Movers and Lamps

[kalmatthew]

I was wondering what the general consensus here was, I know that you are ment to change by lamp hours but how many of us actually do?

 

Kal

[gareth]

It's highly advisable to change the lamp in a moving head once it's reached its rated life. Push it too far and you risk the lamp exploding - if it does that it can make a hell of a mess inside the unit, and if you're unlucky it'll take out colour wheels, etc. when it goes.

[colinmonk]

And when they explode, er... they do explode!

[johnhuson]

It is pretty much essential to change lamps when they are up to hours, because they have the ability to explode. Not only can this do damage to the inside of your fixture, there is nothing to say it isn't going to damage someone!!

 

It also seems silly as the degredation of light output and colour temperature becomes very quick as it gets to and over hours.

[mikienorth]

Agreed.

I've seen the inside of a couple of fixtures that the lamp has exploded inside of, and when a dichroic reflector, along with heat shields and many other expensive parts need replacing because you forgot to check the hours, you have one very unhappy accountant, plus an upset production manager, a really 'annoyed' servicing department, and a rig less a mover for as long as it takes to be sorted.

[kalmatthew]

I agree the theory behind lamp hours is by far the best, but I can just see a beancounter saying: "that bulb still works, why are you throwing it away". Basicaly I am just trying to see how many people cut corneres to save money.

[Ike]

But the point is it doesnt save money and will infact cost you a lot more. Changing them after rated hours also enables you to change them in a lot of stock at once (another cost saving) and reduces the chance of one dying mid show.

[Pete McCrea]

a stitch in time saves nine.........

[the kid]

I understand that letting it blow causes it to make a mess, but also dosen't a older lamp seem dimmer even when its at 100%. So not only saving money, hassle etc it'll also look better.

[Jivemaster]

discharge lamps used to be rated for their half original brightness time,,, Rated life is when the light out is half the design output and yes they can explode as well

[jagardner1984]

Does anyone have any pics of this kind of thing, or links to them.

 

For the sake of a few more hours life, a lamp limping along with poor output, possibly going to explode during a show at any point - is it really worth it - I think not.

[slim_mcslim]

I have not yet come across a lamp that has "exploded" in the same way a large maroon inside a tin box does, nor have I had anything that you could describe as a problem from a lamp going.

 

I have heard stories and most of them seem to focus on golden scans and mini scans that they seemed to explode with a force equivalent to a tomahawk missile going off, all the way up through the fixture to the focusing lens. But in my experience it would seem that most hire companies use the fixtures until the lamp goes and then complain at you for using the spare. And from a financial point of view thats what I would do, but I do monitor the lamps in my data projectors quite regularly and change them every 700hrs or so.

[mikienorth]

No pictures of my example above but It was two different Mac 2000's, and was a very expensive fix, listening to the sound of broken innards as it was transported to the repair bench was not a fun moment...

[Suzette]

Not in a mover, but a followspot with MSR lamp exploded during a show - the mess was unbelievable - we were still clearing up bits of glass 2 days later. That turned out to be a faulty lamp rather than a lamp going over its hours, but the spot lamps were normally changed at the end of their hours rather than when one blew.

[mac500]

It is really irrisponsible to let your discharge lamps run until they blow! Even if you notice a lamp on its way out let your hire company know via a note in the flightcase or something to let them know that u think the lamp may be on its way out.