Driver to drive?

[Long Hair]

Steve Wilson wrote:

John Larkin <jjlarkin@highlandtechnology.com> wrote:

The official weather station here is usually the high or low outlier,
by as much a 10F sometimes. Manufactured climate extremes.

Like I said earlier, forget about measuring air temperature. It can vary by
tens of degrees from day to night, cloudy to suuny days, morning to
afternoon, summner to winter.

Water is a good heat sink. Measure the ocean temperatures instead.

Don't forget elevational differentials.

The temp "station" might be on a TV station's antenna mast.

Three miles away, at about a 150 foot drop into the "valley",
the same "region" sees a lower temp. My cell phone is usually off a few.

I have a little IR reader though, and pointing it at a dormant
building wall gets me a good number.

 

[Long Hair]

Jim Thompson wrote:

But I know we'll both hang in there... it's _such_ fun kicking idiot's
asses >:-}

...Jim Thompson

You must be pretty badly bruised up by now.

 

[bitrex]

On 02/21/2018 11:18 AM, John Larkin wrote:

On Wed, 21 Feb 2018 07:12:38 -0500, bitrex
bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> wrote:

On 02/20/2018 10:48 PM, John Larkin wrote:
On Tue, 20 Feb 2018 21:40:31 -0500, bitrex
bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> wrote:

On 02/20/2018 08:43 PM, Paul Hovnanian P.E. wrote:
Jim Thompson wrote:

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Diseased-Streets-472430013.html

If they are smart, they won't wake up the hobos before running the steam
cleaner down the sidewalk.


The news story claims "Over 100!" discarded IV needles found in the
areas they surveyed but you can easily click through all the "red"
streets in the map and see that the tally tops out at barely 50. And
there are big clumps of 7 or 10 needles in some locations.

Pay one or two bums a couple bucks to dump their spent needles in a
couple locations and hey presto you've got yourself a story.

And you have an army of well-paid attorneys, consultants, NGOs,
providers, and city staffers actually soaking up the funding.

We never go downtown. That's for bankers and tourists. Our
neighborhood is green, quiet, clean, and safe.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kpl55nnziaubq9z/Ohlone_Way_3.jpg?raw=1

I've never seen a needle on Ohlone Way. You might get stuck picking
blackberries.



It's a histrionic "story" crafted to play well with histrionics of all
political persuasions, left or right few Americans can seem to resist a
good "OMG THINK OF THE CHILDREN!" tale.

Meanwhile I'd estimate statistics on the number of children who could be
confirmed to have caught the AIDS or any infectious disease from any
discarded IV needle in SF or any other large city for that matter is
likely pretty close to 0.

The HIV virus is fragile out on its own.

Yep. People still have quasi-mystical ideas about "germs",
"contamination", and the causes of illness that don't have a lot to do
with reality. But infectious disease science is still a pretty new
development in the scheme of human history

 

[Long Hair]

oldschool@tubes.com wrote:

On Tue, 20 Feb 2018 16:50:28 -0800 (PST), mpm <mpmillard@aol.com> wrote:

If you get to 55 and still have that soldering iron, you'll find you want to jab your eye with it!

Have you spoken to a psychologist about this urge?

No, but he watched "Under Siege 2" whenever he gets the chance.

 

[George Herold]

On Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at 11:28:23 AM UTC-5, Long Hair wrote:

whit3rd wrote:

On Monday, February 19, 2018 at 10:14:36 AM UTC-8, John Larkin wrote:
On Mon, 19 Feb 2018 09:55:33 -0800 (PST), George Herold

Grin, maybe some stick-ons on the glass. A few tasteful fig leaves
or something. That would let you 'see' the glass too.

Not in the dark! A dim shower overhead light might have good optics.


How about glow-in-the-dark tape? I've used that on some
door edges (it's not noticeable during the day, but a dark-adapted eye sees it clearly).

