"Just a guy who works in a bar"... Well drawn and explained. Much less the note on the
momentary arc within a bad lamp's
filament allowing
current to pass without resistance at times to the rest of the
circuit is excellent knowledge to pass on. With some assemblies such as a
DHA light curtain, when one lamp blows, you replace all the lamps because of this and frankly, once one lamp blows would you rather hope during a show you don't loose a second one or depend at least in the first set of hours all should work as designed?
ACL (Aircraft Landing Lights) or properly termed (Sealed Beam Lamps) by high output type, (There are some long life versions) are not cheap in reliability to be using. Part as with a moving light lamp is in determining the cost effectiveness of the
effect over the cost in using it. A bunch of fixtures you can't afford to lamp is not doing much good as opposed to a bunch more that last longer and will get the job done at times for the same price.
I might also add that plugging this assembly into a 120v source without warming them on a
dimmer or bringing them up a little more slow than from cold to full as if plugging them in to a wall
outlet is bad for the lamps. Very high output lamp, one that does not like
shock loading. Your normal
dimmer - what ever the brand should have a warming
current in it that's sufficient to warm the
filament so it's not a cold start. Don't
plug the assembly directly into a wall
outlet.
Jezza, this is basic wiring, without training in it (knowing series by word description but not how it works) you should be cautioned in doing this project even if in general explained how it works and you have some basic but well trained wiring skills in technique and theory - no offense meant.
Yes I "really know my wiring" - at my pay rate and position, I had at best - it's been years in getting there and mistakes are not allowed. Some parts school, some parts on the job training by real electrictions and
stage hand old timers, most lots of studying by way of cheap handy guides to $180.00 books on the subject on my own if of any help. The studying on the subject does not stop either.
On the other
hand there are many people on this forum that know as much if not at times more than I do on this and other things. Just responded first. Lamps, sure perhaps I might be in some top percentage, on wiring that's mostly basic skills and experience or need to know thus what you learn. There is stuff I don't understand sufficiently also. Stuff I less deal with, what I do deal with in needing to know it's something studied and mastered to my best extent.
This is not to say that you don't possibly know what you are doing very well, just that in not knowing how series works persay sufficient to use the term but not understand it's wiring, it brings up certain cautions I'm sure you would have in others asking about other things. No problem, just have someone with more training look over your shoulder or inspect your work. Nothing I or others don't do in stuff we are less familiar with.
There are details in how to make the lamp bar or what
power cord assembly to do this with. For instance, installing
Edison/
stage/120v twist plugs on the individual fixtures could be dangerous. Also, that lamp is also still going to get hot thus normal at least 150c heat
wire is still necessary. This in addition to the - you could do it that way but this would be better type of thing that is experience based.
Note in the drawing above that instead of a normal lamp having a hot and
neutral wire feeding each individual lamp, this is a chain of them thus wired in series instead of parallel (hot/
neutral normal.)
The first lamp gets the hot
wire and it's other
terminal goes to the second lamp in the string and not the
neutral. That second lamp gets the
wire from the first lamp and it's second
terminal feeds the third lamp
etc. until the last lamp which gets the
power from the third lamp and it's second
terminal goes to the
neutral wire as shown in completing the
circuit. Loose one lamp and just as a string of Christmas lights you curse, (also wired in series - unless the more industrial
shunt type) you loose all lamps. Mayhem and others in the 230v world in using our 120v
PAR 64 lamps have to do this on a daily basis in order to use our lamps instead of their own 230v lamps. Not sure of the benefits in doing this but experience says it's a better method for them. From what I can see, the FFN has just as much output as the EXC (CP-60) for the most part given the same beam spread.
As for lamp life, it's a 25 hour lamp. How much more life are you hoping to
squeeze out of it before you loose the
intensity thus it's purpose? This is not some 800 - 4,000 hour 1Kw VNSP
PAR 64 lamp you can go at times 130v in getting even more life out of it.
