Electrodeless Pa-Look Ball YOU

In June 2003, Japanese firm Matsushita made a tremendous technological breakthrough by putting the worlds first self-ballasted induction lamp on the market, having a shape, size and light distribution to match a 60W incandescent lamp in a domestic environment. In October this was followed by a slightly larger sized lamp having at least the same output as a 100W incandescent type.

Numerous advanced technologies have been crammed into this "Electrodeless Ball YOU" lamp to give it a luminous efficacy which is remarkably high for such a low wattage source. Despite being rated at only 12 watts, it still attains a very impressive 68 lumens per watt. This is maintained admirably throughout the long 30,000 hour service life as shown in the lumen maintenance curve below.

The lamp is offered in three colours making use of Matsushita's tri-phosphor "Pa-look" range of high colour rendering index coatings - 2700K, 3500K and 6000K. The 6000K "Pa-look day" lamp featured here is a popular version in Japan, where a high colour temperature lamp is usually favoured in the domestic environment.

As the cut-away diagram shows the lamp is based along the lines of the Philips QL lamp, the coil being housed within the re-entrant portion of a small glass bulb. It is driven at a frequency of 480 kHz by the electronic driver housed within the white portion of the base. Special arrangements are made to limit the operating temperature of the electronics to ensure that it will achieve its long 30,000 hour service life. The lamp is priced at thirty times the price of a GLS lamp, to reflect its longer life but of course still saving energy costs.

Manufacturer:	Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd.
Lamp Power:	12 Watts
Lamp Current:	210 Milliamps
Lamp Voltage:	100 Volts	50 / 60 Hz
Operating Frequency:	480 kHz
Cap:	E26s/25	Ni plated + blue glass
Bulb Finish:	Pa-look 6000K	Rubber coated
Bulb Type:	G-65
Overall Length:	135 mm
Mass:	155 g
Atmosphere:	Hg \| Ar, Kr, Ne
Luminous Flux:	810 lm (100 hrs)
Luminous Efficacy:	68 lm/W (100 hrs)
Colour Temperature & CRI:	CCT: 6000K	CRI: Ra 92
Chromaticity Co-ordinates:	CCx:	CCy:
Burning Position:	Universal
Rated Life:	30,000 hours (to 50% survival)
Warm Up / Re-strike Time	10 mins. to 80% lumens	Instantaneous
Factory:	Osaka, Japan
Date of Manufacture:	June 2003
Original / Present Value:	¥4,800 (2003)	£26.50 (2003)


References:	1) National / Panasonic Japanese lighting catalogue, 2003.
	2) Private communication, Matsushita research labs, Osaka.