They don't make them like they used to

wendell borton

I barely get a year of those new fangled "long life" bulbs yet a bulb over a 100 years old is still burning in.

The Centennial Light is the world's longest-lasting light bulb. It is at 4550 East Avenue, Livermore, California, and maintained by the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department.[1] The fire department says that the bulb is at least 113 years old and has been turned off only a handful of times. Due to its longevity, the bulb has been noted by The Guinness Book of World Records,[2] Ripley's Believe It or Not!, and General Electric.[3] It is often cited as evidence for the existence of planned obsolescence in later-produced light bulbs.[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial_Light

--LOS--

still lighting but giving off hardly any light, hardly preferable?

The Backwards Man

This is the most exciting thing I've ever read, I won't be able to sleep tonight such is the inspirational overactivity in my brain.

Ronan|Raven

The Light Bulb Conspiracy is well worth a watch op.

wendell borton

The Backwards Man wrote: »

This is the most exciting thing I've ever read, I won't be able to sleep tonight such is the inspirational overactivity in my brain.

If you can take the excitement there's also a live cam.

http://www.centennialbulb.org/cam.htm

jamesbere

wendell borton wrote: »

If you can take the excitement there's also a live cam.

http://www.centennialbulb.org/cam.htm

Still better then a one direction concert

Tokyo

The reason why household bulbs last around 1000 hours is because of a cartel set up in the early days of electric lighting. The cartel is long gone but the effects are still around.

MistyCheese

They sure don't. But they used to.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Look up the Phoebus cartel from 1924 that introduced the notion of obsolescence in plight bulbs.

antodeco

Pffft, I've a broom that's been in my family for over 20 years. This old brooms only had 17 new heads and 14 new handles in its time.

Tokyo

As for the centennial light, a big part of its longevity is not having on/off cycles but left continuously burning, so the filament doesn't suffer from thermal fatigue. On top of that, it's run at reduced power - bulb lifetime is inversely proportional to the 16th power of voltage, so you can gain tremendous lifetime by dropping the voltage by just a small amount.

Mint Sauce

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

antodeco wrote: »

Pffft, I've a broom that's been in my family for over 20 years. This old brooms only had 17 new heads and 14 new handles in its time.

It's usually a hammer that's used for that gag and a lot more than 20 years.

I've a broom here, with the original head and handle, that's over 35 years old!

corner of hells

mike_ie wrote: »

As for the centennial light, a big part of its longevity is not having on/off cycles but left continuously burning, so the filament doesn't suffer from thermal fatigue. On top of that, it's run at reduced power - bulb lifetime is inversely proportional to the 16th power of voltage, so you can gain tremendous lifetime by dropping the voltage by just a small amount.

How can you drop voltage on a lighting circuit ?

MistyCheese

I remember when everything was sepia toned until things turned black-and-white. Later on came colour. And all this was fields.

mike_ie

mike_ie wrote: »

As for the centennial light, a big part of its longevity is not having on/off cycles but left continuously burning, so the filament doesn't suffer from thermal fatigue. On top of that, it's run at reduced power - bulb lifetime is inversely proportional to the 16th power of voltage, so you can gain tremendous lifetime by dropping the voltage by just a small amount.

That's how the light bulb manufacturers life limited their product, design it to operate at the lowest voltage knowing that it will be usually used at the average range. I still have a few old "240v" bulbs that are still alive because they dropped the voltage down to 230v, they're infrequently used so no real strain on the meter.

corner of hells

MistyCheese wrote: »

I remember when everything was sepia toned until things turned black-and-white. Later on came colour. And all this was fields.

Fields jewellers was here before the colour , I can remember when colour hadn't got a u in it.Things were easier then , color.

corner of hells

corner of hells wrote: »

How can you drop voltage on a lighting circuit ?

Transformer/ inverter, we had a brownout a few weeks ago, the LED lamps kept on operating at about 50v long after all the cfl's had gone out. Even the TV stayed on, until it gave up (new PSU:().

corner of hells

Deleted User wrote: »

Transformer/ inverter, we had a brownout a few weeks ago, the LED lamps kept on operating at about 50v long after all the cfl's had gone out. Even the TV stayed on, until it gave up (new PSU:().

I know what I want to say in my post , but my brain wont tell me what words to use.

Tokyo

corner of hells wrote: »

How can you drop voltage on a lighting circuit ?

Bulb runs off its own power supply as far as I know - it's supplied just enough voltage to light, not running at anywhere near it's rated maximum.

MonkieSocks

antodeco wrote: »

Pffft, I've a broom that's been in my family for over 20 years. This old brooms only had 17 new heads and 14 new handles in its time.

Son Of A Vidic

wendell borton wrote: »

They don't make them like they used to

Misleading thread title. I thought this thread was a complaining about breast implants thread.

toastedpickles

Do you remember how they used to be made? Pepperridge farm remembers

Gordon Minard

You need a transformer and LV lighting . . .

This is done as standard on LV systems

Gordon Minard

LV = Low Voltage

Pherekydes

Computers. They don't make them like they used to!

/goes off to buy a truckload of valves for the colossus in the garage.

Donkey Oaty

If you are down Sir John Rogerson's Quay in Dublin, take a look at the huge metal diving bell structure on the riverside - it was built in the 1860s when it was regarded as a great innovation for dock repairs.

It was still in use 100 years later, which is pretty impressive.

CrazyRabbit

This is bull OP. I bought a pair of handcuffs 28 years ago and they still work fine. Just have to keep them well lubricated.

Stop buying cheap lightbulbs and you'll be fine.