Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Strong Optimax Problem

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Posted by Richard May (Member # 2627) on 09-16-2010, 12:17 PM:

I have a Strong Optimax console with a striking problem. I havent been to the theater yet but here is what it does. The bulb sounds like it's trying to light, but there is no arc through the bulb. They opened up the lamphouse and found that it's jumping the gap in the spark gap in the ignitor but not through the bulb. There is no arcing anywhere in the lamphouse. Sounds to me like the ignitor might be shot.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 09-16-2010, 12:46 PM:

If you got spark, you got a good igniter. Sounds like either a safety interlock or failsafe has opened to prevent the rectifier to be turned on, or you got a retifier that has seen better days.

Check no-load voltage first and if none, it might be a goner.

Or, put another bulb in - seen that happen a time or two where the cable that attaches from anode connection cap to the anode rod, fry apart for no reason.

Good luck-Monte

Posted by Richard May (Member # 2627) on 09-16-2010, 01:30 PM:

New bulb was put in. Same result. I'm not so sure it's the rectifier. No load volts are off the chart. The bulb will light every once in a while after buzzing for about 8 seconds or so. Could it be an open diode?

Posted by Robert D Hall (Member # 5674) on 09-16-2010, 05:53 PM:

I have had the same problem ten or more times. Over the last 13 years i have worked with strong lamphouse's. And every time it was the ignitor. I cant remember what part of the ignitor had gone bad. But strong did repair them for me. One thing i do remember in most of the case's the ignitor would hold a charge for mutch longer than normal. So you should jump it to ground before you try to remove it.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 09-16-2010, 09:33 PM:

the optimax is the ORC lamphouse
sometimes it is flying off inside the mirror basket on the bypass wire on the lamp

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 09-16-2010, 09:46 PM:

quote: Gordon McLeod
sometimes it is flying off inside the mirror basket on the bypass wire on the lamp

I'll second that. Same thing happens on my LP Assoc/Xe-Lamp lamphouse. Just cut off the bypass wire and it works fine.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 09-17-2010, 03:44 AM:

Had the same problem with those CH-20 Christie consoles: Being that bulb would sit back way deep in the reflector, that wire would cause arcing to the edge of the hole in the reflector during ignition. Cut that wire off and things settled down..

Posted by Richard May (Member # 2627) on 09-17-2010, 06:42 AM:

I went last night and they were right. There was a good spark across the spark gap in the igniter but nowhere else. I changed the high voltage block and it works fine now. Thanks again guys.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 09-17-2010, 09:15 AM:

the newer blue tesla coils don't seem to last as well as the old black ones

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 09-18-2010, 08:06 PM:

The blue coils are a long square bar formed into a coil. The 2 small wires are tapped into 2 or 3 turns of the larger coil. There are no other parts.

I have never had one fail, and I cannot understand how one could fail. They would appear to be well capable of over 200 amps.

(I have had the BOX crack. I bought a new box and then epoxied the old coil into it. Looks like new and works perfectly.) Louis

Posted by Richard May (Member # 2627) on 09-19-2010, 09:20 AM:

It was the blue one. It was not cracked or anything, but it definitely was the problem.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 09-19-2010, 09:27 AM:

On the blues one i have had a lotof the primary side of the coil failing

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 09-19-2010, 10:01 AM:

May be a bad weld where the female terminal is connected to the bar. Louis