Creating a Lamp Inventory

**Leo Enticknap** · 01-08-2026, 05:03 PM

As a service tech rather than a theater manager, I don't have a template to offer; and when I was working in theaters, we never kept enough lamps on site for a formal stock inventory to be necessary, beyond keeping usage records (which DCI projectors do for you, anyways).

One suggestion I would make, though, is to try to manage lamp purchase and usage such that you are not wasting lamps' warranties while they sit on a shelf. They typically come with a warranty for a given number of hours or two years, whichever comes first. This is more an issue in mixed use venues and residence theaters than regular first run cinemas, but many's the time I've encountered a customer who bought a spare lamp when their projector was installed ten years ago, decided to install it now, found that it has lost pressure and is flickery, had to be given the news that its warranty is long expired, and realizes that they wasted several hundred bucks. Lamps are not a part that it makes any sense to stockpile.

**Caleb Williams** · 01-08-2026, 05:24 PM

I concur with Leo on this. Our SOP is to order lamps when there is 100 hours left of lamp life (about a week of operation for our locations), then keep at least one of each model of the old lamps on-hand for emergencies. We rotate out the emergency lamps based on age, hours used, and lamp condition, but we don't formally keep track of serial #'s. This practice worked well until the supply issues we encountered during covid. However, we are now ordering lamps from LTI and in general they show up quickly enough we don't need to leave lamps sitting on the shelf for long periods. The warranties for the two manufactures we've purchased from come as described; hours used or time elapsed since lamp was received, whichever comes first. We have also experienced the issue where a lamp sitting on the shelf for a long period de-gassed and was unusable, we were unable to get a warranty on it, thus, the current operating procedure.

Previously, we just used a simple Excel spreadsheet with pages for each location, then tracked lamp type, date received, date installed, date removed from service, and then removed the entry once the lamp was disposed of. Because we don't keep lamps on hand anymore this has no longer been necessary.

**Randy Stankey** · 01-08-2026, 11:58 PM

On the box, write your initials and the date when you receive, unpack and inspect. This information is to show that the lamp was inspected and found to be good before storing on the shelf.

Get a clipboard and make up a log sheet, using your favorite word processor.

By column: Projector #, Lamp Serial #, Install Date, Lamphouse hours, Replacement Date, Inspection Date, Inspector's initials, Comment.

Put the date and header info. at the top of the page. Record your weekly lamp inspection on each sheet, one per week. (Or whatever your inspection interval is.)

When you take a lamp out of storage and install it, write the date on the box. When the lamp is removed, record that information, too.

This method is quick and simple. No fuss. You have all the information at your fingertips whenever you need it. If you want to copy the information into a spreadsheet, that's good but keep that clipboard, hanging on a nail, somewhere near the booth desk so that you can refer to it any time you need.

**Ryan Gallagher** · 01-09-2026, 06:27 AM

What Randy described is basically our method. There was just a spiral log book before I started, but now there is a shared google sheet tab on a maintenance tracking doc for everything DCI, and another for everything analog.

The tip about using new lamps while they are new (warranty valid) is a good one though, they had some back stock when I started which we are about done with, but moving forward we’ll use that advice.

Also worth mentioning LTI has a recycling program for any brand lamp. They even pay postage.

**Tj Hopland** · 01-09-2026, 09:32 AM

More information like the required scale and what the main goals of the project are could be helpful. A screen or two is gonna be a little different than say 10. 100's again different and if you get into several hundred or 1000's.... And then the goals are an important question. Are you going to do some sort of regular reporting of hours to try and order replacements just in time? Or is it more of a what models is used where and maybe the typical hours that screen gets or is expected to get? The goals of a projectionist / tech type of person are gonna be different than say something cooperate wants for their quarterly reports.

**Gordon McLeod** · 01-09-2026, 11:32 AM

I keep on spare lamp for each machine at ech theatre site and replace them as used

**Shibu Paul** · 01-10-2026, 10:31 PM

I have been using Google Sheets for stock management for the past ten years

Attached Files

Sheets.jpg (188.4 KB, 94 views)

**Erica Gleichman** · 01-18-2026, 07:04 PM

Thank you to all of you who responded - this is all incredibly helpful!

**Jesse Crooks** · 02-20-2026, 09:25 PM

The remaining warranty hours and age at removal are calculated fields.