Cold Cathode - ???

RiseandTakeOver

New Member
Praetor i know you are gonna flame me on this so go easy :(

anyways.. could someone explain to me what a cold cathode is? i haven't been able to figure out and i've googled it and it just gives answers like "buy cold cathode" and whatnot..
 

Praetor

Administrator
Staff member
Praetor i know you are gonna flame me on this so go easy
Not a clever idea to provoke an admin into flaming you (especially when i rarely do) :p

anyways.. could someone explain to me what a cold cathode is? i haven't been able to figure out and i've googled it and it just gives answers like "buy cold cathode" and whatnot..
A Cold Cathode (aka Cold Cathode Florescent Light, CCFL) is a gas/vacuum tube without a cathode heater (hence "cold"). FYI a cathode heater is just that, "something to heat up a cahode (which is an electrical term) to allow for thermial/ionic energy transfer. This form of cathode lighting was common a loooooooong time ago. The advantages of CCFLs are:
- the lighting comes from a single "thing"
- activation of "ignition" is instantaneous and doesnt flicker (well... its not supposed to)
- they adjust well to varying voltages (thus allowing them to be dimmed)
- highly energy efficient (i.e., think flourescent lighting) and long lifespan
 
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