I’m in a nasty frame of mind right now, and this is what my 'tism brain decided to laser focus on for several hours. I’m mad that my light bulbs cost 10x more than they used to, and don’t last any longer, and my power bill is higher than ever.
Yeah yeah, I know, it’s probably just capitalism shitting it up on purpose for profit. And bulb science is probably solid, I guess. I’m just pissed off that I just barely managed to scrape through this pay period with $2.78 left in the bank before I default on my mortgage.
Anyway, any lightbulb science comrades got any info?
This is a really interesting article on lightbulbs, which have a pretty conspiratorial past: https://interestingengineering.com/science/everlasting-lightbulbs-exist-ed
Did you know that a secret meeting was held in Geneva in 1924 between lightbulb manufacturers that lead to the formation of the ‘Pheobus Cartel’?
"The main objective of this cartel was to agree to control the supply of light bulbs. Each understood that if any one of them managed to develop a long-lasting light bulb, the need for replacement bulbs would likely dry up.
Bulbs were lasting too long. Not ideal from their point of view.
So, to combat this, all members of the cartel agreed to reduce the lifespan of bulbs on purpose. Initially, this was set to no more than 1,000 hours!"
The longest-lasting lightbulb was first turned on it 1901 and is still shining.
EDIT: Seems this is a myth, see replies for more information!
I’ve heard that story, but it doesn’t fit the facts. Bulb life and efficiency is a compromise and no conspiracy is needed for manufactures to all settle on a similar optimal compromise. Long life bulbs existed back in the day, they were sometimes useful but mostly not worth it.
Technology Connections did a good video debunking the light bulb conspiracy myth: https://youtu.be/zb7Bs98KmnY?si=kuo40VBOPtMzokqZ
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Technology Connections largely debunks this myth.
Light bulb will run for a very long time if you don’t want it to be bright.
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Here is a really interesting video on lightbulbs which goes into how the light bulb cartel standard was more of a min-maxing of lifespan vs energy cost vs brightness than it was planned obsolescence.
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Programmed obsolescense, the bulbs in my bathroom have to be replaced after 1 or 2 months which is pure torture, however i have 3 LED bulbs i have been using for more than 3 years without problem, i also have a CFL one that has been working since 2013, however it doesn’t put out a lot of light sadly so it’s just sitting in a drawer rn.
It’s either the wiring in your house or the light fixtures or both… If I remember right older light fixtures, like before the last 15 years, don’t have the right type of power regulation and it kills LEDs quick. Source: Not an expert just have the same problem in my place.
As if LED lightbulbs from non capitalist countries last any longer. All centralized systems exploit their power.
They get too hot and the 0.07$ capacitor they put in it dries out and dies. You want the 0.09$ capacitor which lasts 1000 times longer, but usually they only put those in the 45$ led bulbs.
You can do like me, when they die, take them apart and replace the capacitor with a super deluxe 0.11$ one !
Holy shit I never thought about what’s inside an LED bulb past the LEDs themselves.
It’s an AC to DC step down voltage regulator and then a multi channel constant current regulator to drive the led and the current setting is changed by a microcontroller which usually has a Bluetooth or ZigBee or ism/315/433/915 MHz or infrared transceiver for communication with your phone / remote
