lower efficacy, and low quality 12v ballasts aren't models of anything. Assuming a mains invertor gets lower total lumens per wattt just isnt logical.
I re-read it, and according to the net-nazi's my response was correct. I bottom posted in response to the "15W LED v 58W Flourescent, not a hope" which was on the same level (>>) as the very bad light colour - so apparently the same message. Get a life!!
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.