Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Smelly Xenon + Failure

This is topic Smelly Xenon + Failure in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Michael Harlow (Member # 1353) on 09-06-2003, 10:25 AM:

Ok, well i'm still new to this xenon thing, only having used them for 3 odd years, but recently i have had an Osram XBO2000W smelling like fish. We were running on about 70A with a good light, then today after 810 hours it didn't want to light. A replacement has been put in and no smell! any ideas why we only got 800hrs and what the smell was. We have an Irem N3 power supply and a peerless magnarc conversion. Ta!

Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 09-06-2003, 10:37 AM:

Like Fish? Could be that a seal has failed and you're smelling the Xenon gas. The only smell usually associated with xenon lamps is the smell of hot metal from the lamphouse, maybe hot dust if the equipment isn't kept clean or hasn't been used in a while, and the slight puff of ozone as the lamp strikes, ozone smells like photocopiers/laser printers. Not fishy.

Posted by Stephen Furley (Member # 1277) on 09-06-2003, 10:55 AM:

Well, since the lamp is sealed, you wouldn't be able to smell anything inside it, so the most likely cause of a smell would be some form of surface contaminition of the quartz envelope of the lamp, e.g. by grease from fingers, or dust, but I wouldn't expect these to cause the lamp to fail to strike, unless they led to an explosion, nor to smell like fish, unless you were cooking some fish for your dinner inside the lamphouse!

My best guess would be that some form of contamination, local overheating, or manufacturing fault caused failure of one of the seals, and the lamp lost pressure. What did the lamp, envelope and electrodes, look like when removed? Was there any discolouration, blackening, cloudiness etc?

I don't like xenons, they have improved vastly since the days of the old BTH three electrode things, but they still make me very nervous, I'm much happier working with carbons.

You haven't still got any left over carbons you want to sell, have you?

Posted by Michael Harlow (Member # 1353) on 09-06-2003, 11:04 AM:

The lamp looked brand new when it was removed. [Smile]

No carbons at present, but i may find some, you never know [Roll Eyes]

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-06-2003, 11:56 AM:

Xenon is an inert, ODORLESS gas. Contamination on the lamp could cause an odor as it gets hot.

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 09-06-2003, 12:09 PM:

Smells like fish...it's tempting but I won't say it.

Posted by Travis Hubrig (Member # 1745) on 09-07-2003, 12:54 AM:

Last time my booth smelled like fish...

Posted by Ron Yost (Member # 1850) on 09-07-2003, 01:09 AM:

Me either. [Big Grin]

Ron Yost

Posted by John Anastasio (Member # 607) on 09-07-2003, 07:47 AM:

Check to find out if that's the sole lamphouse that stinks, just for the halibut.

Posted by Sam Hunter (Member # 1119) on 09-07-2003, 12:56 PM:

Sumpings FISHY about this thread [Big Grin]

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 09-07-2003, 01:33 PM:

Probably the seal blew while the lamp was not running. Had that happen once, the bulb was cooling down after a run and I heard something like a windy fart without any vibrations. I tried lighting the lamp, no go. The bulb looked perfect. Replaced and aligned the bulb and started the next show.

As far as the fishy smell is concerned, maybe it was some wiring fried (although I don't know of too much wiring that smells like fish)

or someone was pulling a prank on you. [Big Grin]

Posted by Jon Bartow (Member # 241) on 09-07-2003, 05:31 PM:

Someone posted that they or someone they knew had left an unopened can of beans is a lamphouse to warm it up and it had exploded. Perhaps someone left a fish in the lamphouse? [Big Grin]

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 09-07-2003, 06:49 PM:

Jon, with some of today's operators in the booth, anything is possible. [Eek!]

Posted by Michael Harlow (Member # 1353) on 09-18-2003, 03:31 PM:

Ok, well thanks lads, the problem has been found, mainly becuase our new lamp decided that it didn't want to light anymore. The Irem Strike unit in the back of the lamphouse decided to fail on us [Frown]

Problem solved i guess.....

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 09-18-2003, 07:09 PM:

Is it still common practice for projectionists to warm their dinner in the lamphouse?