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A 3-way bulb has two filaments, one brighter than the other. You cnanswitch on dim, bright, or bright+dim. The socket has an additional contact compatible with the additional contact on the 3-way bulb.
3 way bulb socket (floor lamps) vs ordinary socket
Jun 29, 2005
3 Replies
The 3-way bulb has two base contacts -- one in the center like a regular bulb, and one is a ring around the edge. The socket has a matching contact in the center and one that's off center. You can screw an ordinary 1-filament bulb into a 3-way socket and it'll work fine except that it'll be on-on-off-off instead of dim-medium-bright-off.
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Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com
What is the difference between a 3-way bulb socket (found in floor lamps) and the ordinary incandescent bulb socket on the ceiling? I think they are the same size, ie u can stick an ordinary bulb in there and it would fit. But that's where the similarity ends. Can someone please tell me how it is constructed differently?
go to a hardware store and compare the bulbs and if you can also the sockets
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