GE Compact Fluorescent Biax Q/E Amalgam 57W
In 1993 GE was first in the world to propose the concept of a quad-bend CFL lamp having eight parallel limbs, the Biax Q. It was anounced together with the company's Biax T triple-turn lamps, in the form of 18W and 26W 2-pin and 4-pin versions with 25% shorter lighted length. These did not proceed to commercialisation until 1994 when GE introduced its 'Performance Biax' self-ballasted quad lamps for the American market, the first to match the lumens of the 100W 120V incandescent. In that same year a 42W Biax Q/E was introduced, for use with remote electronic ballasts.

In 1996 the concept was improved with the announcement of Biax Amalgam types, in which the usual mercury dose was replaced with an amalgam alloy. This was of great importance for the increasingly high power and miniaturised CFL lamps which could overheat in compact luminaires, causing their light output and efficacy to plummet. Biax Amalgam types maintain at least 90% of their luminous flux over the very wide ambient temperature range of -6°C to +65°C. Moreover the output is independent of burning position - so there was no longer a requirement for the cold spots around the U-bends of the discharge lamps as had been conceived for the first Tungsram CFL lamps on which the GE Biax technology was built. The bends of the Amalgam CFL lamps were re-engineered into the shape of a simple U-shaped radius, which also brought a small increase in lamp efficacy and better control of discharge voltage.

GE continued to build on its Amalgam and Quad concepts, introducing this 57W model and a powerful 70W rating in 2001 as a much more compact alternative vs competitor's 57W triple-turn lamps that had been launched sligtly earlier.
Manufacturer: GE Lighting
Lamp Power: 56 Watts @ >20kHz
Lamp Current: 0.320 Amps @ >20kHz
Lamp Voltage: 175 Volts <620V ignition at 25°C
Cap Type: GX24q-5 Al + PBT
Bulb Type: 8T-12.25 8T-4 in eighths/inch
Bulb Finish: Y2O3:Eu3+, CeMgAl11O19:Tb3+ Soda-lime glass
Electrodes: Triple Coil Tungsten Triple carbonate emitter
Atmosphere: Argon + Hg
Luminous Flux: 4,300 lm @ 100h & 25°C 3,655 lm average
Luminous Efficacy: 74.8 lm/W @ 100h & 25°C 63.6 lm/W average
Colour Temperature & CRI: CCT: 3000K CRI: Ra 82
Chromaticity Co-ordinates: CCx: 0.440 CCy: 0.403
Lifetime: 12,000 hours to L80F50
Warm-up & Re-strike Time: 140 seconds to L80 Instant
Burning Position: Universal
Overall Length: 181 mm
Lighted Area: 133 x 51 mm
Mass:
Factory: Nagykanizsa Hungary
Date of Manufacture: 2006 December Date Code: 350BB
Original Value:
References: 1) GE Lighting Newsletter, Dialog Volume 2 Issue 1, 1993, p.8
2) GE Lighting Brochure, Performance Biax, 1994 March USA
3) GE Lighting Catalogue, 1995 USA, p.6·7
4) GE Lighting Newsletter, Dialog Volume 5 Issue 2, 1996, p.2
5) GE Lighting Preliminary Datasheet, Biax Q/E 57W Amalgam, 2001 UK
6) GE Lighting Datasheet, Biax Q/E 57W Amalgam, 2002 UK
7) GE Lighting Catalogue, 2004 UK, p.95