Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Xenon lamp not striking

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Posted by Jonathan Wood (Member # 4614) on 05-28-2015, 03:40 PM:

Hi
I'm using a CX20 lamphouse with an Irem ex85 console rectifier. All wired correctly I think but problem is the lamp (which I believe to be good) won't strike . The ignitior is getting it's power from the 230vac aux out on the rectifier. The ignitior is making all the right noises but there's no sign of an arc . I'm not using any automation so want it to strike manually . Is there anything in the lamphouse that might be looking for a contact from non existent automation ? Any advice gratefully received . Thanks Jon

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 05-28-2015, 03:48 PM:

Other than a bad bulb, make sure nothing is touching ground on the cable between the bulb and HV/RF output of the ignitior. If there are any bare connectors make sure they are not close to ground and have an arc at that point to ground.

The other possibility is the ignitior is bad.

Posted by Jonathan Wood (Member # 4614) on 05-28-2015, 05:09 PM:

Thanks Stephan, I was wondering about that. I've linked the lamphouse ground to the rectifier ground , which seems to be how the machine was originally set up. Should it have it's own direct ground ?

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 05-28-2015, 06:13 PM:

That should be fine as long as it gets to a real ground at some point.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 05-28-2015, 07:43 PM:

The CX-20 Console used a IGA10M igniter. On this igniter, is place an "heater tube" (Christie calls this a delay/relay circuit) that contains a filament winding and a relay sensitive to the heat from the winding.
There is also a wire wound resistor that is in circuit to all of this.

How this works like like a points system in a distributor.

You hit the start button and the filament in the tube heats up. Low voltage is going across the closed relay and going through the primary winding of the coil creating a magnetic field. Relay opens up due to the heat from the filament, collapsing the current to the primary winding causing the secondary winding to build up great amount of current to ignite the bulb.

Check this tube and check the wire wound resistor.

Good luck - Monte

Posted by Jonathan Wood (Member # 4614) on 05-29-2015, 02:15 AM:

Thanks Monte , much appreciated.
Jon