Modular compact fluorescent lamp
date: label: Date made
content: ca 1983
label: date made
content: ca. 1983
name: label: maker
content: Philips
notes: label: Description
content: Compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) came on the market in 1981. Dutch lamp-maker Philips introduced two different versions with features intended to appeal to different markets. Ultimately both succeeded and are still produced today.
label: Description
content: This unit, a model PL-7/9, dates from about 1983 and was the second of the two types. The key development seen in this lamp is the small glass connection between the two parallel tubes called a bridge weld. Making the bridge weld proved difficult but not as difficult as the glasswork in some other proposed CFLs. This glasswork combined with a new, more durable type of phosphor made the PL lamps practical. The PL reportedly stood for Pi Lamp since the two connected tubes resembled the Greek letter.
label: Description
content: Philips intended this lamp for commercial use and included several design features not used on their consumer-grade SL lamps. First, the unit is modular: the ballast and tube assembly can each be separately replaced reducing the cost of replacing a failed lamp. Also, the tube assembly has a special plug-in socket, not a standard screw-in socket. This prevented theft of the new, expensive lamps, since only commercial-grade fixtures had the plug-in sockets. And it cut down on the rate of "snap-back," or replacement of a failed compact fluorescent with an old-fashioned, inefficient incandescent lamp.
label: Description
content: Lamp characteristics: A modular unit with three separable components—an adapter, a twin-tube lamp, and a ballast. Adapter: nickle-plated brass medium-screw base-shell with a brass retaining ring. A plastic insulator is part of the adapter housing. The base-shell rotates in one direction to prevent over-tightening of lamp when it is inserted into the socket. Top of the adapter has a socket for a G23-based lamp, and the back of the adapter is slotted so the ballast module can slide on. Two small holes near the top are ports for the ballast pin-connectors. Lamp: G23 base with brass pins, plastic housing, and aluminum skirt. Two arc tubes connected by a glass bridge. Internal coating of rare-earth/alumina phosphors. Ballast: Magnetic coil-core ballast in a plastic housing. Two pins are on front to connect to adapter, and a yellow potting material is evident on bottom.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
label: See more items in
content: Energy & Power
label: Exhibition
content: Lighting a Revolution
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: Lighting A Revolution exhibition website
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://americanhistory.si.edu/lighting/
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: from the United States Department of Energy, thru Dr. Lee Anderson
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1999.0324.02
label: accession number
content: 1999.0324
label: catalog number
content: 1999.0324.02
objectType: label: Object Name
content: fluorescent lamp
label: Object Name
content: discharge lamp
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: mercury (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 8 1/2 in x 2 1/2 in x 1 3/4 in; 21.59 cm x 6.35 cm x 4.445 cm