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Re: Green glow
From: Gomez[SMTP:gomez-at-netherworld-dot-com]
Reply To: gomez-at-netherworld-dot-com
Sent: Saturday, January 03, 1998 3:29 PM
To: Tesla List
Subject: Re: Green glow
Tesla List wrote:
> I think most regular tungsten lamps are charged with argon or some
> other inert gas. That's why they look like a plasma globe when
> zapped by a TC. The purpose of the gas filling is to prevent the
> filament from slowly evaporating away and plating itself onto the
> glass.
That makes sense. If it were a hard vacuum, you'd get no discharge, and of
course, they back fill would prolong the filament life. I should know that
stuff, since I work in lighting professionally, but I don't. The only gas
filled envelopes I'm familiar with are discharge lamps and halogen lamps.
I ought to look into that.
> Old style cold-cathode x-ray tubes were pulled down to a
> pretty hard vacuum, which enabled electrons to build up a good head
> of steam before they banged into the target anode. Gas filling
> should preclude x-ray tube action by damping high-voltage electrons.
I wonder what the pressure in a light bulb is. They _do_ make quite a
"pop" when broken-as a kid, I attributed that to a vacuum.
> I don't really believe my green glow is caused by x-rays. Even so, I
> plan to run a test or two, just to make sure.
Wise.
My thing is USAF
> communication/navigation/radar electronics--not domestic lighting or
> x-ray technology. Feel free to enlighten me if I'm spouting
> nonsense.
No, no, what you said makes sense to me, Ijust wasn't thinking. (shouldn't
post mail when I've got a head cold)
-Gomez
--
Gomez: card-carrying mad scientist, extreme fetishist, fiction dabbler,
pyrophiliac, technomage, goth, SF fan, lighting designer, dominant
pervert, and juggler of labels... http://www-dot-netherworld-dot-com/~gomez