General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

5

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Glass tube coated with white phosphor/ metal parts/ synthetic parts

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

101.5 cm

Width

N/A

Height

N/A

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

2.0 cm

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Lighting Technology

Category

Lamp bulbs

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

General Electric

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

North America

State/Province

Unknown

Period

mid 1940s +

Canada

An example of a lamp bulb used in Canada, part of a large and varied collection of over 7500 electrical items acquired and documented by Ontario Hydro in the 1960s. The collection was thought to be the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in Canada and was donated to the Canada Science and Technology Museum in 1992

Function

A device used to provide illumination by means of an electric current which excites mercury vapour in a glass tube, producing short-wave ultraviolet light that then creates fluorescence, producing visible light.

Technical

The Slimline lamp bulbs were first designed in 1945 to add to the elegance of fluorescent lighting systems and eliminate the preheat requirement. Slimline bulbs were instant-start type, that required no starter switches and lowered the cost of maintenance. To allow for an instant start, the lamp bulb contained a loose overwind of fine (0.7 mil.) tungsten wire added to a coil of modified dimensions. The overwind performed a double function. First, it reduced sputtering time by rapidly reaching the emitting temperature when the arc first struck; and second, it acted as a 'basket' to hold a large quantity of emission material tightly. When the first lamps of this design were manufactured, they were affected by end discolouration. This problem was resolved in 1947 by using a cathode shield made of nickel or iron.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

Black lettering on glass reads '42" T6 GE (logo) WHITE'

Missing

Appears complete

Finish

White tube/ metallic and black end caps

Decoration

N/A