Welch Allyn identifiers

[chuck614]

I have this friend, and the friend put a bunch of his Welch Allyn bulbs in a box. The bulbs were 1185s,1160s,1111s,1274s, etc. When my friend went to get a bulb out of the box, he couldn't distinguish one bulb from another. Can anyone tell me (so I can tell my friend) how to distinguish one WA bulb from another just by looking? My friend would appreciate it.

 

[thezman]

While not definitive, you can try to sort them by looking at the filament length and diameter. Go HERE
and click on each bulb number for its specs.

You could also try driving them all with 6 batteries and it should be obvious which are the 1274 and 1185 as they won't be terribly bright under driven.

Tell your friend to be more careful next time. :green:

 

[js]

What thezman said.

The 1185's should be easier to pick out due to the longer filament, but the 1111's and 1160's and 1274's are a different story. Ideally, your friend would get a bench supply and ramp up the voltage from 0 to 5 volts. At 5 volts the 1160 will be white and bright, and the 1274 will NOT be (and the 1185's will be downright unappealing). The 1111 will be OK, but will be edged out by the 1160's. Driving with 6 cells (7.2 volts) is a bad idea as you might blow your 1160's, and will certainly reduce their lamp life by some amount.

 

[thezman]

Oops, forgot the 1160 was 5 volts. Well you could drive at 7.2 and it would eliminate it from the group for sure. :naughty: