Can a 120v CFL fluorescent bulb (spiral bulb) Be Hacked to work on 12v?
They are gas discharge lamps (like neon except they work in the UV spectrum) so will internally work at several hundred volts with a small circuit to generate the starting and running signals. This circuit, the bulb and socket is encased in polycarbonate so can’t easily be broken and reassembled without glue and a chance that you will break the bulb – hold your breath – mercury vapor It would be better and safer to put an inverter at the power supply end so that it supplies 120V AC and change the wires and sockets to match.
