8 Nov
2014
8 Nov
'14
9:15 a.m.
On 11/08/2014 08:43 AM, drlegendre . wrote:
A few weeks ago, I had to put a new AC cord on a Luxo
magnifier lamp, the
type with the 20W circular fluorescent tube. I was really surprised to find
nothing but an iron-core choke in the base.. no starter device, nada.. just
a choke in series with the line cord (and the lamp) I assume. It +is+ the
type where you must hold down the power button for a moment to light it, so
perhaps that's a (manual?) starting mechanism. But in any case, I was a
little puzzled that's all there was to it, so to speak.
Yup, the inductive "kick" is enough to reach the firing voltage of the
fluorescent lamp. You can get rid of the annoying "push and hold"
phenomenon by replacing the switch that temporarily completes the heater
circuit with an inexpensive "starter" unit.
-Chuck