This is topic Lamp house not working. HELP!! in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by William Nolan (Member # 2560) on 03-10-2009, 07:10 PM:
 
We are a little, non-profit twin run by volunteers. One of our lamp houses has quit, and we are unable to get it working. Here's the facts: It worked fine for both shows on Saturday, and was working Saturday evening when it was turned off and let cool down as usual. On Sunday matinee it would not light, although the igniter sounds normal. The lamp housing is a Cine-X35, and the power supply is a Strong. The power supply has two green lights on it. One lights when we turn it on and the other when we turn on the lamp switch on the housing. Then we push the igniter button, but no light. I took everything apart and checked all the connections I could find -- no luck. We had an old bulb that was working when removed, as far as we know. I switched them, but no change. How would I know if the bulb was bad? It is a Christie KL3X0248. I am out of ideas. If you can help me fix this, let me know. Thanks,

Bill
Rex Allen Theater
www.willcoxmovies.com
bill@freeholder.com
520-508-2225 (cell)
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-10-2009, 08:19 PM:
 
Why not just call Kelsey Black... he could fix it for you!!!

Mark
 

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Posted by William Nolan (Member # 2560) on 03-10-2009, 08:48 PM:
 
Pretty good idea. Last I heard he lives in Safford. I am not sure how to reach him. Do you know?
 

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Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 03-10-2009, 09:34 PM:
 
Anywho.com lists his address and phone number in Willcox AZ
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-10-2009, 09:37 PM:
 
I'm 99% sure that his folks still live in Wilcox. Call his dad and get his number... Kelsey does know that equipment at the Rex Allen!

Mark
 

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Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 03-10-2009, 09:51 PM:
 
Off topic, but wasn't Cine-X35 (however it's punctuated) the name of a short-lived projector manufactured by Christie a few years back?
 

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Posted by John Eickhof (Member # 323) on 03-10-2009, 10:15 PM:
 
If the lamphouse is the ORC early Cine-X35 ( small tan and brown unit ) and you hear the igniter trying to strike the lamp, then you probably have a diode out in the strong power supply, of course, first thing is to check all switches and breakers ( fuses? ) first! When you press the igniiter ( start ) button do you see a flash of light in the spot sight box on the projector? Again, it sounds like a power supply problem. Good luck!
 

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Posted by Eric Robinson (Member # 2966) on 03-10-2009, 10:33 PM:
 
Does this lamphouse have a voltmeter/ammeter? If so, I would start by turning on the lamp switch and check what voltage is displayed on the meter. From this result you can continue troubleshooting the problem further by posting your results here.
 

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Posted by William Nolan (Member # 2560) on 03-10-2009, 11:20 PM:
 
First, it fits the description of a "small brown and tan" unit, so that is probably accurate. When I push the igniter button, I do get a flash of light. It looks like it is coming from a little bulb in the igniter area of the housing. (Is that the exciter bulb I have read about?) There is aa ampmeter, but not a volt meter. The amp meter has always stayed on zero until the bulb ignites, and it is staying on zero now. If it is a diode in the power supply, how do I get that diagnosed or fixed?

Thanks,
 

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Posted by Eric Robinson (Member # 2966) on 03-10-2009, 11:42 PM:
 
Is there a button or switch close by to your ammeter which says something like volts/amps? Sorry I am not familiar with your model. The lamphouses I most commonly use have a pushbutton you can press to have the meter display volts. So, in effect the meter has a dual purpose which can be selected by the operator.

The spark you are seeing may be coming from the ignitor itself if it has something called a spark gap. If it does have a spark gap then it is normal to see a spark there. You should also see a spark inside the bulb simultaneously. If not, then you may have a cable which is arcing to the cabinet. Most likely the cable which connects between the ignitor output and the rear of the bulb. If the cable insulation is poor, the cable can arc to the cabinet if the cable is too close to one of the cabinet surfaces.
 

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Posted by William Nolan (Member # 2560) on 03-11-2009, 09:00 PM:
 
Well, I got in touch with Kelsey Black as suggested, and he came by this afternoon. It is now working. The problem turned out to be the igniter. Fortunately, I had an old one on hand that had failed. Kelsey was able to assemble one good one with the parts from the two broken ones. he did say I probably need a different bulb, as this one is fluctuating. I will hope to find a good used one. Kelsey also said the power supply would handle a bulb brighter than the 1600w onw we are using, if we can find one that fits.

Thanks for all the advice.

Bill
Rex Allen Theater
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-11-2009, 10:08 PM:
 
Don't put larger than a 1600 watt lamp in the Cine X-35 lamphouse or you'll be sorry ! I think you need to get those guys down at the auto parts store to buy you a more modern lampenhousen!!
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-11-2009, 11:19 PM:
 
Cine X-35's .. is it that little lamphouse that looks like they could sit on the back of 16mm projectors where you can put a handle on top of them so they can be portable?

If so, saw a pair of these lamphouses sitting on the back of E-7s throwing an 80 ft light to fill a 13x33 ft screen .. and running 1000w bulbs.in the early 70's.

-Monte
 

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Posted by William Nolan (Member # 2560) on 03-12-2009, 12:25 PM:
 
I wanted to thank everyone again for the help with this problem. If you are interested, I have posted a photo of the lamphouse and projector.
www.willcoxmovies.com/rexallen.jpg

Thanks again,

Bill
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-13-2009, 05:50 AM:
 
Good ol' Motiographs AAA's .. just keep the gears greased weekly and the intermittent assembly filled with oil - they should last a lifetime.

-monte
 

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Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 03-13-2009, 06:01 PM:
 
When Mann theatres converted the Fox Twin in Lubbock to the Fox 4, and installed 2 sets of Ballentyne Pro 35s, the booth was running on 1000 watt Orcons that resembled what The Rex Allen theatre has.
They later replaced these with 2000 watt pedestal-based lamps, the make of which I cannot recall...
A lot of theatres underestimated what their xenon lamp needs were at that time when they were converting from carbon arc to xenon.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-13-2009, 06:04 PM:
 
Twin Ballantyines and Orcons... Sounds like a Jerry Lewis Theater to me...

Mark
 

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Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 03-13-2009, 07:34 PM:
 
Or late-80's Carmike;>
 

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Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 03-13-2009, 07:45 PM:
 
James: Snake oil contributed to this: ORC 1000 was a 700 watt system, the 2000 was a 1600 watt system; all the way up to the 6000 which was a 4000 watt system.

The rest of us tried to sell a large enough system, but ORC, complete with misleading model numbers, got the sales. Most sales bozos don't care about the outcome; they proudly "got the sale." Louis
 

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 03-13-2009, 09:04 PM:
 
Part of their numbering came from that a orc700 watt system produced the same light as a 1000 watt vertical system from ziess or christie
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 03-13-2009, 10:17 PM:
 

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen

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Twin Ballantyines and Orcons...

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