A friend of mine brought a little device he made its a bridge rectifier fed straight off the mains then fed into a 900 uF capacitor the purpose of this little device is to try to make a CFL stay on for 10 seconds I don't know why it's his project. We tried this device out and after a few switch ons it popped a 5 amp fuse in the feed to my test bench so the question is what would be the charge current for a 900 uF capacitor? It made the ammeter in the feed to the test board kick up. So is there a way to work it out?
Most CFLs are indeed fine with a DC supply for the reasons already given. However use from a capacitor is not ideal as the reduced voltage from the partially discharged capacitor may have adverse effects.
A better choice would be an LED lamp, some types work down to 90 volts or so.
Domestically I perceive a use for capacitor backed LED lighting. A run time of a few minutes is enough to find a torch, light a candle, complete a trip up/down the stairs, get out of the shower, or otherwise avoid the perils of a power cut.
Most CFLs are indeed fine with a DC supply for the reasons already given. However use from a capacitor is not ideal as the reduced voltage from the partially discharged capacitor may have adverse effects.
A better choice would be an LED lamp, some types work down to 90 volts or so.
Domestically I perceive a use for capacitor backed LED lighting. A run time of a few minutes is enough to find a torch, light a candle, complete a trip up/down the stairs, get out of the shower, or otherwise avoid the perils of a power cut.
