The Audio Pages

The topic of lamps simply won't go away, and I have recently done some further measurements and tests on alternatives. The page discussing CFLs has been pretty popular, and has become so large to become unwieldy, so it's now in the process of being split into different sections. Because of the latest advances in LED lamps, they are also covered in their own sections in the pages that follow.

It is becoming very clear that the CFL is not only an interim product, but has many flaws that will severely limit its usefulness in the long term. Essentially, and in the not-too-distant future, CFLs will have to compete with LED lamps that have far greater life, are at least as efficient, but don't have anywhere near as many problems. Recycling is simplified (no mercury), and the ability to operate at very low temperatures with instant full brightness and zero ultra-violet radiation will make LEDs the lamp of choice for many applications where CFLs are simply unsuitable.

The humble incandescent lamp still has its uses though, and hopefully governments the world over will realise that it is impractical (and just plain stupid) to place an arbitrary ban on them just because they are less efficient than other forms of lighting. In quite a few applications, there are exactly zero alternatives to incandescent lamps, and the sooner this is recognised the better.

In addition, there are minimum energy performance standards being imposed that are of sometimes dubious benefit, and in Australia it was even proposed (by bureaucrats) that required that the laws of physics be rewritten to accommodate their goals.

		Lamps and Lighting	Update
	Incandescent Lamps	The worldwide 'incandescent lamp ban' debate - get some facts before you act!	12 Oct 10
	Fluorescent Lamps	Traditional fluorescent tube lamps and their alternatives.	24 Jan 12
	LED Lighting	A look at some of the latest applications for LED lighting products.	Sep 08
	ESL Lighting	Electron Stimulated Luminescence Lamps - an overview	13 Mar 12
	Sulphur Plasma Lamps	A look at sulphur plasma lamps - the next big thing or continued failure?	18 Apr 10
	Dimmers	Dimmer technology, past, present and future.	17 Apr 10
	Induction Lamps	Induction lighting becomes mainstream. A look at the technology used.	02 Dec 11
		Power Supplies	Update
	Electronic Transformers	How they work (in detail) and a warning to watch out for some that are very dangerous	26 Jun 10
	External PSUs	Hot on the heels of the CFL fiasco, now the legislators want to ban external transformer supplies	19 Apr 10
	Inrush Current	What it is, what it can do, and how to prevent it from causing problems	25 Oct 10
	Power Factor Correction	An explanation of how active power factor correction (PFC) circuits work	29 Jan 12
	Reactance	A close look at the effects of capacitance, inductance and non-linear loads on the power grid	06 Feb 12
		Alternative Energy	Update
	Power Saver Scam	The fraudsters are at it again - "power savers" are in the news and refuse to go away.	04 Feb 11
	Wind Turbine Introduction	An introductory look at the economics and social problems of wind turbines	28 Apr 10
	Wind Turbine Noise	Wind turbines may not be the gentle giants they seem. The introduction to NZ research.	28 Apr 10
	Main Index	Return to main index page
	Articles Index	Articles index page
	Contact	Send e-mail to ESP