Sunday, May 4, 2008

Lampholders for compact fluorescent lamps




Vossloh-Schwabe produces the majority of lampholders for TC lamps using PBT, a thermoplastic material. This highly heat-resistant material is responsible for the T140 temperature rating. Leading lamp manufacturers also use PBT for the lamp bases they produce. This material harmonisation in conjunction with fatigue-free, stainless steel lamp mounting springs ensures a permanently secure lamp fit.
Lampholders for double-ended fluorescent lamps
VS lampholders for T lamps are characterised by a number of technical features that guarantee a high degree of reliability and safety. In the first instance, the large rotor, which is characteristic of the vast majority of these lampholders, acts as a heat shield. Made of extremely heat-resistant PBT, the rotor´s fatigue strength at elevated temperatures amounts to 140 °C. Thus shielded against the heat of the lamp base, these lampholders attract a temperature rating of T130. In addition, Vossloh-Schwabe produces another series of rotor-like push-through lampholders whose complete front plate is made of PBT and thus acts as a heat shield. These lampholders attract a temperature rating of T140.
The maximum permissible temperature at the lampholder rear of Tm 110 °C is applicable to all lampholder types. The second key feature of these lampholders is a highly effective lamp pin support that reliably prevents base pin deflection even on older lamps and guarantees a durable and firm contact.




Push-through lampholders
Push-through lampholders are inserted from below through a cut-out in the luminaire casing and are secured by lateral catches. This type of lampholder is frequently used in luminaires on which the lampholder remains visible from the outside, e.g. in so-called strip lighting. The electrical leads are laid beneath the sheet metal level. With push-through lampholders, the starter essentially determines the dimensions of the luminaire because it has to remain accessible from the outside and is thus positioned vertically in front of the lampholder.


Push-fit lampholders
This lampholder type, which is frequently found in surface-mounted ceiling and built-in luminaires, is pushed into the luminaire casing from above. The lampholder foot should protrude by no more than 4 mm to match the usual height of the spacing cams in the luminaire casing. These lampholders are mostly wired above the luminaire casing to the side of the lampholder. However, there are also lampholders on which the wiring runs through the lampholder foot, with the leads laid beneath the luminaire casing.







Built-in lampholders
This design is also predominantly used for recessed ceiling and surface-mounted luminaires. However, unlike push-fit lampholders, built-in lampholders are usually fitted at the ends of the luminaire boxes. In addition to the usual fixing with split pins attached to the rear, there are also countless versions with fixing clips, push-fit studs or screw-in holes, which are also available with spring-loaded length compensation. Built-in lampholders offer luminaire designers a wealth of scope regarding the choice of lamp position in relation to the reflector. This enables great variation in light distribution as the lampholder does not dictate the distance of the centre of the lamp from the metal casing.


Surface-mounting lampholders
The fastening system of surface-mounting lampholders usually consists of screws or rivets above a fixing level, along which the wiring is also laid. As this type of installation is usually too costly nowadays for large unit numbers, these lampholders are used almost exclusively for special applications, e.g. displays or illuminated advertisements.

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