It would be amusing to hide some UV nightlights in innocuous places,
like behind a light switch plate, both so you can find the switch,
and to keep the phosphors on the opposite side of the room pumped up.


He is in San Fransisco... He could hang glow in the dark dildos all
over the walls... Then his wife (and daughter) could learn to service
his friends and associates properly.

http://gifgifmagazine.com/girl/

Not looking at links, but you are free to go away again anytime the
notion strikes you.

(Be sure I'll ignore your response.)

George H.

 

[Lasse Langwadt Christense]

Den onsdag den 21. februar 2018 kl. 17.18.30 UTC+1 skrev John Larkin:

On Wed, 21 Feb 2018 07:12:38 -0500, bitrex
bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> wrote:

On 02/20/2018 10:48 PM, John Larkin wrote:
On Tue, 20 Feb 2018 21:40:31 -0500, bitrex
bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> wrote:

On 02/20/2018 08:43 PM, Paul Hovnanian P.E. wrote:
Jim Thompson wrote:

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Diseased-Streets-472430013.html

If they are smart, they won't wake up the hobos before running the steam
cleaner down the sidewalk.


The news story claims "Over 100!" discarded IV needles found in the
areas they surveyed but you can easily click through all the "red"
streets in the map and see that the tally tops out at barely 50. And
there are big clumps of 7 or 10 needles in some locations.

Pay one or two bums a couple bucks to dump their spent needles in a
couple locations and hey presto you've got yourself a story.

And you have an army of well-paid attorneys, consultants, NGOs,
providers, and city staffers actually soaking up the funding.

We never go downtown. That's for bankers and tourists. Our
neighborhood is green, quiet, clean, and safe.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kpl55nnziaubq9z/Ohlone_Way_3.jpg?raw=1

I've never seen a needle on Ohlone Way. You might get stuck picking
blackberries.



It's a histrionic "story" crafted to play well with histrionics of all
political persuasions, left or right few Americans can seem to resist a
good "OMG THINK OF THE CHILDREN!" tale.

Meanwhile I'd estimate statistics on the number of children who could be
confirmed to have caught the AIDS or any infectious disease from any
discarded IV needle in SF or any other large city for that matter is
likely pretty close to 0.

The HIV virus is fragile out on its own.

yeh

https://www.poz.com/article/HIV-risk-25382-5829

"the average risk of contracting HIV through sharing a needle one time with an HIV-positive drug user is 0.67 percent"

 

[John Larkin]

On Wed, 21 Feb 2018 09:08:45 GMT, Steve Wilson <no@spam.com> wrote:

John Larkin <jjlarkin@highlandtechnology.com> wrote:

On Wed, 21 Feb 2018 04:51:28 GMT, Steve Wilson <no@spam.com> wrote:

John Larkin <jjlarkin@highlandtechnology.com> wrote:

On Wed, 21 Feb 2018 01:54:05 GMT, Steve Wilson <no@spam.com> wrote:
Amps are amps. The load step demonstrates the ringing, and the fix
for the ringing.

Your simulation shows considerably different ringing between current
rise and fall. So the currents matter.

Sure, the output transistor emitter has a very different impedance
from 30 to 200 mA. So the pole from that impedance into the ceramic
caps is different for the two currents.

You need to model the actual currents you are using. I suspect the
idle current may be much lower, and the actual charge current may be
higher.

I'd be happier to see the results with a pulsed 100ns 12 Amp load.

I did it for you. The compensation cap is critical and very different
from your result. See below.

That seems to be my sim; same currents, no ESR in the output cap, just
not as pretty. Any engineering doc should have a title, author, and
date.

Sorry, I picked the wrong file. You can see the original by changing the
current, pulse width and cap values as listed below.

This is a newsgroup discussion. The title is shown at the top of the
schematic. The date is the date of the post and is shown in the header. If
I put my name on the document, you will get pissed.

If I modify someone else's sim or schematic, I show both names.

