Yablotschkov's candle

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  • Depiction of a Yablotschkov candle

  • Jablotschkow candles, partly used

The Yablotschkow candle is a special version of the electric carbon arc lamp . In the early days of electrical lighting technology, it was impossible to ensure that the carbon electrodes were evenly spaced when the lamps were in operation. In 1876 , Pavel Nikolajewitsch Jablotschkow designed the "electric candle" named after him, in which the carbon electrodes were arranged in parallel. This made it possible to dispense with a control device, which is usually necessary for the operation of arc lamps. The Jablotschkow candles were operated with alternating current and burned evenly. They were used to illuminate public spaces, for example on the banks of the Thames in London and in the main post office in Berlin. In 1878, at the end of the World Exhibition in Paris, around 1,000 Yablotschkow candles were burning in the evening.

The disadvantage of the Jablotschkow candles was that they only burned for around 90 minutes and could only be switched on once. If the electricity was interrupted, they went out and had to be replaced.

With the invention of the differential arc lamp by Friedrich von Hefner-Alteneck , the "electric candles" were replaced and the electric lighting was further improved. The Jablotschkow candles remained a temporary solution in lighting technology.

literature

  • Johannes Abele: The arc lamp . Series of articles Technology History, 1995 Deutsches Museum Munich, 2nd edition 1997, ISBN 3-924183-31-7 .
  • Wolfgang König, Wolfhard Weber: Networks, steel and electricity . Propylaea History of Technology Volume 4, Propylaea Verlag, Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-549-05635-4 .