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Author Topic: Bulb adapter?  (Read 32456 times)

Offline Alan Franzman

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Bulb adapter?
« on: March 25, 2002, 11:44:00 pm »
I know that some of the members here collect items other than light bulbs, such as electrical plugs, sockets, lamps and related items.  Do any of you have, or know if there was ever available, an adapter for a medium-base 3-way bulb to be used in a mogul-base 3-way socket?

My mother has an antique lamp with a 3-way mogul base socket, in which she's currently using a mogul-base 3-way incandescent 150 watt bulb.  (I'm somewhat surprised these are still available!)  Due to the heat and inefficiency, she would like to use a fluorescent bulb.  I have a mogul-to-medium adapter but it's not 3-way and I can't seem to find any that are.  Though the lamp will work this way with a standard fluorescent bulb, she really would like to keep the 3-way function of the lamp without altering it if possible.  I already have both standard and 3-way circular fluorescent bulbs available to use.


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Offline bshipinski

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Bulb adapter?
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2002, 08:58:00 pm »
Nope, never seen one.  I have a fairly good knowledge of what is available - buyer for a large lighting company.  Will check Eagle, Leviton, Abco, etc. tomarrow, but I have a fairly good memory for such things and don't think it likely.  If money's not an issue, Leviton can build it for you, but it would not be cheap.

Offline Alan Franzman

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Bulb adapter?
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2002, 11:00:00 pm »
Thanks for your help.  If it comes to the point of making one, I think I can do that myself.  For now, though, she'll just have to choose either 3-way or fluorescent, not both.

A.J.
A.J.

Offline Scott

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Bulb adapter?
« Reply #3 on: April 10, 2002, 08:42:00 pm »
It would seem to me that replacing the socket with an ordinary edison base three way socket would be easier,or is this impractical for some reason? If it's an antique, or you don't wish to modify it,you can still change sockets, just keep the old one in case you want to put it back in original condition someday.

Offline Budys

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Bulb adapter?
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2002, 09:34:00 pm »
quote:
Originally posted by Alan Franzman:
I know that some of the members here collect items other than light bulbs, such as electrical plugs, sockets, lamps and related items.  Do any of you have, or know if there was ever available, an adapter for a medium-base 3-way bulb to be used in a mogul-base 3-way socket?

My mother has an antique lamp with a 3-way mogul base socket, in which she's currently using a mogul-base 3-way incandescent 150 watt bulb.  (I'm somewhat surprised these are still available!)  Due to the heat and inefficiency, she would like to use a fluorescent bulb.  I have a mogul-to-medium adapter but it's not 3-way and I can't seem to find any that are.  Though the lamp will work this way with a standard fluorescent bulb, she really would like to keep the 3-way function of the lamp without altering it if possible.  I already have both standard and 3-way circular fluorescent bulbs available to use.





Even if such an animal existed, it wouldn't do you any good if you're using a flourescent conversion lamp. A 3-way bulb / socket differs from a normal one by the addition of a 3rd contact, located around the perimeter of the center tit on the bottom of the socket.

The outer shell of the bulb is the common electrical connection point for the 2 filaments inside the 3-way lamp. One filament is powered at the 1st "click" of the switch, the seconc "click" turns OFF the first filament and turns on the secondary. The third click turns the 1st filament on again, and the 4th turns all off.

This is why the 1st 2 wattages of a 3-way bulb always add up to the highest wattage. (50-100-150  or 75-100-175 or 50-150-200)

Go to "www.HowStuffWorks.com" and type 3-way bulb into the search to learn more.

A flourescent light only has the original 2 contacts indegionious to standard lightbulbs and won't operate in the dim-bright-brighter mode that 3-way incandescent bulbs use.



Offline Alan Franzman

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Bulb adapter?
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2002, 10:22:00 pm »
quote:
Even if such an animal existed, it wouldn't do you any good if you're using a flourescent conversion lamp. A 3-way bulb / socket differs from a normal one by the addition of a 3rd contact, located around the perimeter of the center tit on the bottom of the socket.

The outer shell of the bulb is the common electrical connection point for the 2 filaments inside the 3-way lamp. One filament is powered at the 1st "click" of the switch, the seconc "click" turns OFF the first filament and turns on the secondary. The third click turns the 1st filament on again, and the 4th turns all off.


Sorry, you're not fully informed.  Lights of America does in fact make circular fluorescent lights that fit most table lamps and use all 3 contacts to produce 3 light levels like an incandescent 3-way bulb.  In fact they now have made them in at least 2 different styles.  The first style works exactly like an incandescent 3-way bulb and gives off-low-medium-high outputs in a 3-way fixture. Unfortunately, this means that if used in a normal 1-way fixture it will only come on at the medium light level.  So they tinkered with the electronics to produce the newer style which, in a 3-way fixture, gives outputs as off-low-high-medium, and in a 1-way fixture yields off or high.


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Offline Hemingray

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Bulb adapter?
« Reply #6 on: September 30, 2002, 08:11:00 pm »
I collect lights, sockets, wall sockets, glass insulators and old radios, we don't collect JUST lightbulbs  

Offline Greg G

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Re: Bulb adapter?
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2020, 08:47:24 am »
Just ordered this 3 way mogul to 3 way medium adapter on ebay. Looks like the reviews are good. I will update after I use it for a while. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mogul-Three-Way-Light-Bulb-Socket-Adapter-3-way-Mogul-to-3-way-standard-reducer/283949894624?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
« Last Edit: August 13, 2020, 09:22:43 am by Greg G »