I tried adding 20 mohms ESR to the output caps in my sim. Nothing
changed; it rings badly without the added compensation, and doesn't
ring with the RC, or just the C, from ADJ to ground.

Pulsing at 10 amps for 100 ns, the results are about the same: lots of
ringing, fixed by adding the same comps.

The compensation parts help.

You may need to use a switched resistive load to provide some
damping. This may have a significant effect on the ringing.

Note the load transient response in Figs 3 and 4 of the TI datasheet
show a considerably different response than your model.

They probably use caps with a lot of ESR. And the models differ too.

You need to model the ESR.

You sure like to tell me what I need to do. But I don't report to you.

Sensitive? Not at all. Try the generic "you".

I increased the output cap from 12 uF to 20uF to match your value, amd
changed the pulse width from 100ns to 160ns to maintain the same dv.

The compensation cap was very difficult to optimize. You either get
underdamped with overshoot or overdamped with overshoot. But I ended up
with the same value as you - 20nF. So the response is sensitive to pulse
width, compensation cap and output cap values. Relatively small changes
have a big effect on the response.

The compensation cap ESR seems to have no effect. The output cap ESR has a
very significant effect on the shape of the response.

If I put that extra 0805 cap on my PC board, I can elect to leave it
out, or to change its value if that improves transient response. But
just changing the ring Q from 20 to 2 is a big improvement. What I
don't want is the trigger rate (controlled by my cutomer) to push the
ringing into bad places.

This is, to me, a new way of using the LM317. I thought I'd share it.


--

John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc trk

jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com
http://www.highlandtechnology.com

 

[Ingvald44]

On Mon, 19 Feb 2018 14:13:36 -0800, Joerg <news@analogconsultants.com>
wrote:

I was lucky. Installed cheap E26 LED replacement bulbs from the club
warehouse on a circuit that is fed by a 20+ year old dimmer from a
hardware store -> worked. Until a couple of weeks ago where all five
bulbs began to briefly cut out at random. Not sure if that's our local
power grid or the dimmer going on the fritz. One of these days I'll find
out when I have the time.


I think the LEDs try to detect the dimmer phase angle, and modify
their SMPS setting to draw the desired amount of power. There's
obviously filter time constants in there. The modern dimmers are
doing the same thing, and the control functions fight.


SMPS? In LED light bulbs? That would be like having gold-plated shafts
on the inside of a car transmission.


A series impedance is not likely to work very well.


Just try it out. It could result in noticeable 120Hz optical ripple but
for those 2mins of a morning pee trip that might be acceptable.

I was not so lucky. A dimmer that ran 2 lamps that I had replaced
with LEDs took out both LED replacements. I replaced the dimmer with
a standard switch. Don't like dimmers anyway. Have had a couple that
were very noisy in the HF radio band.

 

[John Larkin]

On Tue, 20 Feb 2018 22:23:36 -0500, krw@notreal.com wrote:

On Tue, 20 Feb 2018 19:21:03 -0800, John Larkin
jjlarkin@highlandtechnology.com> wrote:

On Tue, 20 Feb 2018 20:46:43 -0500, krw@notreal.com wrote:

On Tue, 20 Feb 2018 17:06:45 -0800, John Larkin
jjlarkin@highlandtechnology.com> wrote:

On Tue, 20 Feb 2018 16:24:39 -0500, krw@notreal.com wrote:

On Mon, 19 Feb 2018 14:30:08 -0800, John Larkin
jjlarkin@highlandtechnology.com> wrote:

On Mon, 19 Feb 2018 13:31:12 -0500, Phil Hobbs
pcdhSpamMeSenseless@electrooptical.net> wrote:

On 02/19/2018 10:56 AM, John Larkin wrote:

There have been articles lately about the new Apple Spaceship campus,
about people walking into the glass walls and doors.

