Exploding Lamp???

[david.elsbury]

For what it's worth, dmxtothemax, last year when I was the unfortunate user of an incorrectly wired 3phase cable* which did indeed present 440v L-N, the dimmer was ok (thanks Theatrelight :** laughs out loud **:) but when the PAR lamps blew, there was no shattering of glass in this instance, just a dead bubble.

So I think it's very much a case of "it depends."

 

(* no, I didn't check the voltages before I plugged it in, and yes, that would be my bad.)

[J Pearce]

I've had a similar experience with a Celco dimmer rack, it didn't mind 440V at all, the lamps at the other end weren't so keen.

[johnlinford]

Given that in my experience of people putting 120V lamps in to 240V connected PARcans and the results not being particularly surprising or exciting, I'd be surprised if 415V on a 240V lamp yielded anything more interesting than a dead bubble...

[J Pearce]

I should've added that whilst the few lamps that were turned on blew, they did so no more spectacularly than at 240V.

[LXbydesign]

I had a PAR can lamp blow with a lovely bang on our panto last year. At that moment, I was looking down at the desk, but heard a big bang and looked up and then noticed one of the broadway pink (yay!!) PARS out.

 

After the show, the cast were all talking about it as it made a few of them duck on stage at the time as it produced a large flash - apparently - as well as the bang.

 

Following a check of the wiring etc etc and the dimmer, everything was fine other than the shattered remains of the lamp. In all my time, I have never heard a lamp blow that dramatically. It did actually sound like someone firing a gun!

[GridGirl]

Most par 64s I have seen dont have the mesh still in place,

It seems to burn off quite quickly!

The heat in front of a par 64 lamp is tremendous,

Does any one have par 64s with the mesh still intact?

Mine certainly dont, perhaps the gells will stop most of the glass?

 

All of ours that started out with it still have it - and they get heavy usage - six nights a week for almost 44 weeks a year (a few nights off over Christmas and New Year!), and the other eight weeks are tech weeks so the cans probably get used even more those weeks...while the mesh on some of them is a bit beaten up and rusty, it certainly hasn't burnt off. We occasionally get an "ashtrayed" lamp where the front lens separates itself (in one piece) from the filament envelope and the back half of the lamp - they go with a bang but don't cause any more problems - usually the lamp keeps working as well.

[johnlinford]

Following a check of the wiring etc etc and the dimmer, everything was fine other than the shattered remains of the lamp. In all my time, I have never heard a lamp blow that dramatically. It did actually sound like someone firing a gun!

 

A friend of mine was lighting an events gig where President W Bush was speaking. The LX position was surrounded by about a dozen PARcans... He recalled seeing a PAR lamp blow like that once, and realised if it happened here, he'd be very much at risk of being shot by most of the armed officers...

[Pattern123]

I recall a very entertaining Press Conference with John Smith when he was leader of the Labour Party and his shadow cabinet, where a Blonde lamp clamped as backlight to the set exploded, showering red hot glass onto the thin cord Carpet, setting it on fire and causing a strange sort of politicians sand dance as various members of the shadow cabinet leapt around stamping on bits of flaming carpet.

[Brian]

As a note of interest, in the British Standard for theatrical lanterns, one of the tests is to shatter the lamp and check for broken glass. The way they suggest to achieve this is suddenly over-voltage the lamp by 30%.

 

 

 

 

...a Blonde lamp clamped as backlight to the set exploded, showering red hot glass onto the thin cord Carpet,...

 

I used to have a very large, very expensive, broadcast mixing desk in one of the audio suites which had a dirty great lump on its working surface caused by a Blonde shattering.