Failure resulting in hole punched in GE CFL

[Sam Goldwasser]

This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out. It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside. A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Sam Goldwasser wrote:

This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out. It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside. A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?

Not often, but then I usually just replace bad bulbs.


--
http://improve-usenet.org/index.html

aioe.org, Goggle Groups, and Web TV users must request to be white
listed, or I will not see your messages.

If you have broadband, your ISP may have a NNTP news server included in
your account: http://www.usenettools.net/ISP.htm


There are two kinds of people on this earth:
The crazy, and the insane.
The first sign of insanity is denying that you're crazy.

 

[Sam Goldwasser]

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> writes:

Sam Goldwasser wrote:

This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out. It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside. A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?


Not often, but then I usually just replace bad bulbs.

What fun is that?

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

 

[N_Cook]

Sam Goldwasser <sam@minus.seas.upenn.edu> wrote in message
news:6w4p0tkspz.fsf@minus.seas.upenn.edu...

This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out. It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a
year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside. A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above
is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included
in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

Is the keyphrase "horizontally mounted " and the hole was where the mercury
condensed into a ball ?



--
Diverse Devices, Southampton, England
electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on
http://home.graffiti.net/diverse:graffiti.net/

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Sam Goldwasser wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" <mike.terrell@earthlink.net> writes:

Sam Goldwasser wrote:

This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out. It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside. A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?


Not often, but then I usually just replace bad bulbs.

What fun is that?

Unfortunately my fun days left when I became disabled. I used to grab
every dead 'unrepairable' module at work to do my own failure analysis,
but that is just a fond memory now. I repaired dead motherboards, hard
drives and cards for various computers at the component level, for fun.
Hell, I used to read IC databooks for fun. I still have a couple hundred
in my personal library. I moved & rebuilt a 1952 model RCA UHF TV
transmitter once, then reassembled it, then troubleshot all the problems
that has caused it to be retired. That project took about six months.



--
http://improve-usenet.org/index.html

aioe.org, Goggle Groups, and Web TV users must request to be white
listed, or I will not see your messages.

If you have broadband, your ISP may have a NNTP news server included in
your account: http://www.usenettools.net/ISP.htm


There are two kinds of people on this earth:
The crazy, and the insane.
The first sign of insanity is denying that you're crazy.

 

[Meat Plow]

On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:23:52 -0500, Sam Goldwasser
<sam@minus.seas.upenn.edu>wrote:

This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out. It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside. A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?

Never. What could get hot enough to do that?

 

[Franc Zabkar]

On Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:28:43 -0000, "N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk> put
finger to keyboard and composed:

Sam Goldwasser <sam@minus.seas.upenn.edu> wrote in message
news:6w4p0tkspz.fsf@minus.seas.upenn.edu...
This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out. It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a
year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside. A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/

Is the keyphrase "horizontally mounted " and the hole was where the mercury
condensed into a ball ?

If this was a real problem, then wouldn't you expect to see these
kinds of failures in the long, straight, horizontally mounted
fluorescent tubes?

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

 

[Franc Zabkar]

On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:23:52 -0500, Sam Goldwasser
<sam@minus.seas.upenn.edu> put finger to keyboard and composed:

This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out. It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside. A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?

A colleague claims that he witnessed a case where the neck of Philips
CRT was pinholed when his colleague removed the tuning capacitor in
the line stage. <shrug>

BTW, I've had a bad run with Edapt CFLs. Typical faults include dry
joints, O/C startup resistors, and O/C filaments. Strangely, in the
latter case the lamp flashes once when I touch it.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

 

[Sam Goldwasser]

"N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk> writes:

Sam Goldwasser <sam@minus.seas.upenn.edu> wrote in message
news:6w4p0tkspz.fsf@minus.seas.upenn.edu...
This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out. It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a
year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside. A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/

Is the keyphrase "horizontally mounted " and the hole was where the mercury
condensed into a ball ?

I don't know. There's supposed to be very little mercury in these things
though.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

 

[Sam Goldwasser]

Meat Plow <meat@petitmorte.net> writes:

On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:23:52 -0500, Sam Goldwasser
sam@minus.seas.upenn.edu>wrote:

This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out. It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside. A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?

Never. What could get hot enough to do that?

That's really the question. Unless as someone else suggested, that's
where a bit of mercury condensed and somehow the discharge went to that
instead of the filament. I have no idea if that's even possible.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

 

[Sam Goldwasser]

Franc Zabkar <fzabkar@iinternode.on.net> writes:

On Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:28:43 -0000, "N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk> put
finger to keyboard and composed:

Sam Goldwasser <sam@minus.seas.upenn.edu> wrote in message
news:6w4p0tkspz.fsf@minus.seas.upenn.edu...
This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out. It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a
year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside. A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/

Is the keyphrase "horizontally mounted " and the hole was where the mercury
condensed into a ball ?

If this was a real problem, then wouldn't you expect to see these
kinds of failures in the long, straight, horizontally mounted
fluorescent tubes?

Don't know if it's a real problem, but it was a real failure.

