Lampe Mazda

Lampe Mazda here identifies the French Compagnie des Lampes brand. Its history includes earlier Métal markings of Compagnie générale des lampes and the Mazradia name used during the commercial transition; individual tube dates must be distinguished from brand dates. In February 1927 Compagnie des Lampes, a limited company with 60 million francs capital at 41 rue La Boétie, Paris, offered industrial, commercial and office lighting equipment as Mazda.

The power-tube lineage includes E4M: its first series dated from 1916 as Métal, while in 1927 it carried Mazda radio. It is a directly heated triode with a 5.8 V, 2.5 A filament, maximum anode voltage of 1,200 V and stated input power of 50–85 W. Two top connections serve anode and grid; the filament connects through the base. It was used in EELM high-frequency telephone equipment built in 1927 and Gody aircraft transceivers. Modifications to EELM equipment were being prepared in 1937 because E4M was expected to disappear.

In February 1959 Compagnie des Lampes' Electron Tube Department operated at 29 rue de Lisbonne, Paris. The range combined American- and European-characteristic types, tuning indicators, battery and mains valves, seven-pin miniatures and nine-pin Novals, 6/12 V car-radio types and a 25 mA miniature series. It also covered professional, electrometer, subminiature and Cinq Étoiles reliability types, transmitting tubes and rectifiers.

The offering also included television picture tubes, measuring CRTs, germanium diodes, Cristons and PNP junction transistors. Technical applications included 2050 and 2D21 thyratrons and OA2/6073 and OB2/6074 voltage regulators. Paris-area Mazda-Radio warehouses and depots, provincial agencies and overseas representatives distributed the products. The electronic range was therefore distinct from the original lighting business. This French brand must not automatically be identified with British Mazda or the car brand of the same name.