Rechargeable Light Bulbs

We bought 2 last year to see how they worked for us. The wattage isn't huge, so they work in smaller rooms or for table lamps. They worked fine so we bought more which now live permanently in those fittings, and we have one in a table lamp that is easy to move around during loadshedding to rooms where we didn't want to replace the existing globe. Our original ones must have been in around a year now, and are still working fine.
 
Bought one yesterday just for the main bathroom as carrying portable lights around a bathroom sucks. Will see how it goes.
 
Its a resistance circuit i believe? So its looking for resistance on the light switch. It will "always" come on with some resistance change when the switch is open - whether its Eskom power coming, or its own battery used because no power came in. When the switch is closed resistance is at max so it turns off? But maybe someone in electronics can explain better.

Thats where that joke came from a while back with that MP saying how wonderful our young scientists are cause she put the globe in water and it turned on - it did that because it was a backup battery globe and water created some resistance so it "thought" its in a circuit with the light switch on..and thus it comes on.
 
neoprema said:
Its a resistance circuit i believe? So its looking for resistance on the light switch. It will "always" come on with some resistance change when the switch is open - whether its Eskom power coming, or its own battery used because no power came in. When the switch is closed resistance is at max so it turns off? But maybe someone in electronics can explain better.

Thats where that joke came from a while back with that MP saying how wonderful our young scientists are cause she put the globe in water and it turned on - it did that because it was a backup battery globe and water created some resistance so it "thought" its in a circuit with the light switch on..and thus it comes on.
Click to expand...
I've already explained it...
 
Okay so the 7w bulb is a bit dull compared to the normal 5w that was there.
 
Makes sense in passages, toilets. Not so sure about bathrooms. Makes sense in multi bub light fittings for emergencies BT not as total replacement.

Works the same as some of the XMAS lights available that are solar charged. not a complicated circuit at all
just a differential voltage measurement to detect when to switch on or not.
 
I bought some Switch Digital bulbs from Brights last year.
They last over 4 hours and come in cool white and warm white.
They cost around R120 each.

I bought some lightworx ones before those. They were cool white and last 2.5 hours.
They were around R100 each.

All of them work well
I have them in 3 desk lamps, 1 in an uplighter and 4 in roof lights. A couple outside by the lapa and garage.

I saw some cheap ones for around R15 each at plastic world, but those are really flimsy, and made of cheap looking plastic.

I would go with these again if I had to buy more.
www.pricecheck.co.za

Switch Digital Pack Of 4 Load Shedding Bulbs With Built-in Rechargeable Battery Prices | Shop Deals Online | PriceCheck

Switch Digital Pack Of 4 Load Shedding Bulbs With Built-in Rechargeable Battery Prices | Shop Deals Online | PriceCheck
www.pricecheck.co.za www.pricecheck.co.za
 
These are cool:

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Not rechargeable though.
 
ScottulusMaximus said:
Mine are all dead after just over a year, the Eurolux ones.
Click to expand...
funnily enough same experience with Eurolux in some fittings of the fittings not sure why but others seemed ok - the old Flash and Pick n pay branded ones i bought a few years ago lasted longer (actually might still be using 1 or 2 of those :)
I found Litemate brand at Leroy merlin for R50 bucks bought a few will try them out and see.
 
Saw quite a few at the local he store and electronic shop today.
Between R 70 and R 120, and 7W to 9W.
Listened garbled explanation as to how they work.
Can only be used in fittings with earth wires. "Load" is the new name for the earth wire.
Some require the installation of a resistor between live and neutral on the line side of the normal switch.
Some that when you switch off the light still trickle a small current flow not enough for light to come on which will run the battery flat anyway whether the light is on or off, or due to a power failure.
I will not trust the el cheapos for one millisecond.
 
Geoff.D said:
Saw quite a few at the local he store and electronic shop today.
Between R 70 and R 120, and 7W to 9W.
Listened garbled explanation as to how they work.
Can only be used in fittings with earth wires. "Load" is the new name for the earth wire.
Some require the installation of a resistor between live and neutral on the line side of the normal switch.
Some that when you switch off the light still trickle a small current flow not enough for light to come on which will run the battery flat anyway whether the light is on or off, or due to a power failure.
I will not trust the el cheapos for one millisecond.
Click to expand...
nope no story like that - don't have to modify anything in your home.

we had a thread years ago about this on mYBB yonks ago - don't see the flash brand but their website has the explanation


The emergency lamp detects the *capacitance between the Live and Neutral lines in order to determine if the lamp is connected to a fitting or not. In a normal household there will be numerous other lamps connected to the circuit breaker for all of the lights. These other lights will form a capacitance between the Live and Neutral lines. During a power failure the emergency lamp will detect that there is no mains voltage and read the capacitance between the Live and Neutral lines. If there is a capacitance the lamp will know that there is a power failure and that the lamp is fitted to a light fitting and will turn on. When the lamp switch is turned off the capacitance reading will be reduced to zero and the lamp will know to turn off. The only way to test the emergency lamp is to do so in a normal household where there are numerous other lamps connected to the lamp circuit breaker and to turn the circuit breaker off. The emergency lamp will turn on if the light switch is turned on.


TLDR - it know when the switch is on but no power is on - i opened one up so it has 2 sets of LED's one normal 220V and the other runs on whatever Voltage the battery / capacitor pumps out.
They also fun for a magic trick hold the bulb by the screw with 2 fingers and touch the base with your other finger and it comes on - also this is the globes those guys on youtube who claim they can generate electricity
 
isie said:
nope no story like that - don't have to modify anything in your home.

we had a thread years ago about this on mYBB yonks ago - don't see the flash brand but their website has the explanation


The emergency lamp detects the *capacitance between the Live and Neutral lines in order to determine if the lamp is connected to a fitting or not. In a normal household there will be numerous other lamps connected to the circuit breaker for all of the lights. These other lights will form a capacitance between the Live and Neutral lines. During a power failure the emergency lamp will detect that there is no mains voltage and read the capacitance between the Live and Neutral lines. If there is a capacitance the lamp will know that there is a power failure and that the lamp is fitted to a light fitting and will turn on. When the lamp switch is turned off the capacitance reading will be reduced to zero and the lamp will know to turn off. The only way to test the emergency lamp is to do so in a normal household where there are numerous other lamps connected to the lamp circuit breaker and to turn the circuit breaker off. The emergency lamp will turn on if the light switch is turned on.


TLDR - it know when the switch is on but no power is on - i opened one up so it has 2 sets of LED's one normal 220V and the other runs on whatever Voltage the battery / capacitor pumps out.
They also fun for a magic trick hold the bulb by the screw with 2 fingers and touch the base with your other finger and it comes on - also this is the globes those guys on youtube who claim they can generate electricity
Click to expand...
Heh heh. Ja it is hilarious the crap some shop salesmen will spout to try and get you to buy.
Was hoping to find an el cheapo to open up. No luck. Not going to open up a R 70 unit.
Also heard about Eurolux fixing their problems and that their new R 120 unit will last for 15 years.
Should have gone into the BALABALA store to see what they have.
The oke in the electronic shop was not too happy about me wanting to take a pic of the installation instructions for the one that requires a resistor between live and neutral.
What battery was in the one you opened up?

Is the natural capacitance in the wiring enough to trigger the light or must there be a minimum number of lights in the house for these things to work?
I only had one which worked okay in our passage until it popped which was only about 1 year.
 
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