[Boatanchors] CFLs

[Phil]

Thanks,
Actually, I just did my first one yesterday.  I thought the radio room 
looked a bit dark, one of the ceiling lamp CFL's was out.  I CAN'T 
afford to just toss working bulbs "just because".  I have a lamp right 
over the operating position that I STILL put a standard 60W incandescent 
in as CFLs in that lamp buzz up the reception in any portables I use on 
the bench (don't get into the radios with outdoor antennas though).  
Just for that lamp I stocked up on the 60W ones before they became hard 
to get.

Replaced it, then examined the bulb.  one side of the glass curly-cue 
had cracked all the way around.  I almost trashed it without going any 
further as it's supposed to be full of "bad things".

Then I thought, "What the heck".  Any damage from leaking stuff is 
already done, put a pair of gloves on, took it and a paper bag outside 
and holding it in the bag smacked the intact side of the glass thingy 
with a pair of pliers (keeping face etc WELL away from the top of the 
bag).  It snapped off cleanly and I retrieved the base part and tossed 
the bag in the garbage bin.  Yeah, the EPA would scream, but the 
government forced these things on us. Besides, it's just putting back 
into the earth what came out of it, so you can say I'm an "ecologist" 
with the earth's best interest at heart. . .

The base pried apart easily at the seam and I retrieved the circuit 
card.  Haven't stripped it yet though.


73 de Phil,  KO6BB
http://www.qsl.net/ko6bb/  (Web Page)

PRESENT RADIOS:
Grundigs:    S-350 (~2006), G6 (2011) & S450DLX (2014).
HOMEBREW:    7 Tube+Rect Regenerative RX for LF (built 2015)
Icom:        R-75 With Cascaded 250 & 125Hz CW Filters. (~2005)
Icom:        IC-7200 Transceiver (~2015).
Radio Shack: DX-380 digital portable (~1990).
SDR:         Softrock Ensemble LF On Loan
Zenith:      Royal-7000 Transoceanic Portable (~1968).

ACCESSORIES: HOMEBREW LF-MF Pre-Amp, MFJ-993B HF Auto-Tuner.
              HOMEBREW 8 Hz Audio Filter.

ANTENNAS:  88 foot Long Ladder-line fed dipole at 35 feet AGL for MW/SW.
            HOMEBREW Active Mini-Whip at 36 Feet AGL for LF/MW/SW.
            HOMEBREW 37 foot "Low Noise Vertical" at 11 feet AGL for LF/MW/SW.

Merced, Central California, 37, 18, 37N   120, 30, 6W CM97rh

On 10/3/2015 10:06 PM, rbethman wrote:
> Did Phil ever get informed regarding getting into the base of CFLs in 
> a safe manner?
>
> I'll tell all how I manage.
>
> I have a Swiss Army Knife that has been in my possession since the 
> late '90s.
>
> It has a saw blade for cutting small branches or whatever piece of 
> wood one desires.
>
> I gently hold the curly part of the CFL in my left hand.  There is a 
> joint that is seen between the very base end, and below the curly part.
>
> I just slowly cut that plastic area just below that seam until I get 
> through it.  I gently pry it open, reach in with diagonal wire 
> cutters, cut the whole circuit loose of the base end, then tilt the 
> circuit board at an angle, and cut the four wires that go to the curly 
> part.
>
> Voila!  One circuit board full of capacitors, toroids, transistors and 
> diodes.
>
> I just remembered this as the wife had just taken out about 5 of these 
> in a still functional state.  She has been working her way through the 
> house, removing these pain in the rear bulbs with LED ones.
>
> So I am collecting these little circuit boards for my parts 
> collection.  It is less parts that I have to procure using the current 
> currency.
>
> IOW, I am inherently cheap!  Or is it frugal?
>
> Regards, Bob - N0DGN
>