Very strange behaviour of a Pygmy lamp??? « on: March 18, 2021, 04:02:38 PM » Author: AngryHorse
Humour me for a minute here, but I’ve just fired up a 15watt Pygmy, and it’s doing something electrically impossible?? It’s flickering, like something with a bad connection, but it’s certainly not that, I first thought it was the filament ‘wiggling’, like when you bump a tungsten lamp with a thin filament........., but it’s not that either It’s something I’ve never EVER seen before, and should be scientifically and electrically impossible?? I’ve looked closely at the filament under a magnifying glass, and there’s no break or twist in it, but the flickering is being caused by a 2mm section of filament going out, then coming back on!!!! Now I can understand this on a row of LED diodes, but not on something resistant heated by a flow of electricity! I wish I could show you all this, this tiny section is not dimming it’s completely going out, then coming back on!, that can’t be? You’re thoughts?
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	Re: Very strange behaviour of a Pygmy lamp??? « Reply #1 on: March 18, 2021, 05:01:07 PM » Author: Rommie
Very weird, wish we could see it. Can you not post a video
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	Re: Very strange behaviour of a Pygmy lamp??? « Reply #2 on: March 19, 2021, 02:34:56 AM » Author: AngryHorse
I tried, but you can’t zoom in that well with an iPhone camera, you just get a flickery Pygmy lamp!, I was watching it through the reflection of the screen of my phone while off, and it’s a section just before it goes through the support loop on the stem? I know a heated filament cools as it goes through the loop itself, but this doesn’t explain the flashing on and off like a broken LED string??
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	Re: Very strange behaviour of a Pygmy lamp??? « Reply #3 on: March 19, 2021, 05:50:17 AM » Author: Medved
Short circuits either between turns of the filament coil or support wires, both influeneced by heat, so thermally cycling (the same as wire bonds on LEDs do when such crazy flashing by the way). It is well possible the tap on the bulb is not enough to reposition the structures to stop that happening...
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	Re: Very strange behaviour of a Pygmy lamp??? « Reply #5 on: March 19, 2021, 04:02:35 PM » Author: AngryHorse
Yeah I remember the bimetallic Christmas lights, but just to be clear, the whole filament stays lit at all times, just a tiny section in it is going out, it sounds like what Medved describes but without a more powerful magnifying glass I can’t be 100% sure? It’s just strange to observe a tiny section of a full heated filament flashing on and off
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	Re: Very strange behaviour of a Pygmy lamp??? « Reply #7 on: March 19, 2021, 04:17:38 PM » Author: Rommie
I really wish that I could observe this for myself, it sounds a fascinating phenomenon
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	Re: Very strange behaviour of a Pygmy lamp??? « Reply #8 on: March 19, 2021, 04:50:54 PM » Author: AngryHorse
As I’m not on YouTube, or have any means of sharing videos, not sure how I could do that, but it’s like taking a lit tungsten lamp with a very thin and fragile filament and tapping it, and as the filament bounces, it creates a flickering effect, sadly with an iPhone camera though, you can’t get close enough to be able see the tiny section of filament flashing!
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	Re: Very strange behaviour of a Pygmy lamp??? « Reply #9 on: March 19, 2021, 04:53:31 PM » Author: Rommie
Well when we're finally able to travel, we'll have to come and visit (be scared, be very, very scared    )
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	Re: Very strange behaviour of a Pygmy lamp??? « Reply #11 on: March 19, 2021, 06:12:53 PM » Author: AngryHorse
Ok, this is the best close up I can do, the effected spot is circled, and this section going on and off is causing the flickering effect
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	Re: Very strange behaviour of a Pygmy lamp??? « Reply #12 on: March 19, 2021, 06:14:48 PM » Author: Rommie
That's good enough, and a strange one indeed
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	Re: Very strange behaviour of a Pygmy lamp??? « Reply #13 on: March 19, 2021, 06:17:13 PM » Author: AngryHorse
It’s really weird to watch, like someone turning just that little bit on and off with a switch!
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	Re: Very strange behaviour of a Pygmy lamp??? « Reply #14 on: March 19, 2021, 06:19:39 PM » Author: Rommie
Maybe James or Max might have an idea
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Ria (aka Rommie) in Aberdeen
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