Osram superthin tubes
Osram superthin tubes
Osram presented a super-thin tube at the Hannover Light Fair in April. The tube, which is only 7 mm in diameter, was introduced together with a newly developed, narrow version of their electronic ballast. The tubes are designed for special applications, like bookshelves and decorative illumination with long lighting hours. The line will be offered in the following wattages (appr. length in parentheses): 6W (200 mm), 8W (300 mm), 11W (400 mm), and 13W (500 mm).
The electronic ballast will be made in 1- and 2-lamp versions. Lumen output from the lamps (including ballast) is a little less than 60 lumens/watt, according to Osram. The new tubes are about as efficient as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), but not as efficient as the best T8 fluorescent systems with electronic ballasts.
Osram also has introduced tri-tube (three arched tubes), modular, compact fluorescent lamps in 18-, 26-, and 32-W ratings. The new lamps are appr. 2/3 of the length of the previous quad-tube (two arched tubes) lamps. Tri-tube technology was previously only available in integral CFLs.