Circuit knowledge

This is certainly a low-cost 20W/40W fluorescent lamp inverter schema project. Even so the maximum effective would be to make use of a 40 watt tube (or two 20 watt tubes in series). It is a schema you may put collectively from junk box parts or assemble from a kit. It certainly is quite easy to construct and no need printed schema board. The transformer is hand-wound on a ferrite rod (from an old transistor radio) and the winding wire could be salvaged from an old transformer. We’re intentionally maintaining bills down to confirm how cheaply it could be put together.

Dependant upon your stock of components, the cost could vary from $3.00 to about $15.00 and in case the wires from the transformer are soldered to the ends of the tube(s), you are able to make a free-standing light that can be set-up in the garden to light up a dark place without having the worry of operating 240v wiring. The cost of powering the schema is about 22 watts and this will make the same light output as a 60 watt globe.

Using a regular fluoro operating on the 240v mains, a ballast (or choke) is required in series with the tube to limit the current after the tube has “struck”. This ballast dissipates about 10-20 watts for a 20 watt tube and lowers the effectiveness of this schema. In case the ballast is replaced with an electronic schema and high-frequency transformer, the losses are lower than 5 watts. In addition, if we tend not to drive the tube as tough as the 240v type we are able to get even better effectiveness.