Spotlight issue

[Dani Mac]

i have a Lycian starklite 1271 spotlight that is running at half intensity. I switched lamps twice and changed powers sources and power cables...and still it is running at half intensity.

SO today I switched ballasts from another Lycian starklite 1271 spot. I connected my 50% ballast to a spot that I know has been running 100% and it ran at 100% (even though it was running on a ballast that has given me a 50% output)...I took the ballast from the 100% running spotlight and connected it to my 50% spotlight and now both are running perfectly at full!

I cannot for the life of me figure out why. If I return my 50% ballast back to my 50% followspot it still runs at half intensity.

 

[DuckJordan]

Connections from ballast to fixture could be oxidized

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

 

[JD]

i have a Lycian starklite 1271 spotlight that is running at half intensity. I switched lamps twice and changed powers sources and power cables...and still it is running at half intensity.

SO today I switched ballasts from another Lycian starklite 1271 spot. I connected my 50% ballast to a spot that I know has been running 100% and it ran at 100% (even though it was running on a ballast that has given me a 50% output)...I took the ballast from the 100% running spotlight and connected it to my 50% spotlight and now both are running perfectly at full!

I cannot for the life of me figure out why. If I return my 50% ballast back to my 50% followspot it still runs at half intensity.

Then don't return it
Honestly, this is an odd one! At the weight listed, it sounds like a magnetic ballast and they are pretty simple devices. (Sometimes you can get a quirky Solid State ballast that doesn't like some lamps.) Connector oxide should have self corrected when the ballasts were switched and would usually result in erratic output as you flexed the connector. Don't have a 1271 so I don't know for sure that it is magnetic. One last thought, were both units purchased at the same time?

 

[Dani Mac]

Then don't return it
Honestly, this is an odd one! At the weight listed, it sounds like a magnetic ballast and they are pretty simple devices. (Sometimes you can get a quirky Solid State ballast that doesn't like some lamps.) Connector oxide should have self corrected when the ballasts were switched and would usually result in erratic output as you flexed the connector. Don't have a 1271 so I don't know for sure that it is magnetic. One last thought, were both units purchased at the same time?

Yes! They were bought at the same time, run in the same location and stored at the same location and temperature. They both are running at full intensity still but 50% spot is cooler in color temperature then 100% spot. It is so odd.

 

[techieman33]

Yes! They were bought at the same time, run in the same location and stored at the same location and temperature. They both are running at full intensity still but 50% spot is cooler in color temperature then 100% spot. It is so odd.

I would replace the lamp in the other one so they both have new lamps. That could fix the color temp, arc lamps tend to go towards brown as they age.

 

[JD]

Yea, lamp matching multiple HMI follow spots can be an art of its own! On the 50% spot, did you change the lamp because it was dim? If so, the old lamp may be fine and closer in color to your second one.
If on the other hand the color follows the ballast, you may have a bad cap. Magnetic ballasts use a power factor cap. Usually when they go they open up and you get nothing, but if it has dropped off in value, then the lamp would not run at the right temperature. Not a likely problem, but figured I would add it to the mix anyhow.

 

[PeteEngel]

So, what you might be seeing is a connector pin that may not be making complete contact. Over time, the plastic of a multi-connector can get brittle or warp and the pin inside does not properly seat. The move may have worked to correct the issue in the short term but could have only been a temporary effect. Good luck with the troubleshoot!

 

[SteveB]

I'd be calling Lycian. Steve in tech. support is always a fountain of knowledge and the first stop when I have issues with my Lycian xenons (which is rare).

(845) 469-2285