Inside a Philips sodium ignitor

This unit is used to help strike low pressure sodium (SOX) lamps in street lights. It is connected across the lamp and creates high voltage pulses that strike the neon/argon mix inside the tube to get the lamp started.

These lamps are the type that light a dull pink and then gradually go a bright yellow colour. They were chosen for street lighting because they emit almost all their light in a very narrow spectrum that closely matches the peak spectral sensitivity of the human eye.

A prominently branded lamp like the Philips Master series can last a staggering 18,000 hours.

There's a lot of science in these lights. The internal tube has to handle hot sodium plasma. The outer shell has a vacuum to ensure the internal tube can get up to its working temperature.

These lights have been rendered obsolete by the LED lights that are currently at the stage of "lucrative landfill". They will NOT last as long as a single changeable sodium bulb, and the entire light will need replaced when they fail.

If you have a large stock of new "obsolete" low pressure sodium lamps, then be aware that collectors are always looking for them on eBay. They are rapidly going in the direction of "vintage collectibles".



If you enjoy my videos, supporting the channel on Patreon helps keep it independent of YouTube's quirks, avoids intrusive mid-video adverts, gives early access, bonus footage and regular quiet Patreon live streams.

https://www.patreon.com/bigclive

Alternatively, for a single coffee contribution you can use PayPal:-
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/bigclive

#ElectronicsCreators