Compact Florescent lamp trick

Posted by Tony on October 17, 2009, 6:29 pm

Nate Nagel wrote:

> Tony wrote:

>> aemeijers wrote:

>>> Tony wrote:
>>>> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>>>> On Fri 16 Oct 2009 04:53:00p, David Nebenzahl told us...
>>>>>> On 10/16/2009 4:20 PM Nate Nagel spake thus:
>>>>>>> yes, and "candelabra base" is the correct term. "Edison base" is
>>>>>>> the standard light bulb that we all know and love, "Mogul base"
>>>>>>> is the size larger than that that you hardly ever see anymore.
>>>>>> Well, you (and I) don't see mogul bases much anymore, but anyone
>>>>>> who deals with commercial or industrial lighting sees them a *lot*.
>>>>> Most mogul base bulbs for residential use were 3-way builbs used as
>>>>> the center bulb in floor lamps. They were particularly common in
>>>>> the 1940s-
>>>>> 1950s. Usually the central mogul base bulb was surrounded by 3
>>>>> edison base sockets with a3-way switche to turn on 1, 2, or all 3
>>>>> bulbs. The mogul had it's own 3-way switch to handle the double
>>>>> filaments.
>>>> So back in the 50's the "lamp dimming" technology to dim lights and
>>>> use less power was far, far superior to the modern use of "Dimmer
>>>> Switches". That figures! (I'd like to find one of those lamps.)
>>>> At my last home I rewired the lights on the ceiling fans. I made it
>>>> so the first pull on the chain turned on two opposite bulbs (25
>>>> watt), the next pull turned them off and turned on the other two
>>>> sockets (with 60 watt bulbs), the third pull turned on all four
>>>> sockets/bulbs. Much more efficient than a dimmer switch.
>>> Speaking of the 1950s (and up into the 60s)- remember those living
>>> room pole lamps with multiple heads growing off them? Some of them
>>> were even spring-loaded to go between floor and ceiling without
>>> having to have a huge base. Common use was in the 'Dagwood and
>>> Blondie' corner of the living room, with the 2 big chairs, so each
>>> person could have light on what they were reading. 3rd head was
>>> usually bounced off ceiling, or just ignored. I think my grandparents
>>> wore out about three of them. He was a retired EE, so he would switch
>>> parts around to keep the important parts working.

>> Funny, I was just thinking about them last week and pictured the
>> spring loaded one we had when I was a kid! I think I may have seen
>> one on TV and that jarred my memory.
>> How about the adjustable height dining room light? It had an egg
>> shaped spring loaded center part to coil up the wire inside if you
>> were to raise it up. You simply grabbed the light and pulled it down
>> or pushed it up and the spring loaded wire would hold it there...
>> until it got old.

>
> My grandparents had both of those, as well as a big starburst clock over
> the console TV.
>
> The lights are actually quite functional, albeit passe style-wise. Esp.
> so the pull down dining room table light, if you're the type of person
> who likes to lay down some newspaper on the table and tinker with stuff.

We had to leave the tinkering in the garage, or in my bedroom. I did
however picture pulling the light down while doing some big jigsaw puzzles.

Posted by Wayne Boatwright on October 18, 2009, 4:32 am

On Sat 17 Oct 2009 02:46:05p, Nate Nagel told us...

> Tony wrote:

>> aemeijers wrote:

who

>>>>>> deals with commercial or industrial lighting sees them a *lot*.
>>>>> Most mogul base bulbs for residential use were 3-way builbs used as
>>>>> the center bulb in floor lamps. They were particularly common in
>>>>> the 1940s-
>>>>> 1950s. Usually the central mogul base bulb was surrounded by 3
>>>>> edison base sockets with a3-way switche to turn on 1, 2, or all 3
>>>>> bulbs. The mogul had it's own 3-way switch to handle the double
>>>>> filaments.
>>>> So back in the 50's the "lamp dimming" technology to dim lights and
>>>> use less power was far, far superior to the modern use of "Dimmer
>>>> Switches". That figures! (I'd like to find one of those lamps.)
>>>> At my last home I rewired the lights on the ceiling fans. I made it
>>>> so the first pull on the chain turned on two opposite bulbs (25
>>>> watt), the next pull turned them off and turned on the other two
>>>> sockets (with 60 watt bulbs), the third pull turned on all four
>>>> sockets/bulbs. Much more efficient than a dimmer switch.
>>> Speaking of the 1950s (and up into the 60s)- remember those living
>>> room pole lamps with multiple heads growing off them? Some of them
>>> were even spring-loaded to go between floor and ceiling without having
>>> to have a huge base. Common use was in the 'Dagwood and Blondie'
>>> corner of the living room, with the 2 big chairs, so each person could
>>> have light on what they were reading. 3rd head was usually bounced off
>>> ceiling, or just ignored. I think my grandparents wore out about three
>>> of them. He was a retired EE, so he would switch parts around to keep
>>> the important parts working.

