232 – The safety role of lighting

I WENT along to meet Ed Savage from Philips yesterday.

The setting itself was dramatic – the Pinewood film studios. A warren of studios, offices, presentation halls and so on…and production was going on for the new Harry Potter film.

I must admit I’d not given lighting too much consideration. Car lights either worked or they didn’t. But having said that, I am rather taken with Audi’s new LED running lights, the daisy chain that gives Audis such a distinctive appearance at the front.

Anyway, turns out Philips developed those daisychains for Audi. And, in fact, will be releasing an aftermarket version in October. So if you like the look, well you can have the look.

Ed’s party piece was quite dramatic. Apparently Philips car lamp bulbs are made from quartz glass, which means the bulbs last longer, and are more resistant to thermal shocks. Other bulbs tend to be made from toughened glass.

Anyway, having produced a selection or replacement bulbs from a Halfords bag “bought that morning”, I chose one – a Bosch bulb – and then Ed stuck it inside this safety lighting contraption. Both the Philips and the Bosch bulb glowed for a while, then Ed poured water down a v-shaped funnel into the bulb case.

Mad?

I thought so. The impact on the Bosch bulb was dramatic. It blew spectacularly. And the Philips? Nothing, it carried on.