Osglim-TV

Dear Collectors,

some months ago, I´ve received a tube with the following marking: "OSGLIM" and "G.E.C." The other markings are badly visible. I assume, this is an special glow stabilizer for TV.

Can anybody confirm my assumption or has more information about the tube or operation environment ?

Thanks and greetings

Gerd Junginger

Attachments

• OSGLIM 001 (19 KB)

Dear Gerd,

"Osglim" was used as a name for a number of different neon filled tubes but as far as I know the Osglim was never used for stabilsation in TV receivers.

The most common Osglim was the lamp with the spiral electrodes and often used as a night light.  This was known as the "beehive".

Other applications besides lamps of various types  - and this may be the unusual one you have - were as a light source in early  equipment such as the Baird, and also as radio frequency radiation detectors and alpha-numeric indicators.  There is even a military type CV71 specification which was fulfilled by an Osglim lamp. 

From the standard mains lamp base, it is probably for 230V operation.  I suggest that you try it first with a series resistor - say 100k ohms on a variable supply voltage since some were made without internal resistors.  (The usual running power for mains lamps was 5W.)  

It is probably from before 1945 as the Osglim name was not used by GEC after about that date.

Sorry that I do not know this particular one, but hopefully someone will recognise it. 

Best Regards,

Roy

Dear Roy,

thank you very much for your explanations.  Was OSGLIM an indepentend manufacturer of tubes or only an name of a tube series ?   Perhaps my tube was marked G.E.C. later ?

I will make a test with my tubes and will let you know.

Best Regards

Gerd

Dear Gerd,

OSGLIM derives the name from "Osram" and the word "Glimmer" (low light level).

Osram was the manufacturer of Electronic Tubes and Light bulbs and  was a company within the large GEC (General Electric Company Ltd) conglomerate.

So the names would have been simultaneously printed.

Regards,

Roy

Dear Roy,

now I have made a test with this tube. Here are the results:  U = 230 V~, R = 10 KOhm, I = 6,35 mA

The function is shown in the following pictures.

Thanks and Best Regards

Gerd

Attachments

• OSGLIM 006 (11 KB)
• OSGLIM 007 (20 KB)

Dear Gerd,

As I suspected in first seeing the shape, your tests have proven that it is a picture (TV) display lamp.  With d.c. only the plain area will be illuminated.

These were used as the intensity modulated light source behind a scanning (Nipkow) disc in early picture transmission systems.  See Here   or Here

I shall create a tube OSGLIM_TV  for this tube and ask that you load your pictures to it, but perhaps NOT the one with the glow on the back. 

Best regards,

Roy

Dear Roy,

thank you for your answers. Should I load the complete picture series of this tube, or only the picture with the complete anode ?  What about the pictures in the model "OSGLIM" ? Do you delete it ?

Best Regards

Gerd

Dear Gerd,

I was hoping to change the name because "Osglim" is not specific.   But I forgot that the tube name it is linked to the forum thread and the clever data base does not permit such a change or move without higher intervention!

So please just add the picture of the illuminated panel - the others are absolutely fine where they are.   Many thanks.

Best regards,

Roy