Help with Osram, XBO Xenon-short arc lamp

I found this lamp in an old theater I purchased. A Osram, XBO Xenon-Short Arc Lamp. 1600W/HS OFR. The box was opened, but lamp was still in its plexiglas case. Is there anyway for me to find out whether the bulb is new or not? And if used, how many hours used or remaining? Thanks in advance for your help

Marcus

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[ship]

1,500 hour lamp, decent enough - I expect it's for a xenon follow spot? Which type, I don't have any notes on what this lamp would go into.

As for telling if the lamp is new or not there is a few indications of arc source lamps in general.

First, at least with metal hallide lamps they will often (not always) have something looking like a metal ball bearing rolling around inside the lamp globe when new. That's just material that will become gas and never again be seen as a ball bearing like thing in the globe once used. Not all lamps have it but it's definate that if you have this you have a brand new lamp.


Second, new arc source lamps will at times have a sort of crustation of the other chemicals that have not been mixed yet on the walls of the globe. Such elements to be seen will not be silver in color and instead be normally white or greenish.

Third, a new lamp might show some bubbling of silver chemicals at the cathode and anadode parts of the arc contacts. Used lamps might also show this while a still fairly new lamp but will show some darkened burning evidence at these two locations witin the globe also.

Fourth and common to all (see below) they sould show some scratches or use where the lamp had been installed. This especially on the Sfa/SFC type of lamp base where the screw threads or post got scratched while installing.

This is all mostly evidence of while arc source, a metal hallide lamp. Xenon especially the XBO types amongst the YXL, UXL, CXL, LTIX etc types are made to a much higher standard and chemical mixture than that of the metal hallided lamp. It is highly unlikely that you will see a snow balled (white/green/silver) crustation on the globe of a xenon lamp new or used. Instead they tend to turn blackened as if a halogen or incandescent lamp once used. For the most part you won't see the above colors but if used and getting towards the end of their life, you will see some smoke within the lamp.

Such scratches on the finish of the contacts and blackening of the globe will probably be the only real indicators of a used xenon lamp. This lamp while cool is under pressure and will explode in a shower of small glass particles thus the plastic storage container for it. It while cool however is fairly safe when careful to take out of the cover to look close at. When the lamp is warm or having been recently used even if cooled down, than it can go off with the concussion of a grenade should it break. At such times protection is very necessary.

Still the pressure within the globe is dangerous. Do not remove it from it's container when possible.

As for how many specific hours the lamp has had in operation, such lamps are designed to maintain a constant output over it's life. Unless about at the end of it's life were it starts getting blackened, it's hard to tell how many hours the lamp has had on it.

If going for resale of the lamp, first guess if the box is open would be it's used. This unless there is no scarring of the lamp's base material.

[SteveB]

Be extremely careful when observing and moving this lamp. Xenon lamps are pressurized to 15 atmospheres - enough to do serious injury should it explode. The general description from a collegue/projectionist is that they go off like a small hand grenade.

In general, when observing and/or handling the lamp, you should be wearing a pair of goggles as well as a plexi face mask, kevlar gloves or something similar, and a leather full sleeve coat, or something with equal protection against glass puncture.

SB