The current density is lower in the fat straight ones but since I have
no idea how this happened, it's hard to even speculate on whether other
types are prone to it.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the
subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

 

[Franc Zabkar]

On Thu, 25 Dec 2008 19:00:50 -0500, Sam Goldwasser
<sam@minus.seas.upenn.edu> put finger to keyboard and composed:

Franc Zabkar <fzabkar@iinternode.on.net> writes:

On Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:28:43 -0000, "N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk> put
finger to keyboard and composed:

Sam Goldwasser <sam@minus.seas.upenn.edu> wrote in message
news:6w4p0tkspz.fsf@minus.seas.upenn.edu...
This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out. It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a
year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside. A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/

Is the keyphrase "horizontally mounted " and the hole was where the mercury
condensed into a ball ?

If this was a real problem, then wouldn't you expect to see these
kinds of failures in the long, straight, horizontally mounted
fluorescent tubes?

Don't know if it's a real problem, but it was a real failure.

The current density is lower in the fat straight ones but since I have
no idea how this happened, it's hard to even speculate on whether other
types are prone to it.

I'd return the faulty CFL to GE with a comment to the effect that a
lamp that leaks mercury into the household atmosphere is a potentially
serious health hazard. Ask them how long it will be before you will be
able to tell whether the toxins have poisoned your liver. I guarantee
you'll get a box full of free replacements in a matter of days.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

 

[hr(bob) hofmann@att.net]

On Dec 25, 6:54 pm, Franc Zabkar <fzab...@iinternode.on.net> wrote:

On Thu, 25 Dec 2008 19:00:50 -0500, Sam Goldwasser
s...@minus.seas.upenn.edu> put finger to keyboard and composed:





Franc Zabkar <fzab...@iinternode.on.net> writes:

On Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:28:43 -0000, "N_Cook" <dive...@tcp.co.uk> put
finger to keyboard and composed:

Sam Goldwasser <s...@minus.seas.upenn.edu> wrote in message
news:6w4p0tkspz.fsf@minus.seas.upenn.edu...
This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out.  It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a
year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside.  A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ:http://www.repairfaq.org/

Is the keyphrase "horizontally mounted " and the hole was where the mercury
condensed into a ball ?

If this was a real problem, then wouldn't you expect to see these
kinds of failures in the long, straight, horizontally mounted
fluorescent tubes?

Don't know if it's a real problem, but it was a real failure.

The current density is lower in the fat straight ones but since I have
no idea how this happened, it's hard to even speculate on whether other
types are prone to it.

I'd return the faulty CFL to GE with a comment to the effect that a
lamp that leaks mercury into the household atmosphere is a potentially
serious health hazard. Ask them how long it will be before you will be
able to tell whether the toxins have poisoned your liver. I guarantee
you'll get a box full of free replacements in a matter of days.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Please let us know what GE says when you contact them!!!!

 

[Peter Hucker]

On Fri, 26 Dec 2008 00:54:57 -0000, Franc Zabkar <fzabkar@iinternode.on.net> wrote:

On Thu, 25 Dec 2008 19:00:50 -0500, Sam Goldwasser
sam@minus.seas.upenn.edu> put finger to keyboard and composed:

Franc Zabkar <fzabkar@iinternode.on.net> writes:

On Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:28:43 -0000, "N_Cook" <diverse@tcp.co.uk> put
finger to keyboard and composed:

Sam Goldwasser <sam@minus.seas.upenn.edu> wrote in message
news:6w4p0tkspz.fsf@minus.seas.upenn.edu...
This one was rather strange, at least to me.

One of two horizontally mounted spiral GE CFLs in a semi-enclosed fixture
simply winked out. It's one I had repaired cracked solder joints on a
year
or so ago so I figured time to resolder if the transistors/MOSFETs weren't
toast.

Checked all common suspects for shorts/opens as well as the lamp for
good filaments, no problesm found.

Resoldered some questionable joints - no sign of life.

Then I noticed IT - a dimple near one end of the tube and a resistor
lead could be inserted straight into the inside. A pinpoint on the
inside surface of the glass must have gotten really hot.

How often do you see that?

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/

Is the keyphrase "horizontally mounted " and the hole was where the mercury
condensed into a ball ?

If this was a real problem, then wouldn't you expect to see these
kinds of failures in the long, straight, horizontally mounted
fluorescent tubes?

Don't know if it's a real problem, but it was a real failure.

The current density is lower in the fat straight ones but since I have
no idea how this happened, it's hard to even speculate on whether other
types are prone to it.

I'd return the faulty CFL to GE with a comment to the effect that a
lamp that leaks mercury into the household atmosphere is a potentially
serious health hazard. Ask them how long it will be before you will be
able to tell whether the toxins have poisoned your liver. I guarantee
you'll get a box full of free replacements in a matter of days.

I assume the amount of mercury isn't enough to hurt anyone, I mean how often do these things get smashed by clumsy people?

--
http://www.petersparrots.com http://www.insanevideoclips.com http://www.petersphotos.com

If you eat a judge's uniform you might contract a lawsuit.