Alec97 Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Hi all I recently picked up some elation opti pars that take a 600 watt GKV lamp and was wondering whether I could put an 800 watt GKV lamp in them to give them even more output, it does say max 600 watt on the label but I see no problem exchanging them for an 800 watt other than temperature level's. cheers https://www.stagelamps.co.uk/store/lamps/gkv-gad/gkv-240v-600w-g9.5-hx600-88447-ge https://www.stagelamps.co.uk/store/lamps/gkv-gad/hx800-240v-800w-g9.5-single-ended-halogen-ge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul O Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Will it work?... probably However one thing to bear in mind before you ignore the manufacturer's maximum wattage rating, if the light were to overheat and cause a fire or serious electrical fault then the finger of blame would point directly at you rather than at the manufacturer of the 'faulty' light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Johnstone Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 If it says 600W Max, It's for a reason. Come on, seriously! If you need more output get the right kit for the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Some Bloke Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 If you were looking to buy one of these and the manufacturer said it was an 800w unit you'd have been chuffed to bits, wouldn't you? So why do you think they didn't? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
top-cat Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 other than temperature level's. And why don't you consider high temperatures to be a problem? HIgh temperatures can do more than just burn your fingers when focussing! It's not just a minor nuisance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart91 Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 The only possible variation here is how you are using the lanterns. (Duty cycle) The manufacturer will have to rate the lantern conservatively, i.e. assuming they are going to be on full for long periods of time. If you were just using the opti pars for the occasional flash, you are less likely to encounter problems than if they are going to be the downstage wash for a conference. All the same, you would essentially be saying that you know better than the people who build them, and as others have suggested that's not a very nice position to find yourself in if something goes wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 ...but I see no problem exchanging them for an 800 watt other than temperature level's. It's unlikely the unit will run at that power level for long. When ETC uprated the Source 4 they changed the materials the reflector was made from to cope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmeh2 Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Hi If I could think of the worst type to deliberately over-rate, it would be the GKV. They are atrociously fragile and the 600W ones run considerably hotter than most other types, including the HPL750 because it doesn't have the fins stuck to the bottom of it. They don't take kindly to being flashed and run them without pre-heat at your peril! I have a bunch of Nexeras in one of my venues and I run them at 75% max and keep chases down to the absolute minimum during the shows. Abused, you'll be lucky to get 100 hours out of them. You have a 600W fixture, so stick to 600 for these reasons and the ones the others have pointed out. All the bestTimmeh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
top-cat Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 I have a bunch of Nexeras in one of my venues and I run them at 75% max and keep chases down to the absolute minimum during the shows. Abused, you'll be lucky to get 100 hours out of them. Are you sure it's not your fixtures? It's just that I have a bunch of Dexel Profiles that take GKVs. My power is awful (voltage and frequency varies more than the weather) and yet their lamp life is very good, I very seldom have to change their lamps, certainly far less than my "T Class" fixtures which seem to go quite often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Perhaps your voltage is less than the rating of the lamps? Lamp life varies by the twelfth power of voltage, so a little undervoltage will extend lamp life considerably. And a little overvoltage will simerlerly reduce lamp life dramatically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmeh2 Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Hi Chaps You may have a point. Nexeras are just die-cast lumps of metal with a CMY changer in the front bit. They do get incredibly hot and there's no holes for the heat to escape so they rely purely on the case radiating it away. On the other hand I also have a couple of cheap-n-cheerful Lycian followspots which also use a GKV600 but are force-air cooled, and the lamps do run considerably longer even though they are at 100%. All the bestTimmeh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam2 Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 Frequency wont affect filament lamp life, and anyway the mains frequency is well controlled in the UK. Frequency from a generator might vary a bit, but this wont affect lamp life. Lamp life is very strongly influenced by supply voltage, and will be very much greater at 210 volts than at 250 volts, and yes the actual voltage at the lampholder can vary that much in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
top-cat Posted September 20, 2014 Share Posted September 20, 2014 My problem is actually higher voltage, not lower voltage. But I still don't really have lamp life problems with my GKV fixtures. Timmeh the Nexaras are horrible things, much better off with seachangers! http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p.k.roberts Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Lamp life varies by the twelfth power of voltage ..... I've never seen that expressed with such mathematical certainty before - do you have any links to the science behind that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Lamp life varies by the twelfth power of voltage .....I've never seen that expressed with such mathematical certainty before - do you have any links to the science behind that? Here's a ready to go google search with that exact string, from which you may take your pick :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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