modified cfl

[j taylor]

hi there people this is my first post my name is john and i am from lancashire in the UK i am just wondering is it possable to modify a 240volt ac cfl to run on 12 volt dc any thoughts or ideas will be very welcome

[Guest]

Hi John
Welcome to the forum!

The standard way of running a CFL from 12 volts it to use an inverter which is a device that converts the 12v dc into 240vac, then connect its output to your light bulb.

[j taylor]

hi paradox thanks for the welcome i dont think i gave enough information in my first post so here goes i know a little about electronics and about inverters have just finished wiring my house lights to run on 12volt dc also have a wind turbine in the garden and have built three 70 Wat solar panels which all charge a 500 ah bank of batteries i have bought 12 volt dc cfl,s but at 7 pound each find them a bit expensive where 240 ac cfl,s are 1 pound for four you see what i am getting at if i could modify them i would make a great saving

[Joit]

You may wanna look at Imotheps Radiant Oscillator Thread.
He removed the Circuit from the Cfl, wich anyway burns out usual, and did run it with a Ignitioncoil. Other did do it with a jouleThief Circuit, Ignitioncoil and a cfl too.

[Stealth]

Why not use LED. Far less wattage involved and less expense too. One 12 volt battery should light your house easily with LED bulbs. You can buy in bulk off the internet and save a bundle. They will far outlast CFL also. I have tried both, and there is a big difference in savings. Good Luck. Stealth

[thaelin]

And if you pulse the led's on and off at a rate faster than the eye can detect, you will save even more. Very bright led's and pulsed will make it last a long time on 12v. Throw up a solar panel and charge a bat.

thay

[Bodkins]

WELCOME brother from another mother

Why not use LED. Far less wattage involved and less expense too. One 12 volt battery should light your house easily with LED bulbs. You can buy in bulk off the internet and save a bundle. They will far outlast CFL also. I have tried both, and there is a big difference in savings. Good Luck. Stealth

Man that a really good idea thank you

thaelin from sheffield
sounds like a real good setup you have heaven

have you tryed the bedini charges ?
i charge little batterys with them and they run off 12v and at the allotment and trying to get a earth battery thing going too.
you sound like you have a better understanding of the eletrical side than me I tell ya! its crazy the stuff you can do if you have the skills around here,
anyway good luck

[Stealth]

I just purchased a small solar panel,12 volts and 1.8 watts. I am going to string up some LED's and see how long it will keep them lit. I will, later on, take a battery and add to the system. I would like to light my house with LED's. Hope it all works out OK. Good Luck.. Stealth

[Iotayodi]

That might be hard to do for whole house lighting using solar and battery alone. Just remember the voltage drop. The amount of lumens is really low anyway. You would need a lot of leds for any real lighting. The ac leds that have multiple leds usually use a faceted globe to magnify the light but they sure are expensive. They would definitely make a good backup when power goes out as well as outside lighting.
Im in the process of trying to make an outdoor animated revolving disk on a pedestal using an earth battery and a low voltage low ma geared motor. I may put leds on it even if it means a separate earth battery. Im trying to stay away from electronics on it. I may use a capacitor though.

Light Emitting Diodes