Niko Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Hey resentley one of my martin roboscan 812 lamps exploded inside the caseing and when I took part of the caseing off last night the glass was in small little shards and everywere. I have a show in 2 days and a lamp on the way. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody74 Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 What is the question? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljoshua Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 So... Whats the problem. If it is the glass empty in into a bin and use a paint brush to clean out the insides. Check there is no damage to cables, replace lamp and make sure it doesn't happen again by keeping track of the lamp life and replacing before the recommended hours are up. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niko Posted August 5, 2008 Author Share Posted August 5, 2008 cool thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmills Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 What do you need help with? Just pick all the bits out! How many hours did you have on the lamp? If you go too far beyond rated life the quarts vitrifies and gets very brittle. This is why the Xenon arc sources I have used always get replaced at rated hours (those things are guaranteed for 1000Hrs, and have a 'must replace' specified at 2000hrs). It sounds like a fairly routine lamp explosion to me, a pair of tweezers, a strong light and a jamjar is the indicated fix. You got fairly lucky as I have known lamp blow ups to take out the reflector or other optical elements (Condenser lenses are often victims) depending on the optical design of the unit (I don't know the 812s internals). Regards, Dan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobOwen Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Basically, as has been said, a lamp explosion is not necessarily an indication the fixture has a fault. It is normally the fault of the lamp. Having said that, in my experience it tends to happen more in fixtures that are full of dust etc, so perhaps check the airflow, although it is more likely it has just been taken too far past it's hours. You can count yourself lucky it didn't happen when you were testing it, lamp explosions tend to get people running for cover, they make one hell of a bang (especially xenon!!!!)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niko Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 Sorry forgot to add the question. Do I need to get every little glass piece of it. The lamp to my knowledge since I am the owner of them had not had any where near the max lamp hours. You mentioned about dust but could smoke residue be an issue or even dampness. Thanks for the help so far Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidso Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Smoke residue will shorten the life of a lamp. its like putting dirty prints all over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 You don't need to get all the debris out, but if you don't it's quite likely the air flow will blow it to where it will not be wanted - as in the optical path, in the vents etc. It's a pain - but if you paid for a repair/service you'd be miffed if they left rubbish inside, so why accept a poorer job from yourself when all it costs is your time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceecrb1 Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Its the same as when someone smashes your car window...you dont NEED to get the bits out but its kinda common sense really........ just go nutts with normal things, canned air, brushes, paper towel etc.get it all out and have a GOOD visual inspection to make sure nothing else is broken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 The two common causes of discharge lamp explosions are: 1) Lamp burnt for longer than maximum lifetime. 2) Lamp was dirty/had fingerprints on it. To avoid 1), keep an eye on your lamp hours and replace the lamp when it gets to rated life, as given by the lamp manufacturer. To avoid 2), never touch the envelope with your fingers - always handle lamps by their base. (This applies to all theatrical lamps).Most discharge lamp manufacturers provide an alcohol wipe to clean the glass - use it after installation. Otherwise, you do occasionally get a bad lamp.Most lamp manufacturers provide a pretty good warranty, so if it was a very young lamp get in touch with your dealer and see if they will send you a free replacement under the manufacturer's warranty.(They may want the bits back of course!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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