We had a grubby bathroom refurbed at the cabin. The bathroom is small
and the new shower doors are clear glass, right next to the toilet.
First time I peeded in the middle of the night, I whacked my head on
the glass. It is very dark up here at night.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/k35nbdquxrywse6/P2190701.JPG?raw=1

There is a light/vent thing in the shower, so I was thinking it would
be cool if the light were on dim all the time.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/po8e9iku1a2zxt0/P2190702.JPG?raw=1

So I need an LED spotlight that runs at low current; most do. Maybe
the one already there would.

So I need to put an impedance across the switch for this light. It
could be a resistor, a cap, or a series RC. But it has to be small to
jam inside the switch box, and it can't get very hot.

A resistor could conduct 10 mA and dissipate a watt, which might work.
Or I could use one of those high-voltage XY-type film caps. If the cap
ever shorted, it wouldn't be a big deal... the light would just go on.

ps- It's 10F up here in Sunny California.


How about just using an illuminated light switch? Your eyes are going
to be pretty well dark-adapted, after all.

The glass is basically invisible. A reflection will be deceptive.

How about edge lighting it with the tritium dots?

They aren't very bright, and the clear glass will TIR the light
without deflecting it out.


If the same switch runs the fan, you should have have enough of a load
to light the neon bulb with no problems, but I don't know about the LED
fixture.

Separate switches for fan and light, so I may be able to run the light
dim. Cap across the switch maybe.

You'll probably get into code violations.

Code?

As in a world of hurt if someone gets injured.

I can't see how putting a film cap across a switch in a junction box
is going to hurt anybody. Slamming into a big sheet of glass in the
dark might.

1) unlisted device

XY self-healing film cap, spec'd to go across the AC line.

>2) current leakage path around a switch

That's the whole point!

3) wet room

?

>4) NEC doesn't cover a stubbed nose or toes.

5) Compulsive need to follow rules.


There's a good bumper sticker

QUESTION AUTHORITY

which inspired a better one

IGNORE AUTHORITY


--

John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc trk

jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com
http://www.highlandtechnology.com

 

[John Larkin]

On Wed, 21 Feb 2018 12:18:12 -0500, Ingvald44 <noone@nowhere.com>
wrote:

On Mon, 19 Feb 2018 14:13:36 -0800, Joerg <news@analogconsultants.com
wrote:



I was lucky. Installed cheap E26 LED replacement bulbs from the club
warehouse on a circuit that is fed by a 20+ year old dimmer from a
hardware store -> worked. Until a couple of weeks ago where all five
bulbs began to briefly cut out at random. Not sure if that's our local
power grid or the dimmer going on the fritz. One of these days I'll find
out when I have the time.


I think the LEDs try to detect the dimmer phase angle, and modify
their SMPS setting to draw the desired amount of power. There's
obviously filter time constants in there. The modern dimmers are
doing the same thing, and the control functions fight.


SMPS? In LED light bulbs? That would be like having gold-plated shafts
on the inside of a car transmission.


A series impedance is not likely to work very well.


Just try it out. It could result in noticeable 120Hz optical ripple but
for those 2mins of a morning pee trip that might be acceptable.

I was not so lucky. A dimmer that ran 2 lamps that I had replaced
with LEDs took out both LED replacements. I replaced the dimmer with
a standard switch. Don't like dimmers anyway. Have had a couple that
were very noisy in the HF radio band.

I just installed a 5-light fixture in another bathroom, and used
dimmable LEDs, with the old dimmer. Works file. Every time I've used
dimmable LEDs with an old cheap triac dimmer, it's worked fine.

I do buy the better LED lamps, like the Philips.


