My job is for the most part fun and interesting even if stressful and harsh in work load at times. Part of that stress for me initially as the person buying lamps became the difference between an EVC and ELC lamp. The GE catalog’s description of both lamps was exactly the same and in fact it’s probably the same inner capsule. Constantly bought the wrong lamp to the extent that I almost lost this part of my job because of it. Lamp vendors only confused me more, the only thing that would help was further study on my own, and taking notes that eventually evolved into that
book at one time I was writing and a 25KB table comparing one lamp to another based upon common attributes of all lamps. The primary difference by the way is that one is a MR-16 lamp, the other does not have that
reflector around it. Unfortunately the catalog did not mention that little detail which prevented a ELC from
fitting into a Trackspot - something in the past I have bought about 900 a year for in resale lamps.
By the way, don’t
call me “dude” wrong generation and I’m not looking for my car. While online and buddies, to me such a non-proper
phase in calling someone is far too superficial and even offensive to me at least. Nobody calls me dude - one of them little quarks about me probably stemming from the military. No need to apologize as I realize no offense was meant. Don’t
call me Mr. either, I’m not my dad in a similar way and I work for a living thus am not Sir.
Most higher wattage multi-vapor lamps from a street light to a
stage and studio lamp have a double lamp to them along with a lot of
halogen lamps - especially in the home owner version. This inner
globe similar to a fat
RSC/T-3 pinched at both ends like work light lamp you will frequently see within the outer
globe. This optimizes the size of the
globe necessary for the lamp to be most efficient in operating or holding the temperature for the gas - which ever it is to work with. It can also be crucial for
bulb pressure given the heat as the outer
globe will help to reinforce the inner
globe in expansion and contraction due to heat. This inner
globe than once sealed within another
globe assembly has certain advantages in being able to add a
reflector assembly, a outer
bulb that you can touch without needing to clean it afterwards (depending upon the type of
bulb and it’s
thickness) to further retaining heat or insulating the inner
globe from exterior temperatures. The outer
globe also allows the possibility to
frost the outer
globe on high wattage lamps without possibly compromising the ability to withstand temperatures or pressures. No matter if it is an inner frosted coating, etched which can reinforce the
bulb to a certain extent
ceramic based paint or an outer sand blasted one, such coatings retain more heat than
clear glass. Such frosted lamps like on a
cyc or
scoop lamp will as an advantage allow for a larger surface dia. of light output which has defiant advantages over
clear lamps when a soft beam of light is desired thus the use of frosted lamps inside of an
incandescent strip light as opposed to
clear ones. Anyone using a
clear lamp in such soft
wash fixtures should
switch. To some extent a
PAR flood lamp will also have frosting involved as with the lenses to Fresnels.
The MSR 700SA lamps for instance on the necessity of outer globes in a
bulb, in this case without an outer
globe had problems in exploding due to the temperature the inner
bulb worked at when cooled down too soon after shut down or at times when operating given it was normally a fan shut down issue while operating with them after the
pinch seal issues similar in many ways to the low
voltage lamps above. Some studio versions of moving lights don’t even require fans to operate, they do require outer
globe lamps thus or their lamps would get really hot or expire without a fan cooling it to the rate necessary. To a certain extent, you don’t want to cool it too fast and you don’t want to cool it too slow after operating.
The glass on the MSR 700SA lamp as some form of monumental lamp in my opinion as a pain in the rear when introduced simply could not take the change or differences in temperature which on other lamps with an outer
globe will not have had as much of a problem with. The glass at the
pinch seal where wires feeding the lamp go from outside atmosphere to inner atmosphere is frequently a wee
bit cooler than the inner lamp area and pressures involved in spreading the glass much less expansion and contraction of the foil lead in wires cause problems with helping to break that
pinch seal. Six months, six fixtures and sixty lamps at about $145 each by my memory of some of the initial fixtures everyone wanted to use in having both these lamps and some programming issues with the fan shutting off. Note this was not as much an issue with the HES
fixture using this lamp but another one I will not name. Once said fixtures are specified and out on a rock tour, all you can do is supply the lamps they burn
thru in the hopes as eventually happened that the burn up issue both at the lamp manufacturer and
fixture company will eventually solve the problems. Until then in this case it cost us $8,700.00 to keep the fixtures running on the tour until the problems were solved.
Wanna work for a high tech lighting company? Sometimes such issues of the newest gear you work with and are necessary to
purchase due to a designer’s can’t live without request have a few expensive bugs to them you than have to pay for at least in keeping them running as long at the tour is going. That MAXXYZ
desk (in another debate) that had the
Martin rep
fly out to solve bugs with it for instance is a part of the things going on with using the latest in gear. Somehow especially at smaller
profile houses, it might be less frequent the direct help especially if a major
bug with the
fixture which is factory orientated and not just a programming issue. The original
Power Cyc units for instance used to use a custom high output MSI 1800
metal halide lamp of incredible
intensity but for me at least $366.00 each. Still have 9 of them in
stock because this was the minimum amount I could keep in
stock for about 12 fixtures at the time given the rate of blown up lamps. Unfortunately what the manufacturer did not consider is perhaps the fixtures would not be used at a horizontal angle to which the lamp was not designed for less than, much less other slight problems with it. Lots of blown lamps later, and a total replacement of all fixtures using that lamp, it’s a key moving light
wash light in the industry now. Getting in on that moving light at the start however cost lots of money given the blown lamps in bata testing it. Them lamps I still
stock are lost profit at $3,294.00 I have sitting on the shelf without a use because while necessary at one
point, they are now obsolete. Talking about stress - every year our accountants no doubt see this figure and it reflects badly on the trust I have in keeping up a $100K inventory in spare lamps for both our use and resale. Talking about the stress of job security amongst people that have in
stock this
OEM (something like end user non-normal
stock) lamp, such things as lost profit in what I bought in addition to the possibility that what I
wire could blow up during a show in a very bad way much less kill someone has a certain amount of stress for me. Thus often my hard
line and very specific posts relating to the world I exist in.
