Author Topic: Homemade portable preheat non-integrated CFL table lamp for college dorm?  (Read 1039 times)
WorldwideHIDCollectorUSA
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HID, LPS, and preheat fluorescents forever!!!!!!


Worldwide HIDCollectorUSA
Homemade portable preheat non-integrated CFL table lamp for college dorm? « on: September 19, 2022, 12:30:31 AM » Author: WorldwideHIDCollectorUSA
Since I am looking into moving into a dorm for my college education, I am thinking about building myself a homemade preheat non-integrated CFL table lamp that I can use as a desk lamp for my studies and I want to make sure that it does appear unsafe to a non-lighting enthusiast because I do mot want to risk getting kicked out of my dorm room or be held liable for any electrical fires that I start. The idea that I am thinking about is to get a Japanese style Shoji lamp and convert it to use a non-integrated CFL lamp that uses a preheat circuit. In my case, I am thinking of using a G10Q lampholder, a magnetic preheat series choke ballast, and an external starter socket so that I can have the flexibility of either running halophosphate and triphosphor FUL CFL lamps, Japanese triphosphor FPL CFL lamps, and Japanese triphosphor FDL CFL lamps. I would really like to know how I can hide the wiring so that my lamp can be perceived as safe to use by the general population so that I can safely use it as a desk lamp for my studies.

Here is my materials list for the components that I am thinking of using to make a preheat non-integrated CFL Shoji lamp that I would like to use for my college dorm:

Shoji Lamp:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1266885864

FUL14CW lamp:
https://lightbulbdepot.com/products/details/di/cfl-plug-in-ful14cw-cool-white/04198A/

G10Q socket:
https://www.prolampsales.com/products/lamp-socket-4pin-with-surface-35-1104a

Ballast:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/354046593609

Starter socket:
https://www.semperlite.com/product/kulka-596w

FS2 starter:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/133674899785

appropriate screws

wire connectors
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Desire to collect various light bulbs (especially HID), control gear, and fixtures from around the world.

DISCLAIMER: THE EXPERIMENTS THAT I CONDUCT INVOLVING UNUSUAL LAMP/BALLAST COMBINATIONS SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED UNLESS YOU HAVE THE PROPER KNOWLEDGE. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INJURIES.

funkybulb
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Re: Homemade portable preheat non-integrated CFL table lamp for college dorm? « Reply #1 on: September 19, 2022, 08:30:46 AM » Author: funkybulb
That a easy one.  Go find your self a vintage floor lamp.  Chop it dowm to size.  Put ballast into base of the lamp. Go get a junk no good mogul bulb.  Remove all the glass from bulb base.  Break off plastic ears off lamp holder.  Forget the starter socket
 Just transter starter componet to fluorescent lamp holder. Then put all this starter componet and fluorestcent socket inside mogul base.  And insulate all your expose wiring and hot glue every thing into base of mogul socket.  And on bottom of floor lamp base.  U can add a ballast by pass switch.  That way u can
Test mogul base bulbs when u need to.  All this when set up it would look like a vintage table lamp with a lamp shade and no  will ever know.  With minium lamp modification and it would turn
On same way like incandescent table lamp.  But u can make another version with starter socket using the mogual base
When your tinkering with starters but put that one away when u done tinkering. 

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No LED gadgets, spins too slowly.  Gotta  love preheat and MV. let the lights keep my meter spinning.

joseph_125
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Re: Homemade portable preheat non-integrated CFL table lamp for college dorm? « Reply #2 on: September 19, 2022, 10:28:01 PM » Author: joseph_125
Personally I'd skip the dorm and live off campus in a nearby apartment with less rules but if you prefer dorm living or are forced to here's what I'd do to hide the ballast.

Make sure to fully enclose all the gear you need to run it and it'll probably look neat enough to pass inspection. Open ballasts with wires, ballasts mounted on wood, and the like won't pass inspection.

I usually use small aluminum enclosures for my ballasts. If you mount them securely, use the proper cord grips, and use rubber feet it'll look neat enough. If the ballast tends to run hot, give the thermals a check too. I usually check ballast temperature after 2 hours of operation. On some of my more hot running ballasts, I ended up cutting ventilation slots in the case. Finally put a line fuse on the ballast input, I usually size them at around 120% of the ballast name plate current draw.

Finally give the case a coat of black paint and to the average person, it'll just look like a slightly larger power brick.

A lot of dorms also prohibit halogen torchieres so I'd avoid using any fixture that resembles those just to avoid extra scrutiny. Also if you know when dorm inspection is to prepare, hide any sketchy looking items out of plain view, a closet will do as RAs don't typically go searching through your stuff but your car if you have one also works. Another good way to avoid extra scrutiny is to keep your living space tidy and clean on inspection day, no excessive clutter, bathroom clean, floors swept, bed made etc. The RA will probably just do a sweep of the room and move to the next one.


« Last Edit: September 19, 2022, 10:37:29 PM by joseph_125 » Logged
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