World's Oldest Light Bulb Still Burning After 110 Years
World's Oldest Light Bulb Still Burning After 110 Years
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/06/18/worlds-oldest-light-bulb-still-burning-after-110-years/?test=faces
It is a shame that I have to go out and buy a bulb every year or two and this one was made to last for 110 years or more.
Here is the web cam of the bulb:
http://www.centennialbulb.org/photos.htm
A light bulb hanging in the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department has been burning steadily for exactly 110 years, according the Centennial Bulb website. Since the "Centennial Bulb" was first turned on, the stock market crashed and was reborn, the nuclear age began, two World Wars were fought, cars and planes were developed and through it all the bulb kept burning.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/06/18/worlds-oldest-light-bulb-still-burning-after-110-years/?test=faces
It is a shame that I have to go out and buy a bulb every year or two and this one was made to last for 110 years or more.
Here is the web cam of the bulb:
http://www.centennialbulb.org/photos.htm
Comments
Too true, but CFL's last a lot longer than even the average "long life" incandescent bulb of today does, and uses 75 to 80 percent less electricity.
I have a decorative lantern in my kitchen that serves as a nightlight. It's uses a 25W long-skinny-filament piano-light bulb and is on all the time. The bulbs were burning out at the rate of one every 60 days -- until I added a series rectifier to the fixture to reduce the voltage. 'Haven't burned out a bulb since.
-Phil
I agree that leds are the wave of the future and I am replacing CFL's with them as much as possible. They do contain mercury so I am careful and dispose of them at the hazardous waste site. It is also true that they are pricier and do take a few minutes to reach maximum brightness, but I feel that the saving on my electricity consumption and resulting environmental benefits compensate for that. In my case I have found that CFL's last 4 - 5 years in heavy use compared to a few months for incandescent bulbs. On top of that my electricity use has gone down significantly.
Too many problems with cfl and the mercury thing is not good.
They use a lot of LED panels now for stage and screen lighting.
The color temp/brightness is easily controlled...probably by
a uC.
Also similar panels are used as grow lights for plants...these emit
only the wavelengths needed by the plants and are therefore very
energy thrifty.
Paul
EDIT: Google rocks!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079758/
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf
I am positively shaking in my shoes. It is a factor with bazillions of them leaching out in landfills, so properly recycling them is good, but to be in any way personally worried about the mercury in a CFL is completely irrational. As problems go, discarded cell phones and computers make CFL's look like a tick on the back of a rampaging Tyrannosaurus Rex.
@localroger, I agree completely with both of your points. I am not too concerned with the tiny amount of mercury in the cfl's I have at home, but I do store any burned out cfl's and take them to the hazardous waste disposal site rather than throw them in with the regular garbage.
@All, one of the reasons those old bulbs last so much longer is that both the filament and the glass was considerably thicker than in todays bulbs. Far less likely to have air leak in and the filament to break. Also less light per watt of electricity of course.
I have a giant 120V 1250W Mazda Air Floodlamp. I hooked it up once and about blinded myself.
If anyone wants it I'll bring it to UPENE this year.
Bean
-Phil
I would think there is a difference in the density of the glass material that makes up the outside bulb. Old time manufacturers weren't cheap back then. They weren't trying to save money because they actually wanted to give people a good product that would last. I'm just wondering how much it would cost to make the same bulb today.