--

John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc trk

jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com
http://www.highlandtechnology.com

 

[John Larkin]

On Wed, 21 Feb 2018 09:17:24 -0800 (PST), Lasse Langwadt Christensen
<langwadt@fonz.dk> wrote:

Den onsdag den 21. februar 2018 kl. 17.18.30 UTC+1 skrev John Larkin:
On Wed, 21 Feb 2018 07:12:38 -0500, bitrex
bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> wrote:

On 02/20/2018 10:48 PM, John Larkin wrote:
On Tue, 20 Feb 2018 21:40:31 -0500, bitrex
bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> wrote:

On 02/20/2018 08:43 PM, Paul Hovnanian P.E. wrote:
Jim Thompson wrote:

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Diseased-Streets-472430013.html

If they are smart, they won't wake up the hobos before running the steam
cleaner down the sidewalk.


The news story claims "Over 100!" discarded IV needles found in the
areas they surveyed but you can easily click through all the "red"
streets in the map and see that the tally tops out at barely 50. And
there are big clumps of 7 or 10 needles in some locations.

Pay one or two bums a couple bucks to dump their spent needles in a
couple locations and hey presto you've got yourself a story.

And you have an army of well-paid attorneys, consultants, NGOs,
providers, and city staffers actually soaking up the funding.

We never go downtown. That's for bankers and tourists. Our
neighborhood is green, quiet, clean, and safe.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kpl55nnziaubq9z/Ohlone_Way_3.jpg?raw=1

I've never seen a needle on Ohlone Way. You might get stuck picking
blackberries.



It's a histrionic "story" crafted to play well with histrionics of all
political persuasions, left or right few Americans can seem to resist a
good "OMG THINK OF THE CHILDREN!" tale.

Meanwhile I'd estimate statistics on the number of children who could be
confirmed to have caught the AIDS or any infectious disease from any
discarded IV needle in SF or any other large city for that matter is
likely pretty close to 0.

The HIV virus is fragile out on its own.

yeh

https://www.poz.com/article/HIV-risk-25382-5829

"the average risk of contracting HIV through sharing a needle one time with an HIV-positive drug user is 0.67 percent"

If the needle has been lying out in the street for some time, it's
much less.

The San Francisco voters are mainly idiots, but once in a while they
do good. Proposition M drew a hard line around "downtown" and limited
high-rise construction to that zone. So all the Manhattinization is
confined. So downtown gets taller and denser and uglier, and the rest
of the city still has quiet neighborhoods and wilderness.


--

John Larkin Highland Technology, Inc trk

jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com
http://www.highlandtechnology.com

 

[Long Hair]

George Herold wrote:

On Wednesday, February 21, 2018 at 11:28:23 AM UTC-5, Long Hair wrote:
whit3rd wrote:

snip

He is in San Fransisco... He could hang glow in the dark dildos all
over the walls... Then his wife (and daughter) could learn to service
his friends and associates properly.

http://gifgifmagazine.com/girl/

Not looking at links,

Like I give a shit at how stupid you are to announce to us all that
you are not looking at links. You decidedly *did* look at the link.
You decided to NOT visit the site the link connects to. That has
nothing to do with "looking at links".

but you are free to go away again anytime the
notion strikes you.

"go away again"? Are you striving to attain a higher level of self
retardation than the group idiot krw has?

> (Be sure I'll ignore your response.)

Pussy boy. Jack off at the mouth and run away. Fuck you, retard.

> George H.

Yes, I was referring to you.

 

[Long Hair]

John Larkin wrote:

There's a good bumper sticker

QUESTION AUTHORITY

which inspired a better one

IGNORE AUTHORITY

There's a good book about a person without whom this nation may never
have formed as it did.

https://www.amazon.com/Common-Rights-Essential-Writings-Classics/dp/0451528891

 

[Carl Ijames]

Thank you all for the comments. It seems that a few others have seen smoke
so I'm not completely alone, just a bit more unlucky. No one seems to have
seen an LED bulb fail violently so I guess I can feel pretty safe as I
gradually replace my CFLs. Given the still-rapid pace of improvements and
price dropping I'm not quite ready to just buy a bunch of LEDs now, but hey,
what are the odds of another smoky CFL?

--
Regards,
Carl Ijames

 

[Kevin Aylward]

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message
news8bp8d96iul23if1s60ccp1vucht0atpgm@4ax.com...