>>
>> Funny, I was just thinking about them last week and pictured the spring
>> loaded one we had when I was a kid! I think I may have seen one on TV
>> and that jarred my memory.
>>
>> How about the adjustable height dining room light? It had an egg shaped
>> spring loaded center part to coil up the wire inside if you were to
>> raise it up. You simply grabbed the light and pulled it down or pushed
>> it up and the spring loaded wire would hold it there... until it got

old.

When I was growing up in the 1950s-1960s, we had both types of the pole
lamps, the spring-tensioned style and the style with a base. We never had
a pull down ceiling light, but I remember them well. There are
contemporary versions still made, but the styling has been updated.

We also had a "TV lamp" that sat on top of the television and reflected
light upward and backward. Back then it was considered bad for the eyes to
view a televisioin in a totally darkened room, and ambient light somewhere
around the TV was considered ideal.

--

~~ If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it. ~~

~~ A mind is a terrible thing to lose. ~~

**********************************************************

Wayne Boatwright

Posted by aemeijers on October 18, 2009, 8:27 am

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
(snip)

> When I was growing up in the 1950s-1960s, we had both types of the pole
> lamps, the spring-tensioned style and the style with a base. We never had
> a pull down ceiling light, but I remember them well. There are
> contemporary versions still made, but the styling has been updated.
>
> We also had a "TV lamp" that sat on top of the television and reflected
> light upward and backward. Back then it was considered bad for the eyes to
> view a televisioin in a totally darkened room, and ambient light somewhere
> around the TV was considered ideal.
>

Chuckle. There was a recent thread, forget which group, bitching about a
brand of wall-mount flat TV that had lighting like that built into the
edge of the 'picture frame' on the set, with a photo cell to measure the
room light. As room got dark, it would switch itself on.

Don't know if it is actually bad for the eyes or not, but it does
probably reduce bumped shins when you get up to run to the can during
commercials. I usually just leave the light at the far end of the
kitchen turned on.

--
aem sends...

Posted by Mark Lloyd on October 18, 2009, 2:01 pm

wrote:

[snip]

>Don't know if it is actually bad for the eyes or not, but it does
>probably reduce bumped shins when you get up to run to the can during
>commercials. I usually just leave the light at the far end of the
>kitchen turned on.

And the light makes it harder to accidentally step on a cat. They're
something like the other things you can bump into, but are mobile and
can be found in unexpected places.

I keep a string of green LED holiday lights on all the time.

BTW, some of the lights (some in each series) have gone out over time,
but others are still lit. That's strange.
--
68 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us

"How could you ask me to believe in God when there's
absolutely no evidence that I can see?" -- Jodie Foster

Posted by Wayne Boatwright on October 18, 2009, 8:39 pm

On Sun 18 Oct 2009 11:01:34a, Mark Lloyd told us...

> wrote:
>
> [snip]
>

>>Don't know if it is actually bad for the eyes or not, but it does
>>probably reduce bumped shins when you get up to run to the can during
>>commercials. I usually just leave the light at the far end of the
>>kitchen turned on.

>
> And the light makes it harder to accidentally step on a cat. They're
> something like the other things you can bump into, but are mobile and
> can be found in unexpected places.
>
> I keep a string of green LED holiday lights on all the time.
>
> BTW, some of the lights (some in each series) have gone out over time,
> but others are still lit. That's strange.

Actually, not at all strange. Typically these lights are wired in series,
but the bulbs are designed to fuse the filament together when they burn out
so that the circuit is still completed.

--

~~ If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it. ~~

~~ A mind is a terrible thing to lose. ~~

**********************************************************

Wayne Boatwright

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Compact Florescent lamp trick - Page 5