Nichicon in CFL lamp? Oh wait...

[mariushm]

Went through the "recycle electronics" container of a supermarket and took out some nice lamps that could be converted nicely into flashlights... and this cfl lamp.

Opened it up and at first I thought there's a Nichicon cap there... it was placed all the way in the socket.. But... orange?

Cheap chinese crap... the wires aren't even soldered, the metal of the socket is pressed against the plastic keeping the wires trapped... same with the actual cfl wires, just twisted around some pins soldered to the pcb.

[Toasty]

Re: Nichicon in CFL lamp? Oh wait...

The wires are "wire-wrapped" around those square pins and are -very- secure. The wire itself is usually very oxidized from the bulb making process. The wrapping cuts through that and gives 4 contact points per turn on the square pin.

All types of electronics used the wire wrap method for many years, including computers and terminals of the 1960's. I still have one of the hand tools for doing that.

Took one of these apart a few weeks ago that was connected to a dusk-to-dawn photocell. OIY! what a mess. Both transistors blown (pieces missing), cap bulged, and that black coil by the red wire was toasted.

The lamp part was fine. lol!

Many lamps are made with the press fit/socket crimp method. The only soldered or welded connection is the center button.

Pchicon - Chinese Pikachu ???

Toast

[b700029]

Re: Nichicon in CFL lamp? Oh wait...

They actually have a website:
http://www.pchicon.com/
Apparently stands for PengCheng Technology.

CD11GC also seems to be some sort of "standard" for CFL caps:

[mariushm]

Re: Nichicon in CFL lamp? Oh wait...

Thanks for clarifying that Toasty, it's understandable and didn't really seem that much of a flaw. Just that it was together with the red and black power wires which weren't even tinted... they just bent the wire over the plastic and then pressed the metal screw on the plastic and tacked everything in about 5-6 points.

I don't like this "style" of making electric contacts.

[Toasty]

Re: Nichicon in CFL lamp? Oh wait...

>>I don't like this "style" of making electric contacts.<<

It saves 15¢ in time and material, and they can't sell them at Wamalart without it.

[ben7]

Re: Nichicon in CFL lamp? Oh wait...

I recently opened one up too, only to find a bulged Nichicon PT, 15uF @ 200v.

Notes:
Green film cap turned black from heat.
Resistor as a fuse.
Also the solder joints on the back of the board were poor.
The tube got both of its filaments way over-burned.

Also, you can make LED lamps out of the old plastic bases

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Nichicon in CFL lamp? Oh wait...

The burnt film cap is common. It burns as the lamp approaches end of life. Some don't even have fuses anymore - they rely on said film cap or on the switchers to fail open. You got a half-decent one over there - TO-92 switchers are now common instead of TO-126. Heck they'd probably use SMD ones if they could.

[ben7]

Re: Nichicon in CFL lamp? Oh wait...

The burnt film cap is common. It burns as the lamp approaches end of life. Some don't even have fuses anymore - they rely on said film cap or on the switchers to fail open. You got a half-decent one over there - TO-92 switchers are now common instead of TO-126. Heck they'd probably use SMD ones if they could.

Yeah this one was like 4-5 years old.

LOL yep, I have taken apart an IKEA cfl before, and guess what?
NO FUSE!
There was a jumper wire there instead of the fuse.
That is just screaming "FIRE HAZARD!"


I would think that SMD transistors would be better because they would have direct contact to the circuit board, so they might stay a little cooler, using the circuit board as a rudimentary heatsink.

a page about cfl circuits

-Ben

[Agent24]

Re: Nichicon in CFL lamp? Oh wait...

The only thing I like about CFLs is you can scavenge some parts off them when they die.

Can't stand the light they produce either, or the price, or the surprisingly short lives half of them have considering they are supposed to "last much longer than incandescent"