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GEC Solarcolour 120W HPS Lamp Here is a GEC Solarcolour 120W HPS lamp with internal snap starter. These were made in both coated and this (now rare) clear version. The main problem with these is that they can take up to 20 minutes to restart in the event of a power failure. An external starter/ignitor was apparently available to reduce this time, but I've yet to find one, they seem even rarer than the lamps..! They also need a [url=https://trad-lighting.net/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=599][b]dedicated ballast[/b][/url], which again are becoming hard to find. Apologies for the blurry picture of the snap starter, I'll try and get a better one next time we light it. Keywords: Lamps

GEC Solarcolour 120W HPS Lamp


Here is a GEC Solarcolour 120W HPS lamp with internal snap starter. These were made in both coated and this (now rare) clear version. The main problem with these is that they can take up to 20 minutes to restart in the event of a power failure. An external starter/ignitor was apparently available to reduce this time, but I've yet to find one, they seem even rarer than the lamps..! They also need a dedicated ballast, which again are becoming hard to find.

Apologies for the blurry picture of the snap starter, I'll try and get a better one next time we light it.

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Lamp/Fixture Information
Manufacturer:The General Electric Company of England Ltd.
Model Reference:Solarcolour 120W
Lamp
Lamp Type:High Pressure Sodium (Mercury Retrofit)
Filament/Radiator Type:PCA Arc Tube
Base:E27 (ES)
Shape/Finish:ED75, clear
Service Life:10,000 hours
Burning Position:Universal
Electrical
Wattage:120
Voltage:100
Current:1.4A
Optical
Lumen Output:8,600 lm (@ 100 hrs), 8,000 lm (@ 2,000hrs)
Lumen Efficacy:71.7 lm/W (@ 100 hrs), 66.6 lm/W (@ 2,000hrs)
Colour Temperature:2100K
Colour Rendering Index:23
Physical/Production
Dimensions:7 inches (178 mm)
Factory Location:Shaw, Oldham
Fabrication Date:June 1976 (Date code HF)
File information
Filename:GEC_Solarcolour_120W_Clear_HPS_Lamp.jpg
Album name:Ria / High Pressure Sodium Lamps
Keywords:Lamps
Filesize:286 KiB
Date added:Nov 16, 2024
Dimensions:1779 x 1517 pixels
Displayed:20 times
URL:https://trad-lighting.net/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=598
Favorites:Add to Favorites

Comment 1 to 7 of 7
Page: 1

Tuopeek   [Nov 16, 2024 at 08:20 PM]
Great to see one of these lamps again. Brings back old memories.
Ria   [Nov 17, 2024 at 02:10 AM]
We have a couple of the Osram-branded coated ones as well somewhere.
AgentHalogen_87   [Dec 01, 2024 at 09:24 PM]
The illusive SON 120, fooled me once into thinking it was a mercury ballast retrofit Slap
Ria   [Dec 01, 2024 at 11:13 PM]
I think a lot of people made that mistake Confused
Max   [Dec 13, 2024 at 07:34 AM]
It makes you wonder how many 125 W mercury ballasts were tortured by those 120 W sodium lamps back then... those small HPS lamps were such a new technology that there must have been abuses and mismatches.
Ria   [Dec 13, 2024 at 06:52 PM]
Indeed. I wonder why they didn't design them so as to be compatible with 125W MV ballasts, rather than coming up with a special one Wonder
Max   [Dec 14, 2024 at 04:28 PM]
I guess it was a matter of voltage. Those small low-wattage HPS lamps were more affected by the loss of sodium at the end seal, resulting in a faster voltage rise over time. Designing them with an initial voltage higher than 100 V matching that of mercury lamps would only shorten their life expectancy considerably.

Comment 1 to 7 of 7
Page: 1