THe Off Topic, Topic!!!!

[Mike]

How old was the F40CW?

Okay, i got the stuff last night and you will not BELIEVE what i got!!!! Yes, it's three inandescent lamps, but the KIND of lamps is beyond my wildest expectation! Pics to come.

[GEsoftwhite100watts]

It has the GENERAL (GE) ELECTRIC etch and isn't a Mainlighter (oh how I wish I had a cool white Mainlighter; all mine are warm white) so I'm guessing somewhere in between 1985-1992.
It's still working okay in the fixture from my school with the .77 amp Advance ballast (which will also allow rectification (and maybe mercury migration??).
The Mainlighter I replaced it with is (according to Dave Silverliner) from May of 1979 and made at the Jackson, Mississippi factory if I remember correctly...I have another date code I need to post and have dated...if you want a "big-3" (GE, Sylvania, Westinghouse/Philips) post a pic of it's etch (and preferably endcap) on LG and somebody will probably respond with a date...
My three vintage florescents (the two lights from my school and the Sears shoplight) will go with me when I move out for sure!

[joe_347V]

Yeah, I'm surprised where they found the stuff from, especially that neon lamp and that 250v bulb.

[GEsoftwhite100watts]

Me too! I need to post my 15w GE that looks vintage sometime...

[A_lights]

i saw a 277V Damar incandescent on LG , talk about an odd ball

[Mike]

277V, that must be pretty dim on 120V

[GEsoftwhite100watts]

Yeah, I bet!
I saw an interesting "mod" in an overhead projector today at school- someome had stuck a movie light in there with one 15w Sylvania bulb like the two I have. Of course it didn't work all that well! Found it funny, though!

[joe_347V]

Apparently Sylvania makes them too.

I guess 347v incandescents aren't made though. I think code dosen't allow them since the voltage is too high.

[GEsoftwhite100watts]

Why, is there a danger of it exploding or something?

[Mike]

i bet a 347V lamp on 120V will last a LOOOOONG time! And be very dim and inefficeient too.

[GEsoftwhite100watts]

How about an "extended life" one of those?

[Mike]

that'd last so long i don't think you could measure its life!

[GEsoftwhite100watts]

Dave Silverliner has an Eternity 56,000 hour bulb and it's 120v...

[Mike]

Must be a 277V lamp or somethign rated at 120V. 56000 hours! try comparing that to any other lamp type! That's the good thing about incandescent; you can virually make it last and long as you want by operating it on a lower voltage. Granted it's not as efficient, but when you have a chandelier over a staircase i think you'd choose a 105W 56000 hour lamp over a 23W 10000 hour lamp if you're the one who has to change the light bulbs. Or you could be like my family and just not ever use the light over the stairs so we don't ever have to change the bulbs lol. It's probably been used only a few hours in the 9 years the house has been around lol.

[GEsoftwhite100watts]

Any idea what bulbs are in that light?
I put in a warm white GE  Mainlighter today...