Conventional Fixtures Altman borderlight repair

[decoss]

We have an Altman#R40-7’6" 15 light strip light with 3 circuits. One of the circuits is dead. I assume that there is a loose connection on the inside. Can i take it appart and fix it myself, or is this a complicated fix? I am reasonably handy do a lot of home repairs.

 

[Footer]

If you know how to do basic electrical repairs, it is really as simple as changing out a socket. The sockets are wired in parallel. The back pops off and you are good to go.

 

[Les]

Have you checked the connector yet? I'd start there. I had about 3 Source Fours sitting on the shelf for at least a year marked "bad sockets" by a previous tech, only to discover that the stage pin connector was loose and the instrument itself was fine.

 

[decoss]

Since they are wired in parallel..If the first lamp is burned out will all the others on that circuit be off?

The connector is fine thanks

 

[Les]

Since they are wired in parallel..If the first lamp is burned out will all the others on that circuit be off?

Nope, that would be Series.

If you have Altman R40 or 520/528 Striplights, they are wired in parallel. The R40's use an R40 or Par 38 lamp, and the 520/528 series use a type 'A' lamp and have an aluminum reflector.

Altman Zipstrips, however, use an MR-16 lamp and ARE wired in series. However, they also use a neon indicator light for each lamp, which glows when that lamp is blown. The indicator light completes the circuit, keeping all other lamps down the line lit. This also regulates the voltage so that the downstream lamps don't receive a higher voltage due to the absent electrical draw from the bad lamp.

 

[derekleffew]

See the wiki entries Wiring, parallel and Wiring, series. The problem most likely lies between the plug and first socket.

 

[xander]

Altman Zipstrips use an MR-16 lamp and ARE wired in series. However, they use a neon indicator light for each lamp which glows when that lamp is blown. This completes the circuit, keeping all other lamps down the line lit.

I don't know if maybe the L&E zipstrips are different, but I have never had a zipstrip circuit still work when a lamp goes. I cannot say for sure if the zipstrips I have now are Altman or L&E, but I know that when I have a lamp go out, the whole circuit stops working; even with the indicator lights on. Previously I have maintained zipstrips that I know were L&E, and they behaved in this manner, as well. It would be nice to have what you are saying! Them being wired in series has always been my biggest complaint about the zipstrips.

-Tim

 

[derekleffew]

Xander is correct; on so-equipped MR16 strips, the neon indicator shows which lamp has failed, but does not complete the circuit to keep the other lamps lit.

 

[xander]

Xander is correct; on so-equipped MR16 strips, the neon indicator shows which lamp has failed, but does not complete the circuit to keep the other lamps lit.

Are you confirming that this is a difference between L&E and Altman? or that this is the nature of all zipstrips? What are the differences between the 2 brands, I have never really tried/been able to tell?

Thanks,
-Tim

 

[ship]

Are you confirming that this is a difference between L&E and Altman? or that this is the nature of all zipstrips? What are the differences between the 2 brands, I have never really tried/been able to tell?

Thanks,
-Tim

Off Zipstrips in Altman working better, it's curious about the R-40 strip light with a circuit not working. Fairly bullet proof in concept and design for such a thing. What did you find in opning up and looking for the easy fix mostly the thing seen.

 

[Tracyu]

We have an Altman#R40-7’6" 15 light strip light with 3 circuits. One of the circuits is dead. I assume that there is a loose connection on the inside. Can i take it appart and fix it myself, or is this a complicated fix? I am reasonably handy do a lot of home repairs.

Hello,
I've attached a drawing from the my Altman parts manual which should help with this.
Good luck with it!
Tracy

 

[stagegirl]

Hi,

I was trying to open the document that was attached and couldn't. Can I get access? I am trying to fix the same problem.

 

[derekleffew]

Try this. Same document as above.
View attachment r40borderlight_spm.pdf

Are you confirming that this is a difference between L&E and Altman? or that this is the nature of all zipstrips? What are the differences between the 2 brands, I have never really tried/been able to tell?

Sorry I missed this the first time. NO low voltage strip that I know of keeps the rest of the lamps lit if one fails. As to the differences, the L&E MiniStrip was first, followed by the short-lived Strand-Century Fisher strip, and then the Altman ZipStrip. IIRC, the MiniStrip is better made, but I can't recall specific differences, except that I think the L&E colorframe has circular openings and the Altman has rectangular, though I might have that backwards.

 

[BillESC]

Zip Strips is the name for Altmans MR16 strip fixture. Other manufactures offerings will have different names.

 

[Les]

Sorry for the confusion guys, re: lamps staying lit after a failure. Maybe they should work on that .

 

[ship]

If I understand this correctly it's a bad R-40 strip light. They don't have shunt like indicator lights on the rear of the panel which let other lamps stay lit in series when one blows and also indicates which lamp went bad. Big improvement on old style Christmas lamps.

Instead of series wired, these fixtures are wired in parallel. Location of the problem being lamp fiament to attachment to power. Assuming it's a good lamp, could be a bad base, or could be somewhere between that contact and wiring to the other fixtures. Most likely if not bad lamp, a bad base.

 

[church]

On a a striplight using the MR16 12 V lamps the neon indicator is wired in parallel with the MR16 lamp. The neon is a low current discharge lamp that needs a resistor in series with it to limit the current to prevent the neon from burning out. Neons have a negative resistance characteristic, increasing the current increases the number of ions emitted while decreasing the resistance which increases the number of ions until - phut!

The breakdown voltage for most small neons is between 90 and 110 Volts and the neon is off for voltages below this level. When all the MR16s are working the voltage drop across each lamp and each neon is 12V and the neon is off. When a MR16 lamp fails the voltage across the blown lamp which is now an open circuit is approximately 115V to 120V depending on your line voltage. The neon will now turn on. However because a resistor is in series to limit the current through the neon the other MR16s just act as a piece of wire becuase the current is limited the filaments cannot get hot enough to produce any light.

If you are unlucky enough to have more than one MR16 blow at the same time then the neons will not turn on.