120V 160W GE E-Z Merc Self-Ballasted Mercury Vapour Lamp

Here is a GE 120V 160W self-ballasted mercury lamp. Although badged GE, this lamp was in fact made by Iwasaki in Japan, and shares the excellent build quality of those lamps. What makes it interesting is the ignition method; as the USA uses 120V rather than 220-240V, the standard auxiliary electrode used in the UK and other countries with the higher mains voltage cannot be used. This lamp uses small incandescent filaments at each end of the arc tube, wired in series with the main ballast filament. A bi-metal strip heats up when the lamp is switched on and causes the arc to strike.