Author Topic: Why are clear lenses on street lamps a thing in Europe and not in the USA?  (Read 2147 times)
HomeBrewLamps
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Why are clear lenses on street lamps a thing in Europe and not in the USA? « on: May 04, 2019, 03:33:30 PM » Author: HomeBrewLamps
Excluding FCO Lenses, Why is there a clear drop lens in Europe such as the one below:

But In the US we have mostly refractor type lenses like this?:

(Those are Colin's and GE101R's images)

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Re: Why are clear lenses on street lamps a thing in Europe and not in the USA? « Reply #1 on: May 04, 2019, 05:40:46 PM » Author: wide-lite 1000
The only "clear lens" I've ever seen on an American cobra-head is the one used on the M250/R2's. As a matter of fact, there is a M250/R2 with the clear lens on eBay right now !
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Medved
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Re: Why are clear lenses on street lamps a thing in Europe and not in the USA? « Reply #2 on: May 05, 2019, 02:03:37 AM » Author: Medved
My guess (but just a guess):
In America were popular clear MVs, which required optics making sure the light in any direction goes from a larger surface than just the arctube, this function being served by the refractor (along with the beam shaping).
At the same time the clear MVs were obsolete in Europe, long time replaced by their color corrected versions. Because the phosphor difuses the light, there is no need for that optics, so a simpler, easier to make, clear covers were used. It was a bit less optically efficient setup, but with a coated lamp you can not do better anyway.

Other factor could be the ability to make them cheap enough and/or willingness to pay for the more elaborate refractors, again mainly when the popular light sources were diffused (so you can not get any extra beam control efficiency anyway)
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dor123
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Re: Why are clear lenses on street lamps a thing in Europe and not in the USA? « Reply #3 on: May 05, 2019, 05:18:41 AM » Author: dor123
I've indeed wondered for many years why the American lanterns have diffusers, since all European (Include Gaash lighting Israel) lanterns don't have diffusers. In the common European lanterns, the cover serves only to protect the lamp and not to diffuse the light like the American lanterns. Indeed all AEG Koffer lanterns don't have diffusers despite they are semi-cutoff lanterns.
I think the diffuser is more of a fashion item in the American lighting than because they use clear MV and we don't.
« Last Edit: May 05, 2019, 05:21:11 AM by dor123 » Logged

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Re: Why are clear lenses on street lamps a thing in Europe and not in the USA? « Reply #4 on: May 06, 2019, 03:36:29 PM » Author: Ash
There definitely are European lanterns with diffusers. Schreder ZX to name one
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Re: Why are clear lenses on street lamps a thing in Europe and not in the USA? « Reply #5 on: May 06, 2019, 10:33:28 PM » Author: dor123
The bowl of the Schreder Z1-Z3 are clearly not diffuser like what the Americans have.
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Re: Why are clear lenses on street lamps a thing in Europe and not in the USA? « Reply #6 on: May 07, 2019, 02:10:14 PM » Author: Ash
https://www.lighting-gallery.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=280&pos=245&pid=105754
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dor123
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Re: Why are clear lenses on street lamps a thing in Europe and not in the USA? « Reply #7 on: May 07, 2019, 02:14:10 PM » Author: dor123
ZX is if it is under the British brand Urbis. Under the Schreder brand, it is MC and not ZX.
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I"m don't speak English well, and rely on online translating to write in this site.
Please forgive me if my choice of my words looks like offensive, while that isn't my intention.

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Re: Why are clear lenses on street lamps a thing in Europe and not in the USA? « Reply #8 on: May 11, 2019, 03:37:59 AM » Author: marcopete87
Maybe due light pollution concerns.
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Re: Why are clear lenses on street lamps a thing in Europe and not in the USA? « Reply #9 on: May 12, 2019, 09:38:40 AM » Author: merc
There definitely are European lanterns with diffusers. Schreder ZX to name one
Indeed. This is the very centre of Europe.
or this...

If the refactors work with clear MV lamps, they also work with clear SON-T (HPS) lamps. That's why they make sense in Europe.
Btw. didn't anybody try to make a phosphor doped refactor? I mean lanterns for clear MV lamps that would also improve the light spectrum.
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Re: Why are clear lenses on street lamps a thing in Europe and not in the USA? « Reply #10 on: May 13, 2019, 01:35:47 AM » Author: Medved
Doping a refractor is not a good idea.
First there is nearly no usable UV to excite it outside of the outer.
Then the phosphor itself radiates in all directions, you can neve control that. So while the blue green part would be somehow directed (assume the lens is somehow transparent), the converted light will be always diffused (you can not control the direction of the emited photons, its really random). So wha you will get is uneven color.
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