Sylvania MicroLynx 'F' Self-Ballasted Fluorescent

This unusual flat lamp was conceived by Sylvania engineers Armin Eich and Lambert Cremerius in 2001, as a new light source for furniture lighting. Low volt halogen capsules are traditionally employed in this application, but their heat generation can present a safety hazard. MicroLynx was therefore developed to deliver approximately the same light output as a 10-20W halogen capsule, but with much less heat. The lamp is equipped with a special cap, type GX53, which was jointly developed between Sylvania and Jurgen Bergmann of the BJB Lampholder company.

At the heart of this early prototype is a T2 (7mm diameter) fluorescent tube, formed into a flat grid arrangement by the cut-and-kiss tube joining technique. A preheated cathode resides at each end of the discharge path and is connected to a tiny electronic ballast in the rear half of the lamp. This permits simple operation directly from the mains supply. A silvered disc separates these two elements, both to act as a reflector and direct light forwards, and also as a heat barrier to prevent overheating of the electronics. The discharge tube is contained within a polycarbonate cover having a prismatic texture, this serving to almost completely hide the shape of the fluorescent lamp hidden behind it.

Apart from the furniture lighting industry, the extremely low profile of this lamp lends itself well to numerous other applications. For example, it can be surface mounted in luminaires so slim that they almost have the appearance of recessed downlighters. The side-lighting of individual steps in a staircase proved to be particularly popular application, as well as recessed pathway lights in exterior and garden environments.

Manufacturer:	Sylvania Lighting International
Lamp Power:	8 Watts
Lamp Current:	0.020 Amps
Lamp Voltage:	90-265 Volts
Cap Type:	GX53
Bulb Finish:	Triphosphor 840	Polycarbonate case
Bulb Type:	T-7 x 6
Diameter:	75.2 mm
Thickness:	24.5 mm
Discharge Length:
Electrodes:	Triple coil tungsten	Triple carbonate emitter
Atmosphere:	Ar,Kr \| Hg
Luminous Flux:	220 lm	@ 100 hours
Luminous Efficacy:	31.0 lm/W	@ 100 hours
Colour Temperature & CRI:	CCT: 4000K	CRI: Ra 83
Chromaticity Co-ordinates:	CCx:	CCy:
Burning Position:	Universal
Rated Lifetime:	6,000 hours	Rated to 50% survival
Warm-up / Re-strike Time:	3 minutes	Instant re-strike
Factory:	Erlangen	Germany
Date of Manufacture:	April 2001
Original / Present Value:


References:	1) Sylvania Provisional Data Sheet, Erlangen, April 2001.