Hello Everybody,
as some of you might know Osram cut off its traditional lamp segment to ledvance. Ledvance cointinued to use the date code system that was used from 1994 onwards.

The production Of some special lamps was kept by Osram, i.e. HBO, XBO, Automotive, HMI etc. I was now able to obtain on of these real Osram lamps. It is an HBO2510/NIL. It has a test sheet we're the date 2019 is marked on. I noticed however that the date code structure was different : qm6 wich is the same structure of the 1979-1994 date code. Has anyone other modern lamp that show that?

q is Spandau so it would work out, As Osram bring the HBO Production from Eichstätt to Spandau as Eichstätt become part of LEDVANCE.

aus the q is small and the end Cifer is 6 it would indicate the lamp was made in June. The Year code is m due to the date on the Test sheet (8.8.2019) I would say that m stands for the year 2019.
Judging by the system, if m is 2019 there are the following year codes:

2016: k
2017: f
2018: s
2019: m
2020: r
2021: u

following the year procedure over the codes from 1953-1994.


It would be good if people lamps from this period to share the codes. To proof this theory or to make another one 


Best regards

Alex

Alex, you are partly right.  In fact Osram never changed away from its 1953-1994 date code for all of the Photo-Optic lamps made at Eichstatt.  The datecode sheets I have for Osram's newer system specifically state that it does not apply to Photo-Optic or Xenarc lamps.  The year letters for those do indeed continue and repeat as you worked out.