Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: ORC3000 Lamphouse - Won't Strike

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Posted by Tony Ratcliff (Member # 1196) on 12-29-2004, 07:32 PM:

I've been searching the archives here for a couple of hours and I haven't come across my exact problem.
Hopefully one of you has seen this problem. I've got a house down and loosing $$ fast.

ORC 3000 lamphouse, 2500 Osram bulb, less than 1000 hrs on bulb.
ORC XPS45 power supply.

As of last night, everything worked perfectly. Lamp struck immediately, good even light. No indications of a problem.

Today I go to start the matinee show, and the bulb won't strike, not even when starting manually.

Problem Details:
- Gets power to lamphouse. The fan comes on.
- Interlock indicator light comes on, as does light under it, both normal.
- The power supply contactor does NOT engage.
- There is no sound at all from the lamphouse except the airflow interlock switch clicking and the fan running.
- Do not see any flashes inside lamphouse.

What I've Look At/Tried:
- External exhaust fan is pulling good, just like always. I'm getting a real good suction on the air intake on the back.
- I took off the filter plate so I could see if the airflow interlock switch was working. I appears to be. It pulls in next to the fan and makes a clicking sound.
- I played with the cover interlock switch. It appears to be working normally.
- I inspected the two relays on the top back inside of the lamphouse.
- Inspected all wire connections. Nothing appears abnormal.
- Power supply leads #2 and #3 (lines coming from breaker box) are alive. I don't have my volt meter, so I don't know how much current, though.
- Power supply lead #1 does not have current, but appears to be hooked in with the automation.
- DC lines coming into back of lamphouse appear to NOT have current.
- Lines from lamphouse to power supply contactor do NOT have current.

My first thought here was the airflow interlock, since that is what it acts like is happening. But the fans are running normally and the switch appears to be OK.
Plus this just happened all the sudden.
That is why I am baffled.

Anyone out there have any clues for me?

Anyone out there got a nice Super-Lumex they can sell me quick and cheap, so I can throw with ORC crap out?!! [Mad]

Thanks!

Posted by David Yauch (Member # 2754) on 12-29-2004, 08:12 PM:

By airflow interlock switch I'm assuming it's some sort of wind vein. Here we have had some break that would not detect that the vent was running even when it was. As a result the bulb would shut off and we had to tape up the wind vein to get it working again. Eventually they were replaced but at least it keeps the show going. If it's something else then I defer to someone with more experience.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 12-30-2004, 02:17 AM:

...Dump the Osrams...go Christie bulbs. For I had one do the same thing in a Strong X-90 console - suddenly no strike with few hours-just died. I checked things out like you did with all the electrical circuitry, then went to the final: change the bulb. Put in a Christie..."BINGO" have light. (damned Osram)

Osram quality seems to have taken a direction to the second crapper in the mens room pretty bad since they merged with Sylvania. Just can't rely on them anymore.

good luck - Monte

Posted by Tony Ratcliff (Member # 1196) on 12-30-2004, 11:10 AM:

Good thought, Monte.
So I just replaced the bulb with a known good one. No dice.
Still the same.

I got my volt meter today and checked. 120V on input Lines 2 and 3 of power supply. Nothing on the DC out side. Nothing on the contactor connections.

Anyone else have any ideas?

Posted by Ken Russell (Member # 2491) on 12-30-2004, 11:34 AM:

Only a wild guess for lack of experience with that equipment but looking at the schematic in the manual on this site and reading all of the descriptions I see one easy possibility. The 115V lined that comes back from the lamphouse to control the power supply connects to what the pics show as lugs 1 and 2. The power then gows from lug 2 to what looks like a thermal protector inside the box. From there it comes back to lug 3 on the same strip and then into the contactor. With the lamp switched on you should have 115v between lugs 1 and 2 on that strip and between lugs 1 and 3. If on 1 and 2 but not 1 and 3 then the thermal protector has failed. Just a thought based on other equipment failures.

Ken

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 12-30-2004, 02:40 PM:

If you don't 120v going down to the rectifier then the problem is in the lamphouse
check the micro switch on the door they have been known to be flacky on all lamphouses then the airflow switchs use a aligator leed to jumper them out one at a time till the fualt is found

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 12-30-2004, 07:58 PM:

Side question: Does that power supply only use 2 input phases?

Posted by Tony Ratcliff (Member # 1196) on 12-31-2004, 02:38 PM:

Well, we finally found it. Or I should say, a local tech guy found the problem.

Looking at the posts here today after the fact, it appears that Gordon was on the right track as well.
Turns out that there are TWO lamphouse cover safety switches.
I only knew of the one on top.
There is another one on the front of the lamphouse, where there is a plate/door that comes off. This switch was the culprit.
We bypassed that switch and all it well.

Thank you very much everyone for you input!!

Happy New Year.