Power consumption of mains indicator neon?

L

Lem

Guest
What is the typical power consumptions of one of those small neon
bulbs which are often used to indicate "MAINS ON".


(I realise that LEDs are getting more popular for this purpose but I
would like to know about power consumption of a small mains neon.)
 
In message <9739B375886BED5E712@news.octanews.com>, Lem <z@mail.com>
writes
What is the typical power consumptions of one of those small neon bulbs
which are often used to indicate "MAINS ON".
Click to expand...
They typically run at 1mA which is low enough just to use a single
resistor to drop the current directly from the mains. The voltage
across the neon is about 90V when it strikes and 60V when lit, so
theoretically the power dissipation of the neon lamp is just 0.06W.
However with the resistor loss included it's about 0.1W at 110V and
0.25W at 240V. Virtually nothing in other words.

They also have a very long life which can be extended further by
deliberately running them at a lower current like 0.5mA. When run in
this manner the arc may become unstable after a time and start
flickering up and down the electrodes. (Which is quite a nice effect
actually.)

--
Clive Mitchell
http://www.bigclive.com
 
Lem wrote:
What is the typical power consumptions of one of those small neon
bulbs which are often used to indicate "MAINS ON".


(I realise that LEDs are getting more popular for this purpose but I
would like to know about power consumption of a small mains neon.)
Click to expand...
About 1/4 of a watt (including the series resistor), in the UK. It
typically is designed to run at about 1mA, so you can do your own sums,
depending on local supply voltage..



--
Sue
 
"Palindr?me" <sb382638@hotmail.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:11r325bbqc8eta5@corp.supernews.com...
Lem wrote:
What is the typical power consumptions of one of those small neon
bulbs which are often used to indicate "MAINS ON".


(I realise that LEDs are getting more popular for this purpose but I
would like to know about power consumption of a small mains neon.)




About 1/4 of a watt (including the series resistor), in the UK. It
typically is designed to run at about 1mA, so you can do your own sums,
depending on local supply voltage..



--
Sue
Click to expand...

All of the meters that I have taken apart all of the indication, i.e. lights
or motors are taken off BEFORE the meter.
You are not paying for the light most likely.
 
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