Think of
ACL's and ray lights as special effects. The 800w ray light lamp (Ushio JCS 120v800w/C) is a 75 hour lamp and as an alturnative in possibly you not having to re-wire your fixtures if it will work (should put out just about as much light - given the differnt type/feel of beam.) It's a little more economical but still a special effects lamp. (Ushio #1000909.) Should
play test this lamp first in saving the man-hours in re-wiring at least. Kidd Rock used this lamp for it's 36
fixture PAR pods/walls of light - something like eight or ten pods of them in doing this ray
effect in a large scale. This given by design, the ray light beam was more effective or intended for the production than the
ACL lamps I believe I
play tested also in choosing one over the other. If of any help, this was probably the first use of that lamp and I
thru study in lamps was the first to note it. Thus in saving you the trouble, I might recommend this lamp above the 600w DYS if beam/ray of light is less a artistic choice in it being different, than some
intensity choice. Certainly if it saves you labor in re-wiring your bars and fixtures, it might be very cost effective. Just don't try shipping them to Birmingham England overnight unless you know if it's the venu or the hotel the crew wants the lamps to arrive at. Otherwise you will given a supplier that has and can do it, will have to double ship at double cost - this as opposed to having to catch up to them when they hit Russia or are in a sea container headed for the great OZ. Not a normal lamp and
thru most suppliers it would be a special order.
Neither type
ACL/Ray Light is something you want to leave on for work lights or in the use of them, it's an expensive
effect that costs a few cents every minute you have them in use. Think of it that way instad of some just beam of light that will be brighter and questioning if dimming them that will give the
effect still, but in extending the life a few more hours. Want a cost effective beam of light that is cost effective, get a VNSP or even
beam projector from Europe using a also low
voltage lamp or 120v old time
beam projector. Only a few sources still make beam projectors, but ah' what a use they have. There is four basic and different beams of light possible in standard fixtures/lamps. This and there is some
ACL lamps of longer life types but they much exchange lamp life for output. That specific beam you wish for can be matched to the flavor of the
fixture or lamp you choose but if in general just a beam, go with what is more is cost effective. I might say for a beam of light, the VNSP 120v
PAR 64 has it's uses, just as the 800w Ray light does. After that should you want the
effect, the
ACL #4552 also has it's use and is a standard solution, but it's not the most cost effective
effect compared to the above two in order of cost effectiveness.
You might go into the
dimmer setup mode/patch and set the
ACL up for a maximum of say 93 or 90% thus 93% will now be the max 100% in calling a
cue at full. That only brings you - at best the full 25 hours of expected lamp life. I would not worry about such a detail.
Given a 120v supply
voltage (this will not be in measuring
voltage where you
plug the lamp in and after the
dimmer the actual
voltage - it will be less thus less
intensity but a longer life by say an hour) you are only loosing about two hours of lamp life saved. Don't think you will be able to tell the difference between 23 and 25 hours in any case. You in dimming to even 93% certainly might notice the loss of a 120v maximum of 11,550 Lumens you will be loosing by dimming to the equivolent of 112v from our 120v bench
mark. Again it won't most likely be 120v at the
fixture but it's a goal.
The S-4
fixture lamp is not persay brighter because it's a hugely better lamp than a 1Kw lamp, certainly more efficient, instead it's operating in a condition over it's rated
voltage in most instances thus as shown above, you get a huge amount of more output in a 115v lamp say operating at 118v instead of a 1Kw lamp designed for 120v now operating at 118v.
Hmm a 500,000
lumen verses 511,550
lumen lamp @ 120v. Sorry the
color temperature of the lamp is not listed but it will also diminish some. Still even if at 118v it is not as much, you should be able to note say 9,000 lumens in output in difference - especially when competing with moving lights.
It's a science of feeling/art plus some science and lots of study. I hope this above inspires you and all to study more into what some little
voltage detail or what difference a lamp will have or where you find a cost effective lamp for your balance of art verses production. No telling where you can go once you start to concept the above details in theory. Thus also the purpose of me and others on the forum being here in making someone that takes us to school that happens no matter the length of the message.