So after my last lamp post, a *second* bulb arrived. This one was an LED bulb that fit *almost* perfectly! (I'm not sure why it was sent to me? It's not in my order history, but the product page says I've bought it??) One problem: My CFL lamp would fry any LED bulb I tried to install. So... Ballast removal time!
This little device acts kinda like a small brain for a CFL light fixture. Those old tube bulbs need a BIG surge of power to kickstart the chemical reaction that causes them to produce light, but maintaining that reaction requires far less power. The ballast (above) is what controls that flow every time the lamp powers on: Big boost, then a steady trickle.
The problem is that LED bulbs don't need that boost. In fact, a surge that strong would fry the bulb within minutes. I'm talking smell of melting plastic levels of fried.
So the time came to disassemble my lamp to find and remove the brain.
We are now LED-ready I suppose! It's so cool, I think 6000K-ish in temperature? I couldn't find anything this size over 4000K when I was searching for CFL bulbs!!
The hardest part was figuring out how to disassemble my lamp to get to the ballast. After that, rewiring the internals was a 5 minute job.
I wonder if I can get another decade out of this lamp...
Could I have bought a new, fancier lamp for $20 online? Yes. I like my sturdy lamp though... I also discovered during these shenanigans that its heftiness is due to a STONE set into the base. Not cement. A literal ROCK that has been CARVED to fit, drilled out wire channels and screw holes and all. 💪 I. Love. This. Lamp.
