Gone But Not Forgotten: Unique Obsolete Lighting Tech That Time Left Behind

Lighting fixtures have come a long way since the days of candles and oil lamps. While many standard bulbs and fixtures are common today, there have been some truly unique and innovative lights created over the years. Some were ahead of their time, while others were just downright strange. At 1000Bulbs.com, we appreciate the creativity and ingenuity that has gone into lighting design and technology.

Today, we'll take a look at some of the most unique lamps and fixtures that are now obsolete. From induction lighting to flat light bulbs, we'll cover lights that you won't find anywhere today. While they may not have stood the test of time, these unusual lights show the spirit of experimentation and boundary-pushing that has moved lighting forward. So let's take a look back at some of the most unique lights in history that you can no longer buy today!

Carbon Arc Lamps

Yablochkov candle, a type of carbon arc lamp invented by Pavel Yablochkov in 1876.

Carbon arc lamps were invented in the early 1800s by Sir Humphry Davy and is one of the first practical electric lights. To create light, the lamps relied on an arc between two carbon rods, with a voltage high enough to cause the tips to glow white-hot. This produced an intense bluish-white light. Due to their brightness, carbon arc lamps became widely used in the late 1800s for street, public, and factory lighting.

Early carbon arc lamps were powered by batteries and required complex mechanisms to maintain the carbon electrodes at a steady distance from each other. Later versions in the late 1800s had improved automatic feed mechanisms for the carbon rods and were powered by generators. However, the lamps required frequent maintenance to replace the carbon rods as they burned down.

While enclosed versions developed around 1900 improved safety by reducing smoke and carbon dust emissions, most carbon arc lamps were eventually phased out in the early 1900s by more reliable filament technology like incandescent bulbs. Carbon arc lamps were a major advancement in their time, paving for way for other discharge lamps like mercury vapor, fluorescent, and sodium lamps.

Philips SlimStyle Bulbs

As LED lights began to gain popularity in the mid 2010s, they were still pretty unattractive looking. Most still sported bulky heat sinks, odd shapes, and high prices. However, all that changed in 2014 when Philips introduced SlimStyle bulbs.

The SlimStyle bulbs were flat, two-dimensional lamps with all of the diodes were spread out along the edges. This allowed Philips to get rid of the heat sink altogether, which was a first for LED bulbs. Without the heat sink, the bulbs were lighter and cheaper to produce. Plus, the more compact size allowed for SlimStyle bulbs to be used in a wide range of fixtures.

There was no other bulb on the market at the time that was similar, allowing it stand out due to it's appearance and price point (which was around $10). The design had one flaw though: it couldn't truly emit omnidirectional light. The flat design left dim spots on the sides that were fairly noticeable. Despite that, the bulbs proved that LED lamps could be produced in a more compact size and without heat sinks. Philips discontinued the SlimStyle bulbs a few years later as more advanced LED technology was developed.

"Ruhmkorff" Lamps

Named after Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff, the creator of the Ruhmkorff induction coil, these lamps were first used in the 1860s. Essentially, they were a Geissler tubes powered by a Ruhmkorff coil. The original lamps used carbon dioxide in the lamp to produce a white light. The downside, however, was that the carbon dioxide tended to break down quickly. Later lamps utilized nitrogen and uranium glass to help improve the life span.

Ruhmkorff lamps were devolved for use as mining, diving, and surgery lamps by Alphonse Dumas and Dr. Camille Benoit. These lamps were so cutting-edge for their time that Jules Verne described them in several of his novels, making them very popular. What kept them from becoming fully mainstream was the fact that the induction coils were extremely heavy and difficult to carry around. Today, Ruhmkorff lamps are extremely popular with steampunk enthusiasts, who recreate non-working versions for costumes.

Induction Lamps

Induction lighting, a type of fluorescent lighting, uses electromagnetic energy to produce visible light. Unlike traditional fluorescent lights, induction lamps do not rely on electrodes inside the glass tube. Instead, they utilize an induction coil mounted outside the tube, which generates a high-frequency alternating electromagnetic field. This field induces an electric current in the mercury and noble gases inside the tube, causing the mercury atoms to emit UV light. This UV light activates the phosphors coating the inside of the glass tube, generating light.

There are several advantages to using induction lighting over traditional fluorescent lighting:

Prolonged Life: Induction lamps have an impressive lifespan of up to 100,000 hours, compared to the 10,000 to 20,000 hours of fluorescent lamps. The absence of electrodes, which are commonly the first components to fail in traditional fluorescent lights, contribute to the extended lifespan.
High Efficacy and Light Output: Induction lamps deliver high efficacy and light output, producing around 100 to 130 lumens per watt. This brightness level surpasses standard fluorescent lighting.
Instant Start Up and Re-strike: Induction lamps require no warm-up period, providing instant illumination when switched on. Additionally, in the event of a power outage, they quickly reignite once power was restored.
No Buzzing or Flickering: The high-frequency operation of induction lamps eliminates the buzzing and flickering commonly associated with traditional fluorescent lighting, resulting in a more pleasant lighting experience.
Withstood Vibration: Due to their lack of filaments, induction lamps are resilient to vibration. This characteristic makes them suitable for applications where vibration was present.

So why did induction lighting never really catch on? Despite its benefits, induction lighting had numerous disadvantages that hindered its widespread adoption. The ballasts used in these lamps were more expensive, and the fixtures themselves were bulkier and heavier compared to other lighting technologies. Additionally, the initial setup costs for induction lighting were considerably higher. As a result, the market eventually shifted towards LED lighting, which offered comparable advantages at a lower cost. Today, you can rarely find induction lamps as they have become virtually non-existent in the lighting industry.

Limelight

Did you know the phrase 'being in the limelight' is taken from an actual type of lighting? Limelight is a very early type of stage lighting that was used in theaters and music halls before electric lighting became mainstream. A cylinder of quicklime (calcium oxide) was burned by a oxygen and hydrogen fueled flame to produce a bright white light. This is considered the very first solid-state lighting device.

Discovered in the 1820s, limelight was initially used for surveying. It later began being used for illuminating outdoor performances, with the earliest know being October 3, 1836. Limelights were installed as indoor stage lighting for the first time a year later (1837) at the Coven Garden Theater in London. Since limelights were a far safer alternative to gas lighting, they quickly gained widespread usage as theater lighting around the world by the 1860s and 70s.

Limelight was also used during the Civil War. Union forces used these lights to light up artillery targets at night, while also blinding Confederate soldiers. Eventually though, limelight was replaced by electric arch lighting in the late 19th century.

Know about any other unique obsolete lamps or fixtures? Tell us about them in the comments below. We might just mention them in a future blog post. And for help finding the right replacement bulbs for your fixtures, old or new, call 1-800-624-4488 to speak with one of our lighting experts.