Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Wish Me Luck on my Xenon Bulb Training

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Film Handlers' Forum » Wish Me Luck on my Xenon Bulb Training (Page 2)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2

Author

Topic: Wish Me Luck on my Xenon Bulb Training

Josh Rosen
Film Handler

Posts: 49
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canda
Registered: May 2007

posted 06-26-2007 07:40 PM

quote: Chris Slycord
FYI: your technicians might take offense at finding out you're blaming them for this without anything linking them to it. Especially in such a public forum. Hell, even if they did it, they still might look at it as being out of line.

Also, wouldn't the technician be the least likely person to not know how to change a bulb? At least I hope they would.

I did not state at all that the tech made a mistake. (The mistake involved an inexperienced theater personal trying to change the bulb through the BACK of the lamp house) When he repaired it I believe he had to remove a good portion of the lamp house interior so the chances are that when he put a new bulb in he had a lot more room to work in, and he probably had better tools than us (like those straight Allen keys someone mentioned).

I did not mean at all to blame the tech and I apologize if it came out that way (they actually did a superb and fast job at fixing a very large and stupid mistake). I was simply stating that a tech was the last one to change the bulb so therefore was the last one to tighten the bolt, and not one of our regular projectionists who would have used the equipment that we have available to us on a regular basis.

| IP: Logged

John T. Hendrickson, Jr
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 889
From: Freehold, NJ, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 06-26-2007 08:43 PM

If you can't losen the clamp, you may have to remove the clamp and the collet spacer. First, remove the igniter lead from the clamp. Remove the C clamp on the back of the console, then carefully remove the bulb, clamp, and collet.

If you are still unable to budge the negative contact clamp, you may have to discard everything and order a new collet and clamp. Be sure you get the correct size for the bulb pin you are currently using.
Good luck.

| IP: Logged

Sean McKinnon
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1712
From: Peabody Massachusetts
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 06-28-2007 06:43 AM

I was able to break the nipple and discharge the high pressure Xenon gas before on an Osram lamp so I could work on "stuck" lamps. It a lot safer IMHO. I also meant nothing against anyone hey everyone screws up! I have just experienced lamps arcwelding themselves before... Hey im the only one I know of who ever snapped the foward bulb support in a Super-Lumex! Luckily I had some of that metal bonding putty that I was just gonna use until the part came in well it worked so well that as far as I know its still in there! Thats stuff is great to bond metal to metal, repair a stripped out threadwell and more. I think its called New Metal and is available at Home Depot for less than five bucks, I always keep a tube with me!

| IP: Logged

Michael Moore
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 188
From: Dover, DE / USA
Registered: Jun 2006

posted 06-28-2007 08:43 AM

I have discharged Xenon and Mercury arc lamps that come out of spectrophotometers but only under a bath of water. We have to do this because we have dispose of the tungsten and everything as Hazardous waste. However when I have done this I have had bulbs explode greater then 50% of the time. Mind you these Xenon bulbs are much smaller some are only about 2 to 3 inches long; they look like baby lamps. How do you do this without the bulb exploding on you?

Mike

| IP: Logged

James Westbrook
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1133
From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 06-28-2007 12:24 PM

I know of one famous booth technician from UA who...well, he didn't exactly screw up during the installation of the bulb, he simply forgot to remove the adaptor piece from the bottom of the 1600 bulb we were running in a 2K Orcon II. After destroying and chunking the bulb, I had to go back to the dumpster and retrieve it (I did this with the box sealed by my manager and didn't see the adaptor still on the bulb.)
Anyhow, he explained that he hadn't changed a xenon bulb in several years. (He was the main "Sound Man" for the southern UA theatres.)
With the adaptor back, he finished the xenon install without any further issues.
He also had forgotten that these Orcons had the 1600 watt bulb with the screw lead at the bottom where by using the container it was shipped in, you could screw the bulb in without having to disconnect the bottom adaptor. I learned that late myself.

| IP: Logged

Dan Reiter
Film Handler

Posts: 74
From: Easton PA
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 06-28-2007 01:00 PM

From a manufacturer's point of view (SQP), the more respect you have for the bulbs, the better. We all get lax & casual about them, and ignore the danger. Always err to the side of safety.

If the set screw is indeed seemingly permanently stuck, you may have to dis-assemble the lamp adjusting mechanism to remove the lamp. NEVER stress the quartz lamp body itself, or "BOOM!"

| IP: Logged

Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-28-2007 06:39 PM

Josh Rosen said "At my theater we use Strong Highlite II consoles/lamp houses. I recently tried to change a bulb that is in desperate need of replacement, only to find that the Allen bolt that tightens to hold the negative electrode in the socket in the back is royally stuck. I think a technician changed it last time (someone royally f***ed up the lamp house because they didn't know how to change the bulb) and he made it really tight.

Three of us have tried to loosen the bolt now but it still won't budge. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to loosen it (normally with a really tight screw I would spray some WD-40 around it and it looses no problem, but I obviously have some reservations about spraying that stuff inside of the lamp house)."

First it is better tight than loose (many things are that way [Smile]

)

Often it can have been left loose and arcing will weld the connection.
I insist that after a lamp has been changed the connections are re-tightened after 48 hrs as often one can get at least 1/4 turn out of the connecton
Also the hightlight series console are very easy to change a lamp in

| IP: Logged

Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 06-28-2007 07:18 PM

quote:
I think a technician changed it last time...and he made it really tight.

They're supposed to be that way. I always run 'em down as tight as I can get them.

It gets old having to disassemble and replace parts in a lamphouse, just because someone didn't put enough muscle behind the connection in the first place and the bulb got welded in!

Afraid of stressing the envelope while tightening the connection screw? Here's my trick: pivot the cathode slightly with one hand, so the anode rises off its support and is in mid-air. Then you can tighten the connection as hard as you want with your other hand. As long as you keep the anode in the air, you can't put the bulb under any kind of mechanical stress.

| IP: Logged

Michael Schaffer
"Where is the
Boardwalk Hotel?"

Posts: 4143
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 06-28-2007 07:32 PM

quote: Michael Moore
Get yourself an strait Allen wrench that is like a screw driver. The smaller bent allens are harder to use on hard to turn bolts. If you need more leverage you can take a pare of vise grips and grip the Allen wrench and try that. Don't strip the head it can happen with allens if you don't have your wrench square. Also don't use vise grips on the Allen head depending on the diameter of the bolt you may snap the head off and then you have another problem. I bet if you use vise grips on the Allen wrench and be careful you should have no problem getting that bolt out.

That doesn't sound like such a great idea since you can always slip with the vise grip and hit who-knows-what, in the worst case the bulb. Better simply use a T-handle if it is a mechanical problem. But it is very likely that he adapter is now welded to the lamp as hs already been pointed out.

| IP: Logged

Michael Moore
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 188
From: Dover, DE / USA
Registered: Jun 2006

posted 06-29-2007 12:42 AM

as I stated before I was not familiar with the lamp house, I was just giving him advice on removing an Allen bolt in general. If it is a set screw then a T handle or straight will work.
Why not call the Tech back up and ask him about it? Maybe next time he is in he can have a hand at it and take the possible explosion head on instead of you! Better yet find the person who messed it before the Tech fixed it and have them take the Allen out with you and tech their watching, maybe it will teach'em a lesson?

Mike

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.