Cataleya Robbins https://glasscabinetsdirect.co.uk 3m 868 #lampholders
The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Each one of us have light fittings at our homes, and mostly use LED or CFL bulb. The kind of bulbs we use now, have evolved through the years. But we don’t really focus on holders usually, but a lot more is there to look out about the varieties of bulb sockets which are made to match the kinds of lights available in the market.
A Little Throwback
The first electric lamps or lights across the world has developed in the 1870s that was led by Joseph Swain in Britain. The first set was installed at Cragside House in Northumberland in 1878. Mosley Street in Newcastle got the first electric street lights in the World, a year later.
The Edison organisation developed for the bulbs, a screw base, in 1880. This was initially made of wood but later made with plaster of Paris.
At present, the lamp holders or light sockets are mostly available in ceramic, plastic or Bakelite.
Types Of Lamp Holders Available Worldwide
There are quite a number of features that one needs to check before looking for the perfect lamp holder- the type of bulb and requirement, and the locking design that helps in establishing a secure connection between the bulb and its holder.
To get your job easier, we share with you a detailed list of the kinds of lamp holders.
1. Halogen Light Holders: These, are designed to support halogen lamps, which are a kind of incandescent light bulbs. They depend upon the filament made with tungsten to get heated up to produce light.
These sockets vary depending on the kind of halogen bulbs, for example you can use bi-pin G4 light holders or multi-base (G4, G5.3, G6.35) ones for round or rectangular lamps. Threaded (E11), recessed single contact (R7s) and twist-lock (GU10) holder variations are also available under this category.
2. Metal Halide Light Holders: Metal halide lamps are a kind of HID or high-intensity discharge lamps that gives efficiency rates which are greater for around 3 to 5 times than that of the incandescent bulbs.
They depend on movement of electricity through a gaseous mixt-that suallyconsists of mercury, argon/xenon or metal halides-to produce light.
3. Medium-Base Light Holders: These, also known as Edison-base lamp holders, can fit-in quite a number of screw-base lamp types. The medium-base ones are available in E26 and E27 (ES in Europe).
The full-form of ‘E’ is Edison, and the number mentioned after it is the breadth of the base, measured in millimetres. Since the difference is just of a millimetre, different kinds of bulbs can be used within the same lamp holder.
Edison-base holders also may vary according to the shape of the bulb:
A-shaped (A15, A19, and A21)
Globe-shaped (G16.5, G25, and G30)
PAR (PAR16, PAR20, and PAR30)
Bulged reflector (BR20, BR30, and BR40).
4. Mogul-Base Lamp Holders: These LED bulb holders are meant for mogul-base lamps (E-39) only, which have wider screw-base size than the Edison-base lamps (E26/27). Any bulb having a “U” written on the packaging, will need a mogul-base light holder.
5. Fluorescent Lamp Holders: Designed for fluorescent lights, which are known for being high energy efficient and easy on the pocket, these bulb holders can fit-in linear, bent, circline and compact bulbs with both single-pin or bi-pin and shunted or non-shunted socket designs.
Fluorescent lights require ballasts that can control and regularise the flow of electricity that prevents the bulb to draw too much current.
6. Compact Fluorescent Light Holders: Compact Fluorescent lights or CFLs, as we usually call it, are fluorescent bulbs resembling Edison-base light bulbs in size and base. They usually consume lesser energy than the incandescent ones.
Just like any fluorescent lamp, CFLs too require ballasts for proper functionality. While integrated CFLS, which are cheap, depend on an internally integrated ballast, non-integrated CFLs, which are long-lasting, use ballasts that are inserted into the bulb holder.
7. Bayonet-Base Light Holders: These light bulb holders can fit-in bayonet-base lamps only. Also known as twist and lock bulbs, these feature bi-pins that help to twist and lock the bulbs into place.
At present, they are being replaced by LEDs. They are either single or double contact to match a single (BA15S) bulb base or double (BA15D) bulb base. Miniature bayonet bulbs are also available in the market.
8. Wedge-Base Bulb Holders: These light bulb holders are generally used for lamps of low wattage, the ones found in strings (known as fairy lights). The sockets allow connections between the bulb holder and the exposed wires of the wedge-like base of the lights.
They are quite easily replaceable and are available with various mounting options like brackets, PCB tabs, snap-in, twist-in and a subminiature version.
While most of us look forward to LED light bulbs and swear by it, buying LED Lamps or Bulbs and LED Bulb Holders in the UK have never been so easy before. All you need to do is just log on to Glass Cabinets Direct. They have a well-stocked range of bulbs and spares like LED Bulbs and LED Corner Lights, Bulb holders, and other spares. Shop your requirements from their widest collection of LED Bulbs in the UK, that can light up your home, office, boutique or café, just the way you had picturised.
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