On Tue, 20 Feb 2018 21:23:38 -0000, "Kevin Aylward"
<kevinRemovAT@kevinaylward.co.uk> wrote:

"Gerhard Hoffmann" wrote in message
news:feuve1Fud5qU1@mid.individual.net...

[snip]

The idea of reducing 1/f noise by feedback
is as old as 50 years, when some Russians discovered that a 33 Ohm
emitter resistor can drop that by 20-30 dB. Was propagated by NIST then.

In general, local feedback does not reduce 1/f noise. The claims that say
they do, are in general, false. The basic reason is that there is no
feedback when the oscillator is limiting. You need to compare apples with
apples. None of the papers I have seen that claimed feedback reduced noise
actually did a proper A B test. Most papers are confused. I have run many
tests on claimed designs where the actual feedback bit was engaged or not
engaged with the circuit otherwise staying the same, and nothing changed
noise wise.

My paper here illustrates one example where the authors, essentially,
claimed it was feedback, but they were mistaken.

http://www.kevinaylward.co.uk/ee/phasenoise/FlickerNoiseNullification.xht

Careful, Kevin! Being right around here garners you enemies who will
proceed to make it their lifetime goal to bury you in vituperatives
;-)

It's the twilight zone. I can understand that many might just accept what
they are spoon fed from their Masters, but once obvious flaws are pointed
out, why people defend the indefensible, is pretty stunning.

In the case here, without even understanding the somewhat complex math of
the A. Demir paper (on my site) , a basic understanding of electronics
trivially refute HL.

Just look at the shit I have to endure just from pointing out what a
piece-a-crap LTspice is.

But I know we'll both hang in there... it's _such_ fun kicking idiot's
asses >:-}

It will be a sad day for all of us, when you are no longer here to hung on
in, Jim. Age is the final master of as all.

-- Kevin Aylward
http://www.anasoft.co.uk - SuperSpice
http://www.kevinaylward.co.uk/ee/index.html

 

[Jim Thompson]

On Wed, 21 Feb 2018 18:14:28 -0000, "Kevin Aylward"
<kevinRemovAT@kevinaylward.co.uk> wrote:

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message
news8bp8d96iul23if1s60ccp1vucht0atpgm@4ax.com...

On Tue, 20 Feb 2018 21:23:38 -0000, "Kevin Aylward"
kevinRemovAT@kevinaylward.co.uk> wrote:

"Gerhard Hoffmann" wrote in message
news:feuve1Fud5qU1@mid.individual.net...

[snip]

The idea of reducing 1/f noise by feedback
is as old as 50 years, when some Russians discovered that a 33 Ohm
emitter resistor can drop that by 20-30 dB. Was propagated by NIST then.

In general, local feedback does not reduce 1/f noise. The claims that say
they do, are in general, false. The basic reason is that there is no
feedback when the oscillator is limiting. You need to compare apples with
apples. None of the papers I have seen that claimed feedback reduced noise
actually did a proper A B test. Most papers are confused. I have run many
tests on claimed designs where the actual feedback bit was engaged or not
engaged with the circuit otherwise staying the same, and nothing changed
noise wise.

My paper here illustrates one example where the authors, essentially,
claimed it was feedback, but they were mistaken.

http://www.kevinaylward.co.uk/ee/phasenoise/FlickerNoiseNullification.xht




Careful, Kevin! Being right around here garners you enemies who will
proceed to make it their lifetime goal to bury you in vituperatives
;-)

It's the twilight zone. I can understand that many might just accept what
they are spoon fed from their Masters, but once obvious flaws are pointed
out, why people defend the indefensible, is pretty stunning.

In the case here, without even understanding the somewhat complex math of
the A. Demir paper (on my site) , a basic understanding of electronics
trivially refute HL.

Just look at the shit I have to endure just from pointing out what a
piece-a-crap LTspice is.

