Warning about new light bulbs

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 10 Feb 2006 7:43 pm

A word of warning about installing those money saving florecent light bulbs made like a cork screw. I recently started getting noise in my equipment, a bad 60HZ hum. It took about a day to realize that I had recently installed 4 new florcent bulbs, in place of the regular bulbs in two ceiling fans. I turned off the lights and my equipment was dead silent even at full volume. In my opinion these small screw in florescent bulbs cause a lot more noise than the big long 4 foot bulbs. Something inside these bulbs is thorwing off a lot of radiation, otherwise my single coil pickups would not be getting it. About a month back I solved another unusual noise problem. Suddenly developed a noisy hum. Took 2 days to realize the leg of my steel was touching a electric baseboard heater. Even though the baseboard heater metal was painted, it conducted. I might add that the base board electric heater was off and still made noise.
I started wondering if the radiation from those money saving florecent light bulbs might be dangerous, because they really cause a lot of noise in equipment.

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 10 Feb 2006 8:27 pm

Thanks for the information Keith.

Peter · Post by **Peter** » 11 Feb 2006 7:28 am

Keith, is it radiation or is it "spikes" transmitted through the mains power lines?

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Peter den Hartogh
1978 Emmons S10 P/P; 1977 Sho-Bud D10 ProIII Custom;
1975 Fender Artist S10; Remington U12; 1947 Gibson BR4;
Internationally Accredited 3D Animation Academy

Roger Crawford · Post by **Roger Crawford** » 11 Feb 2006 7:49 am

Keith,
I work for a company that manufactures fluorescent fixtures for commercial, industrial and residential applications. It is common industry knowledge that the ballast (the electrical component that starts and runs the fluorescent lamps) generates high levels of radio interference that affects almost all electronic devices to some degree. In applications such as surgical/operating areas, we install a filer that eliminates this interference due to the very sensitive nature on the critical care equipment in use in those rooms. Those filters wouldn't be feasible either economically or due to size restraints in the screw-in fluorescent lamps, so as energy efficient as they are, incandescent lamps are a better alternative. But then you found that out already!

John Daugherty · Post by **John Daugherty** » 11 Feb 2006 7:55 am

Keith, thanks for the good tip.
Peter, it is my guess that it is radiated. If it was getting to the amp through the power line, the transformer and filter caps in the amp should eliminate it. If the noise got into the amp power supply, you would hear the noise with the amp volume control set to minimum.
It is possible for the noise to be radiated from the power lines and picked up by the instrument pickup.
Regardless of the way it gets to the amp, Keith brings up a good point. The best cure is don't use these lights.

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www.phelpscountychoppers.com/steelguitar

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 11 Feb 2006 10:29 pm

Here's another weird one for ya. My wife bought the bulbs Keith is talking about and put one in the lamp next to my Gateway Computer.

Every time I tried to connect the computer took forever and it would never connect at a consistant speed like it always had in the past,in fact it wouldn't connect any faster than 28K.

I happened to turn the light off and noticed the computer went back to normal and turning it back on started the same problems. I tried it one more time just to see and the problem came right back when the light was on.

After taking it out the last time, I have never had the problems I had with that particular type of light.

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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.

Klaus Caprani · Post by **Klaus Caprani** » 12 Feb 2006 1:28 am

Most recording studios that I've been in either don't use those lights, or take on highly technical countermessures to beat these disturbances.

Actually I've been in venues where I couldn't play my usual 5-string fretless bass (with very hot single coils) due to this problem, and had to take my p-bass with humbuckers instead.

Cheap light-dimmers are a major pain as well.

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Klaus Caprani

MCI RangeXpander S-10 3x4
www.klauscaprani.com

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 12 Feb 2006 7:10 am

Those things are noisy, don't work well with dimmers, and flat don't work at all in some lamps for some unknown reason. I have them in some rarely-used track lights but nowhere else. If you just remember to turn off lights you'll be finee - I think the things are way overhyped.

Jim Bates · Post by **Jim Bates** » 12 Feb 2006 8:48 am

Some of us still listen a lot to AM radio. These type lights really tear up the signal, especially on the lower band.

Thanx,
Jim

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 21 Feb 2006 6:11 am

Another one for the list of what prevents "radio quiet".
Light dimmers use SCR's and phase controlled AC techniques to control the energy going to the bulb and thus it's brightness. Mucho Noiso..
Vacuum cleaners use "universal" motors that make more noise than a Marconi Wireless.
Outdoor motion sensor lights emit a microwave signal that screws up C-Band satellite reception (my neighbor's was interfering with my Big Ugly Dish until we agreed on a fix by his repositioning the light fixture).
Believe it or not too many PC's running on a branch circuit can make things funky due to the "intermittent" nature of the way their Switch Mode Power supplies take power off the 110 VAC line (funky as in weird harmonics and strange neutral currents).

Watch out for them 69 cent receptacles and wall switches at the local home improvement store. If you ain't payin' $4.00 to $5.00 or more for the receptacle or wall switch, then you risk a fire hazard. The cheapies will burn yer house down.
I go for "Hospital Grade" only.[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 21 February 2006 at 06:12 AM.]