TelfordDorr

Uh, the red-handles crimpers are for crimping TV coax connectors. What were you using them for? (Hopefully not for what the good interchangeable jaw Titan crimp terminal crimpers are used for...)

No, not "Community Activist" - "Community Agitator".

As I've said for years, the expression "You get what you pay for" is wrong. The correct expression is: "You don't get what you don't pay for".

One would think that "expired" LEDs (and their power supplies) would legally have to be treated the same as expired computers - as e-waste. Can't dump that in the trash (as it winds up in landfills) because the assemblies contain toxic metals, etc. Just a thought...

Seems strange that your T5 ballasts are noisy, as everything sold these days is solid state, which don't make a peep. I have some 15" T5 under cabinet fixtures in the kitchen and they crank out the light. Trick seems to be the brand of lamp used. Have had excellent results with Sylvania. Philips is good also, but only start reliably on SS ballasts due to low mercury. Hate them when used with magnetic ballasts. Did the entire kitchen in Philips 3500K white CFLs in can fixtures with electronic ballasts. They've been up for what? 10 years, and no lamp failure yet (with heavy use). I personally like 3500K better in kitchens than either 2800K or 4100K. The off-brands and Chinese tubes are crap - awful color and lifespan. Avoid at all costs. Have had miserable luck with CFL floods in general - awful color and low light output. Have one PAR-38 flood in a ceiling can with dimmer which I would like to try LED on, but haven't because of the cost. I think LED could own the dimmable flood lamp market if the costs can be moderated somehow, as their natural directionality is an advantage in this application - puts the light where it is needed. Tried to buy a replacement ballast for a standard dual T12F96 fluorescent fixture at the in-laws last weekend. Nothing available but solid state ballasts. Bought a GE made in China ballast at the local hardware and installed. Dead out of the box - obviously never tested, just built and shipped. Hunted around and finally found an Advance (made in Mexico) ballast at a distant Home Depot. Came with full length leads. Worked perfectly. Starting to hate China.... TD

Wow, I'm impressed! Businesses usually move out of California, not in. Must have a really good / well selling product to make such a move worthwhile.

Same here. Last heard from him about a year and a half ago. He's retired, living in Black Mountain, NC (summer), and Celebration, FL (winter). VtSign email address should still be good.

You guys are far to kind. Joe B. compares the Tea Party to terrorists. I compare Washington to a bunch of crack whores. Actually, that's a bit harsh: no self-respecting crack whore would want to be compared to a politician. I apologize to them. How about a new concept: eliminate one-man-one-vote. Replace it with $1 paid in taxes = 1 vote. Useless poor get no say; idle rich get no say. Let the people who pay the freight have the say as to where the money goes. Sorry for being radical...

My 'bogus' alarm is ringing on this one. Can't get more energy out than you put in. While I could be wrong, I don't see any energy being contributed by the so-called 'fuel' (e.g. no chemical or other reaction), just the electrical input. Sorry.

Well, basically, fear of bankruptcy, loss of everything you have, and starvation are pretty good motivators to log those long hours, because as owner/boss, it's your baby to lose. Sorta biases the priority viewpoint a bit...

As long as you're at it, upgrade to dual monitors. Once you do, you'll wonder how you ever got along with just only one... Many Nvidia and ATI video boards support dual monitors.

So, I walk in after a long day, and the mail pile is sitting there. Underneath the pile of postage-free junk, there's the November SB, which I thumb through quickly, looking for tidbits. Find another LED channel letter article, which I peruse. Figured it's another "LEDs are the only way" propaganda, but somethings different. This one's got numbers. This one's got references. Fascinating. I page on a bit. Wait a minute - CCFL's are mentioned - and they're not being ridiculed. To borrow a line, inconceivable! Who wrote this? Thumb to the first page and read: Erik G. Surprise! Gotta admit - caught me completely by surprise. So, good job Erik! Good article - to borrow a phrase again, fair and balanced. Only question is - how did you manage to get them to publish something intelligent?

#6 - so there!

Would seem to me that a glass shop would take the old boarder tubes to the fires, heat them at the appropriate spots, pull the tube into points, separate them, round up the remaining points in the fires, cool, and file the resulting segments into barrels. Kind of like making single electrode tubes - shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes a tube, and the Hg remains safely sealed inside. Just a thought...