compact fluorescent bulb in utility light

[greitz]

I put a compact fluorescent bulb in my Utility Light, and it works fine, except I'm noticing a flickering or "strobing" effect when I'm using the lathe. Anyone else notice this problem, or is it just my eyeballs?

Gary

[james.miller]

The strobe effect is a common problem with standard fluorescent lights, they flicker on 7200 times a minute. If a machine is turning close to any RPM that goes into 7200 it will act as a strobe. This is why standard fluorescent lighting is not very safe to use in a shop. The new T-8 lights with electronic ballast might be safer, does anyone know more about them.

Jim in Tucson

[8iowa]

Your fluorescent bulbs operate at 60HZ (cycles per second). This frequency is withing the human visual and audible range, thus we see flicker and hear hum. Some people are adversly affected by fluorescent lighting, developing severe headaches. A strobe affect is sometimes observed because the shaft speed of induction motors is at some multiple of 60. This can be hazardous in a workshop with rotating machinery.

I have replaced my old fluorescent shop lights with the new electronic ballast fluorescent fixtures. These bulbs are energized at 21,000 HZ, well above our audible and visual range. They cost about 2 to 2 1/2 times as much as the old shoplights but are well worth the extra expense.

[Gampa]

There is another thread on this with a lot of good info. Here is the link http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showthr ... t+lighting

[charlese]

Gotta add this - Love the new T-8 light (electric ballast). In the previous thread about these lights, I mentioned that the light (in sewing room) played games with the TV by changing stations. Now we have that problem fixed. We just put some masking tape over the infra-red remote receiver on the TV and the problem stopped! Must have been the frequency of the light rather than an electronic problem.

[ryanbp01]

I use a 100 watt incandescent light bulb in my light. The reason I do this is that at the travelling academy I attended last year the instructor told us that this bulb eliminates the strobing effect caused by fluorescent bulbs. I hope this helps to "shed some light on the subject" (sorry couldn't resist the pun)

[greitz]

Thanks for all the info, everyone! I switched back to an incandescent bulb and my eyes feel better (and I saved a visit to the optometrist). I was just trying to be "greener" and save a few watts by using a CFB.

Gary