>An update - it's been around 5 months since I added 47R 10W >resistors to my 240VAC wall lights, and so far not one has blown. Two light bulb preserving ideas: 1. I used to see, in those gift catalogues, a small disc-shaped device that you put into the base under bulb. It was a thermistor, such that the cold resistance was high, and once the lamp was on it would heat up, drop resistance and give you full brightness. 2. I have always thought that the one place that X-10 "blew it" was that you cannot start a dimmer up from zero. If the things would turn the lights on using a slow ramp up from "dim", I think the life of any bulb would be extended. Maybe the bulb manufacturers "influenced" the design. Barry -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics