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Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 06-25-2007, 10:30 AM:
 
Today, I will be trained on changing a Xenon Bulb. I'm excited, but, nervous at the same time. I opted to be trained to do this since none of my booth personnel wish to be trained. My technician will be training me. I have the basic understanding of how this is done, but, never did get the formal training until today when I go in. Anyway, wish me luck.

Oh yeah, we do have the appropriate safety gear in the booth for this type of job.
 

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Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 06-25-2007, 12:33 PM:
 
Hey Chad

Relax. Once you've changed a few you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. Having said that, you still need to treat them with care.

John
 

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Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 06-25-2007, 01:36 PM:
 
Well, good news. I just got back from the theatre and the training was great. Once there, I wasn't even nervous. I had my hands on experience and it was a success. Anyway, I agree that handling the bulbs with great care is very important. My technician gave me great tips and showed me all of the details, etc. Anyway, thanks John for the tip.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 06-25-2007, 07:57 PM:
 
I remember when I did my first bulb changeout - in a Cine 1600w vertical lamphouse back in 1978. Got all garbed up worrying to death of that thing blowing up on me and sweating like something else..and did the changeout with no problems, but it was so nervewracking since I've never done one before and no outside training neither - just the manual on how to change one out.

But, it took me a good half-hour to do that changeout since I was so nervous.

Now, I can flip one out and plop a new one back in within 5 minutes, and the HTP Christie bulbs are more easier to put in - no cables to fuss with.
 

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Posted by Josh Rosen (Member # 4291) on 06-25-2007, 08:32 PM:
 
On the topic of Xenon changing I have a quick question.

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).

Thanks
Josh
 

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Posted by Michael Moore (Member # 3867) on 06-25-2007, 09:13 PM:
 
I'm not familiar with your lamp house so if the Allen bolt is in a tight spot these suggestions may not help you but... 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. Also if you take a tooth pick and soak it with WD-40 and then dab it around the head. You should be able to apply a significant amount of WD-40 without spraying it just keep reapplying it until you are satisfied that the threads have a good soak.

Mike
 

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Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 06-25-2007, 09:55 PM:
 
Don't stress the quartz (glass) part of the bulb, but allow it to float free while loosening the allen screw. This is for your own safety. Louis
 

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Posted by Chad M Calpito (Member # 3736) on 06-25-2007, 11:23 PM:
 
I agree with Louis. Be careful. Safety is always important.

Anyway, when I did this first Xenon Bulb change-out, all I could think about was properly installing a new bulb safely and properly, which stopped me from being nervous because I focused at the job at hand making sure I did it right.
 

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Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 06-25-2007, 11:58 PM:
 
This seems to happen a lot. What you DON'T want to do is work the allen screw too hard because of your proximity to the lamp, and the fact that it is older. I have had to remove the lamp WITH the assembly still attached and take it out back and break the lamp in order to safely get the screw loose. Its really the only way to do it safely.
 

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Posted by Josh Rosen (Member # 4291) on 06-26-2007, 12:29 AM:
 

quote: Louis Bornwasser

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Don't stress the quartz (glass) part of the bulb, but allow it to float free while loosening the allen screw. This is for your own safety. Louis

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quote: Josh Rosen

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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)

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quote: Josh Rosen

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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.

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quote: Chris Slycord

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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.

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quote: Chris Slycord

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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.

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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.
 

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Posted by John T. Hendrickson, Jr (Member # 849) on 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.
 

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Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 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!
 

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Posted by Michael Moore (Member # 3867) on 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
 

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Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 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.
 

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Posted by Dan Reiter (Member # 1386) on 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!"
 

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 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
)

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
 

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Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 06-28-2007, 07:18 PM:
 

quote:

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

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quote: Michael Moore

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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.

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