[ale] OT CFL cleanup / LED light bulbs starting to become affordable

Wed Jul 3 13:27:44 EDT 2013

Well designed and well built CFLs run at 10-20 kHz.  The electronics on 
board run an oscillator that powers the bulb rather than relying on a 
transformer ballast and mains power.  Some of the LED lamps are doing 
the same thing because flicker is far more noticeable on an LED than any 
other lighting technology (due to the physics involved in producing the 
light[1]).  This is where the dimmer problem comes into play for 
LED-based lamps.  If the bulb is designed to run the LEDs directly from 
the mains (no fancy electronics) then any dimmer will work (and so will 
direct current, too).  If they use the oscillator to get rid of flicker, 
normal dimmers won't work properly.

[1] Too long to explain in a short email but if you really feel like 
knowing ask but don't say I didn't warn you. :)

On 7/3/2013 10:13, Pete Hardie wrote:
> I have not noticed any flicker with the newer CFLs - I have a cheap LED
> Xmas decoration with LEDs that I do noticed it from, so the CFLs are doing
> something to mitigate the worst of it.
>
> Pete Hardie
> --------
> Better Living Through Bitmaps
>
>
> On Wed, Jul 3, 2013 at 1:02 PM, Sean Kilpatrick <kilpatms at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> **
>>
>> Another problem with CFL bulbs is the 60 cycle flicker, which matches the
>> 60 cycle flicker on CRTs and (I suspect) on some of the newer monitors. The
>> combination eats eyeballs.
>>
>> Sean
>>
>>   On Wednesday, July 03, 2013 12:42:57 pm Jay Lozier wrote:
>>
>>> Hi,
>>
>>>
>>
>>> In a previous job I got very familiar with the EPA rules which lowered
>>
>>> my already low opinion of the EPA. One problem is that the disposal of
>>
>>> the CFL bulbs should be at a hazardous waste facility certified to
>>
>>> handle mercury not at a non-hazardous sanitary landfill. Technically
>>
>>> you could be charged with a federal felony if you improperly dispose a
>>
>>> hazardous waste - I am not sure if there are any minimum quantity.
>>
>>>
>>
>>> While incandescent bulbs used more energy they were non-hazardous waste
>>
>>> when they burnt out.
>>
>>>
>>
>>> Also, CFL can aggravate certain medical problems which incandescent
>>
>>> bulbs never did.
>>
>>>
>>
>>> Often overlooked is the manufacturing process for CFL and LED bulbs may
>>
>>> be more damaging to the environment than for incandescent bulbs even
>>
>>> with the higher energy consumption.
>>
>>>
>>
>>> Jay
>>
>>>
>>
>>> On Wed, 03 Jul 2013 12:16:18 -0400, Ron Frazier (ALE)
>>
>>>
>>
>>> <atllinuxenthinfo at techstarship.com> wrote:
>>
>>>> Hi all,
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> Just wanted to drop a note about some LED light bulbs I've seen
>>
>>>> recently. As you may know, the manufacture of incandescent light
>>
>>>> bulbs is being phased out. The best current alternative is the
>>
>>>> compact fluorescent (CFL). These work well, and use about 1/4 the
>>
>>>> energy of an incandescent. The problem is that they have toxic
>>
>>>> mercury. If you break one, you have to take special steps to avoid
>>
>>>> exposure to mercury or mercury vapor.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> You can find info here:
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> http://www2.epa.gov/cfl
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> I had the (not) fun of experiencing the cleanup procedure the other
>>
>>>> day. I dropped one of these and it shattered. I put on vinyl gloves
>>
>>>> and removed every fragment I could find. I then wiped the carpet
>>
>>>> with a damp paper towel. I then vacuumed, even though the epa would
>>
>>>> rather you not, since almost all the residue was gone and I knew
>>
>>>> there were shards of glass in the carpet. I then threw the vacuum
>>
>>>> bag away (it needed it anyway). Finally, I ran the whole house
>>
>>>> attic fan to ventilate the house for 1/2 hour. They recommend
>>
>>>> venting for several hours if practical. What a pain.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> There are no really good alternatives. However, LED light bulbs are
>>
>>>> starting to become affordable. I saw an ad from newegg that said
>>
>>>> they have 30W equivalent bulbs in a 6 pack for about $ 5 ea. Also,
>>
>>>> I was surprised to find that there are some interesting alternatives
>>
>>>> now appearing at home depot and lowes. Home depot has two products
>>
>>>> from CREE. One is a 40W equivalent bulb for $ 10 and a 60W
>>
>>>> equivalent for $ 15. I'm waiting for affordable 100 W equivalents,
>>
>>>> but they're still about $ 45. So, we're getting there. I moved to
>>
>>>> all CFL a couple of years ago. I'm not quite ready to jump to LED
>>
>>>> yet, but maybe the prices will keep dropping.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> If you decide to buy some of these, there are at least three things
>>
>>>> you need to consider other than cost. First is size. Some of these
>>
>>>> are longer and / or wider than standard bulbs. Second, are they
>>
>>>> omnidirectional and do they cast shadows? Some bulbs have part of
>>
>>>> the bulb structure obscuring the bulb and would cast shadows in
>>
>>>> certain areas. Third, are they dimmable? Dimmability is a big
>>
>>>> advantage that incandescents have that most fluorescents don't.
>>
>>>> Some of the new LED's are dimmable. But, look at the specs. Some
>>
>>>> of them require new advanced dimmers. The CREE ones I mentioned,
>>
>>>> however, are dimmable with conventional old style dimmers.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> Also, the manufacturers like to play games with longevity ratings.
>>
>>>> One will say 10 years, another 20 years, etc. This is useless. You
>>
>>>> have to find how many hours per day they're figuring. Usually, it's
>>
>>>> 3, sometimes 6, etc. The Philips CFL's I just bought are rated at
>>
>>>> 11 years, at 3 hr / day. (The bulbs in my living room and work area
>>
>>>> run much more than 3 hr / day.) If you do the math, that works out
>>
>>>> to 12,000 hours. The cheaper CFL's may be rated only for 8,000 or
>>
>>>> 10,000 hours. A LED should last 20,000 hours or more. There are
>>
>>>> 8760 hours / year, so if you're running a bulb 12 - 24 hours / day,
>>
>>>> expect lots fewer days out of it.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> Home depot will recycle CFL's for you. Lowes might but I don't know.
>>
>>>> I don't know of any easy way to recycle bigger circular or straight
>>
>>>> fluorescent tubes. I wish I did, as there are a few fixtures in my
>>
>>>> house that use these.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> Has anyone else had experience with the new LED bulbs?
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> Sincerely,
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> Ron
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> --
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> Sent from my Android Acer A500 tablet with bluetooth keyboard and K-9
>>
>>>> Mail.
>>
>>>> Please excuse my potential brevity if I'm typing on the touch screen.
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> (PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want
>>
>>>> to call on the phone. I get about 300 emails per day from alternate
>>
>>>> energy mailing lists and such. I don't always see new email
>>
>>>> messages very quickly.)
>>
>>>>
>>
>>>> Ron Frazier
>>
>>>> 770-205-9422 (O) Leave a message.
>>
>>>> linuxdude AT techstarship.com
>>
>>>> Litecoin: LZzAJu9rZEWzALxDhAHnWLRvybVAVgwTh3
>>
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>>
>>>>
>>
>>>>
>>
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