But I know we'll both hang in there... it's _such_ fun kicking idiot's
asses >:-}

It will be a sad day for all of us, when you are no longer here to hung on
in, Jim. Age is the final master of as all.

-- Kevin Aylward
http://www.anasoft.co.uk - SuperSpice
http://www.kevinaylward.co.uk/ee/index.html

Yep. It keeps trying to get me, but I keeps fighting back... I'm not
done yet >:-}

I was just musing last night, whilst sipping Kim Crawford Sauvignon
Blanc and watching the figure skating competitions... I'm coming up on
the 48th year since I first started using Spice... so I see no problem
becoming expert in LTspice within a week or two ;-)

Then I can address bloviators with, "Ehhhh! Really?"

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson | mens |
| Analog Innovations | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| STV, Queen Creek, AZ 85142 Skype: skypeanalog | |
| Voice480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

It's what you learn, after you know it all, that counts.

 

[Tom Del Rosso]

pcdhobbs@gmail.com wrote:

Have you checked the operating voltage across the lamps?

+1.

What do you consider high? I've never seen more than 14.5 volts in a
car.

Or do you mean the bulbs can somehow see more than the main bus?

 

On Wed, 21 Feb 2018 13:39:30 -0500, "Tom Del Rosso"
<fizzbintuesday@that-google-mail-domain.com> wrote:

pcdhobbs@gmail.com wrote:
Have you checked the operating voltage across the lamps?

+1.

What do you consider high? I've never seen more than 14.5 volts in a
car.

Or do you mean the bulbs can somehow see more than the main bus?

These bulbs just connect to the 12volt source. There is a relay between
the light switch, and of course fuses. Normal is a max of 14 volts
during engine running. (charging). My gauges are all normal. I know my
battery is not the strongest anymore, but it still starts the car.

There are some kinds of headlights that have a circult and I think, a
transformer and operate at a high voltage. I dont know how high the
voltage is, or anything more about them, except that they exist. I dont
even know what they are called.

 

On Wed, 21 Feb 2018 11:38:54 +0100, David Brown
<david.brown@hesbynett.no> wrote:

Certainly not illegal in the UK and anyway, the OP said he drives on
rural roads. They also have to operate on main beam only and go out on
dipped beam. No problem for other drivers.....


It's a long time since I read the highway code, but yes - powerful
headlights are illegal to use in the UK. It is illegal even to use the
car's fog lights unless there is thick fog. Additional lights that are
sharp enough to cause annoyance, distractions, or temporary blinding to
other drivers are always illegal on public roads.

The rules are quite simple. If you distract other drivers, it is
dangerous. If it is dangerous, it is illegal.

I'm in the US and we are allowed to have fog lights, but they can not be
used in town (except during fog). But on the rural graveled back roads I
see them used all the time, and never heard of anyone getting pulled
over by cops for it.

For what I paid for these Silverstar bulbs, I could have bought a pair
of those fog lights, but these mini-vans dont have any place to attach
them. The bumpers are plastic.

 

On Wed, 21 Feb 2018 12:47:37 -0500, "Carl Ijames"
<carl.ijames@NOverizon.net> wrote:

Thank you all for the comments. It seems that a few others have seen smoke
so I'm not completely alone, just a bit more unlucky. No one seems to have
seen an LED bulb fail violently so I guess I can feel pretty safe as I
gradually replace my CFLs. Given the still-rapid pace of improvements and
price dropping I'm not quite ready to just buy a bunch of LEDs now, but hey,
what are the odds of another smoky CFL?

I have only had two LED bulbs fail. Both were identical 25W Eqv. bulbs
that were in my barn for safety lights and were on 24/7. They both died
within weeks of each other. One just went out, the other one got real
dim and stayed dim for a week, before I finally replaced it. But no
smoke or anything.

The odds of another CFL smoking is quite high, from my experience.
(But if you put a "No Smoking" sign next to it, it wont smoke.) <LOL>.