Straight Mini Fluorescent Tube

Thread Starter

Lightfire

Joined Oct 5, 2010
690
Hello,

It's me again, brother of Lightfire. I am not allowed to create more than 1 account in this forum (system said)))

I bought a mini fluorescent tube... The sales agent said that it will work with 12 V battery... But I guess it wont work because in the box, the label said that the voltage is 220 V/60 Hz. Isn't it???


Specification (as written in box0))
Wattage: 4 W
Voltage: 220V/60 HZ
Color Temp: 6400 K
Base: G5
Bulb Size: T5
Lumen: 100 (lm)

here's the picture of the light that I did buy... (see attachment)))

Anyway, if it will not work, is there any lamp, fluorescent lamp that is designed like that that is only 12 V???

THANKS!!!

ElectricThunder
 

Attachments

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
There are many small fluorescent bulbs used in battery powered flashlights but, as noted, those flashlights contain circuits to drive the bulbs. You cannot just connect directly to a battery.
 

Thread Starter

Lightfire

Joined Oct 5, 2010
690
Can I direct put it on a 12 V battery? Also what should I say when I am buying that item??? Just bright white led??? or what???
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
You have been told. Post #9 says you will need resistors.

Why do you keep asking questions and not read the answers?
Why do you think you should be connecting parts together when yu have not read anything about how they work?
 

Thread Starter

Lightfire

Joined Oct 5, 2010
690
Sorry #12... I already read but I did not understand... Also, in your sentences, its looks like that you are mad, angry or whatever. This is the first VERY NICE POST that I ever saw... Thanks!!!
 

marshallf3

Joined Jul 26, 2010
2,358
White LEDs come in several wavelength classifications but remember that they're not actually white, rather a very bright blue LED going through a yellow filter.

LEDs are monochromatic, they only emit one wavelength of light whereas a fluorescent lamp tube is usually a combination of three or more different phosphors which are activated by the shortwave UV that originates inside them. The choice of the phosphor combination determines their rated apparent color output. I use 3,400*K tubes upstairs in my area, 4,100*K in the shipping and receiving areas and 5,000*K in the office and other areas where one has to better see the true color of something. I have used some 6,500*K tubes before but they were just too much on the blue side. In time I'll be converting the entire warehouse areas over from 400W & 250W PS MH lamps to the newer 105W 277V CFL conversions that will screw into the existing fixtures once you've bypassed &/or removed the ballast. At 4,1000*K they put out a light that will be acceptable for those areas of the warehouse and are almost as bright when you get used to them. Best thing is 105 Watts of power consumption vs 468W or 286W for my conventional HID setup and with around 200 of them the power savings is going to be incredible.

I haven't a clue what they're going to do to my power factor so I may be switching some of my PFC caps around, either taking some offline, adding some, moving some or possibly even having to change a value here or there. Kind of a challenge after I got the building up to 95% PF in the summer and 98-99% in the winter. Our electric company doesn't penalize us unless we fall below 85% but they were pressing for 90% at their last corporation committee meeting and I'll bet they get it this year. One thing's for certain, the changeover isn't going to affect my "time of use" rates that I'm on since all but a few of the the vast HVAC systems run 24x7 and are the worst offenders, some of the 14 have 30 HP motors. I've got a few smaller split systems here and there but I'm not worried about them.
 

marshallf3

Joined Jul 26, 2010
2,358
Is there any battery operated light that the color of light is white as looks like fluorescent lamp????
How big of an area do you need to illuminate? Can you sketch out some sort of drawing as to what you're trying to do?
If so, I'm sure we can help you with a proper LED setup and the resistor(s) necessary to operate them off of 12V.
 

bertus

Joined Apr 5, 2008
22,270
Hello,

The color of the fluorescent is dependend on the color code written on it.
Code 840 is a color temperature of 4000 K (cool white)
Code 830 is a color temperature of 3000 K (white)
Code 827 is a color temperature of 2700 K (warm white)

With white leds the color temperature is often given.

Bertus
 

Audioguru

Joined Dec 20, 2007
11,248
I use 3000k compact fluorescent light bulbs in my home. They appear pure white, not pink like warm white and not blue like cool white.
But I can't buy them anymore so I selected 3500k which has a trace of blue colour.

You would think that the higher is the temperarture then the better is the pure white colour but no, it is the amount of blue colour (like blue sky?).
 

marshallf3

Joined Jul 26, 2010
2,358
The color of the fluorescent is dependend on the color code written on it.
Code 840 is a color temperature of 4000 K (cool white)
Code 830 is a color temperature of 3000 K (white)
Code 827 is a color temperature of 2700 K (warm white)
I can't see the need for a 2700 lamp and around here the standards are similar for the bulb #s but the colors are different.

I think my 3300 - 3500s have a code of 733/4/5 or 833/4/5
My 4100s have a 741 or 841 code
The 5K ones do have a 750 or 850 code, likewise the 6500 have a 765 or 865.
They've even gone higher than that now, last I saw they had 8500 and 10K lamps available.

The difference between the 7xx and 8xx codes has to do with color rendition capabilities. The 7xx series are less expensive but aren't quite as good as far as CRI is rated. Since I go through so many tubes I usually buy the 7xx series because nothing at work is that mission critical.

The building came with a pretty good stash of T-8 tubes and I had plenty left from the old buildings. I'm going to stick with the 3300-3500 in my upstairs area as I find he warmer white more pleasing and quite sufficient for the work I do up there but as I run out of the 4100s I may go over to 5Ks since the price has started to become about the same and the light output has become far closer to the 4100s as far as lumens go. Years ago a 5K lamp didn't have nearly the same lumen output as the 4100s did and they cost more, now that they're taking over and are more a standard that's changed.

I have never counted the number of T-8 fixtures we have but I'd estimate it to be around 3,000, about half as double tube and the other half quad tube. Changing the bulbs is no big deal in the office areas with a ladder but in the areas of the warehouse that have them I finally got the VP to break down and buy me a true, rather large scissor lift. As old as this building is ballast failures are far from uncommon and when you've got to work on them with live 277V I'll be darned if I'm going to do it on a ladder. At least I've got my "associate in training" taught how to deal with them and, unlike me when we first got the building and I had to replace something around 70 ballasts. He hasn't got the pleasure of accidentally touching that 277V live incoming line or the charge even a failed ballast often holds - that or he hasn't mentioned it to me. In most cases it's a pain in the rear to find the proper breaker to kill a row of lights and it disrupts productivity so contrary to the common rules of the code we just change them out live.

As they say at the first of the show "Mythbusters" do not try this at home even on a simple 120V fixture. I'm a very experienced electrician and mastered at the art of not touching anything live. Well insulated dikes, wire strippers and my use of the new push in connectors as opposed to wire nuts makes it extremely easy.

These are really nice to have around and they sure beat wire nuts even if you've got to cut and strip new ends:
http://www.burnstines.com/wago-wall-nut-4-cond-push-wire-orange-priced-each.html

Great for ballast replacement or the occasional junction box but even though UL rated for it I wouldn't trust them to run 20A through nor anything that had a high inductive load.
 
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