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BLV Colorlite Topflood 250W Green MH Lamp

Here is a 250W green coloured metal halide lamp from the German manufacturer BLV. Can anyone assist with the factory location and date code, please..?
Keywords: Lamps

BLV Colorlite Topflood 250W Green MH Lamp


Here is a 250W green coloured metal halide lamp from the German manufacturer BLV. Can anyone assist with the factory location and date code, please..?

20190103_222102.jpg 20200124_165739.jpg Sylvania_BA_575-2_DE_BriteArc.jpg 20200108_114806.jpg 20191111_193906.jpg
Lamp/Fixture Information
Manufacturer:BLV Licht und Vakuumtechnik GmbH
Model Reference:HIT 250 green E40
Lamp
Lamp Type:Metal Halide
Filament/Radiator Type:Quartz Arc Tube
Base:E40 (GES)
Shape/Finish:Tubular, clear
Service Life:6000 hours
Burning Position:Universal
Electrical
Wattage:250
Voltage:100
Current:3.0A
Physical/Production
Dimensions:236 x 46mm
Factory Location:Germany (location unknown)
Fabrication Date:Unknown (Date code 09 9)
File information
Filename:20190103_222102.jpg
Album name:Ria / Metal Halide Lamps
Keywords:Lamps
Filesize:296 KiB
Date added:19 May 2026
Dimensions:2464 x 1386 pixels
Displayed:18 times
DateTime Original:2019:01:03 22:21:01
Exposure Time:1/17 sec
FNumber:f/2.4
Flash:No Flash
Focal length:3.3 mm
ISO:250
Model:SM-G800F
Software:G800FXXU1CRG3
White Balance:0
URL:https://trad-lighting.net/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=1259
Favourites:Add to Favourites

Comment 1 to 5 of 5
Page: 1

Sammi   [Tue 19 May 2026 at 20:11]
We'll have to dig this out and lit it up again.
Drew   [Wed 20 May 2026 at 13:57]
No idea about the date code stuff, but this lamp is very interesting. Usually green metal halide lamps (using thallium iodide I believe) don't have the white refractory coatings on the ends of the arc tube, simply due to the fact that thallium iodide doesn't need as high of an operating temperature. Interesting to see that this lamp does indeed have a refractory coating. It is also interesting to see that the wire going to the distal electrode is sheathed, I think this is usually only necessary with lamps containing alkali halides like lithium or sodium. Looks like they just made this like any other MH lamp except with an altered fill just to make it green. Cool example
Sammi   [Thu 21 May 2026 at 22:18]
It was probably easier to standardise production over the whole range, then just alter the fill to get the different colours... Wonder
Max   [Sun 24 May 2026 at 06:36]
I think it's safe to assume that the lamp was made in September 2009. The factory location is certain though, it's Steinhöring, Germany. As for the presence of white coatings on the burner and the glass sheath on the side wire, this is clearly the result of a standardized production of MH lamps. This approach costs less than changing the lamp design (except for the salt dosage) for their colored variants. While the presence of the burner coatings is not an issue here, the limited of photoelectron emission may be problematic as the formation and accumulation of sodium iodide as a result of impurities can cause the light color to gradually lose its saturation. As opposed to white and other colored quartz MH lamps, the blue and green ones are the only ones which actually benefit from the electrostatic charging of the burner during operation. Some manufacturers even changed the design of their blue and indium-based high-CCT MH lamps to actually increase the rate of photoelectron emission in order to maintain a more stable light color through life.
Drew   [Mon 25 May 2026 at 00:29]
@Max
More stable light output? How interesting to hear! I never thought of that, but that definitely makes sense for the lamps that rely on not containing any sodium to produce their proper colors.

Comment 1 to 5 of 5
Page: 1