Fortunately most blown lamps in not living up to the expected lamp life of the lamp were able to be returned thus were credited with replacement or reimbursement after tested by the manufacturer in having a warranty issue problem. Such warranty issues however often take three months to confirm thus paid for, and don’t get reimbursed either in shipping charges or if they decide the lamp lived a good life and failed somewhat before expectation but still in living a good life at the manufacturer’s choice often don’t get reinbersed. Moving lights while cool are big business and expensive to keep operating. If your theater program has a problem in you getting fresh lumber or a box of screws to
build with, much less a few more Lekos, wishing to go moving light is probably a pipe dream in once you get it, you won’t be able to afford lamps to it. $145.00 for this specific MSR 700SA lamp, my prices from (possibly) “grey market” sources are much cheaper in the $134.00 range but still not cheap enough much less I have to wait until someone boards a plane with them instead of paying the terrif on such lamps. This can often take weeks and not allow for a premature failure of the lamp
return. Given they will once quoted not come back three weeks later when you
call asking where your lamps are say, “sorry, I can’t get them” or they are going to be a little more expensive. This at best grey market verses $95.00 for a other domestic brand of copycat lamps with known quality control issues in our last test of them verses I believe I was posting about the Osram/GE alternative solutions in being cheaper to the Philips. In my bulk purchasing I’m down to about $123.00 for this lamp by way of one of the above name brands but given the alternate company VeraLite uses am mandated to use the company of questionable quality control of their lamps now at least for giving them another chance. The only thing I have not tried yet is Ushio much less opening up a new account with someone else trying as a sales person to become “my best friend” in wishing to become my exclusive supplier above the others. So many lamp suppliers, so little time on my part to deal with them, much less even Grainger wanting to become my supplier but once they get the price I am currently paying with a lot of effort on my part in shopping around, suddenly they become silent. Hmm, two vendor reps from Grainger later in coming out to visit me and wanting to become my lamp supplier, and the second is acting like the first in after he gets the info from me not saying I can save you money given our large volume sales purchasing
power. Perhaps if I were to go back to how it was before I started buying lamps they might improve my costs. As I remember it, it was somewhere around $16.95 per
HPL 575w/C lamp. Now I’m at $13.90 per lamp but with a lot of effort as my job became. EIKO and lots of other companies
call me on a monthly basis - is there anything I can do for you? Other companies such as ABCO/Westinghouse or GE consider my accounts with them sleeper accounts and don’t really give me much of a price break. I thus get better prices
thru the distributers. Even quoted $100.00 on the MSR or in this case given MSR is a proprietary name for a Philips lamp, the AMHK 700SA lamp
thru the vendor yet
thru a distributer it’s $95.00.
This as opposed to $145.00 for the proper Philips lamp
thru the most hungry of distributers but those that don’t buy illegal grey market lamps, much less have them in
stock to overnight to a show. Given I get sufficient notice in lamp needs. Hmm, 3PM Central Standard Time and
UPS is about to
pick up from us and you need an AM delivery in New York where shipping much less businesses are about to
close down for the day? That about means that while often the West Coast 1PM suppliers are often not the best price, at lest they can ship your lamp needs across the country in time for your needs even if stupid in price for doing so. Thirty suppliers or so plays a factor at times thus in just being able to get a lamp across the country after shipping hours are done with for next day delivery. This much less overnight AM deliveries to Birmingham England from New York. Customs - the chance at times I take if a 120v lamp and not on the island. Either that or wait until the tour hits Russia where shipping is even more chancy, or it’s on a boat to Australia thus it’s going to be a while now that we need even more lamps yet.
I believe Ushio is buying this specific lamp from Philips in that they don’t make it yet and are hungry for more business from me, given they buy more moving light lamps from Philips than I do that in talks with a vendor rep from Philips don’t even rate a followup E-Mail to his vist to me, given the vendor rep I met with no doubt by now is more prone to selling washing machines than selling lamps given the lack of followup. A sales person with many sales people is a sales person. One minute they sell lamps, the next washing machines. Want real knowledge about lamps, inquire elsewhere like Control Booth, to them it’s how many you buy per year and how much they can get away with charging you. I’m not a sales person when I don’t have to be but even with us though I could kill the local Chicago suppliers in retail price, our sales people do the same in what they can get away with in fleecing the customer. Had I the time and interest in pissing off our completion we work with, Design Lab, Grand
Stage and Chicago Spotlight could about close their doors in sales given my more honest or at least for me direct from markup pricing. Such an effort however is bad for business and given the amount of gear to fix is bad for my time usage and business to business relations. I remember the days of paying $28.00 for a EHD lamp, now that’s $11.50 for me at least given at the time I did not care about the brand over
shock value of price. In some ways in leaving theater, I had to sell out what I used to hold in value to me as a small time theater TD as opposed to what I could do but did not have the time to even at a 1.3% fair markup presue in offering in price to my brothers still doing the art. Last time I did have time and did
send out an E-Mail to such sources and brothers, they were too lazy to leave the D-Lab connection anyway even if months later they did need to
purchase the lamps. Other tech people in the low budget industry constantly piss me off in not saving notes about who is cheap in price or at least taking the time to compare prices such as I make time for now. I don’t bother with my low budget theater buddies I once made anymore in that they besides one source I provide limited supplies to, never contacted me. Enough for my being a brother in paying prices I could not afford, I now avoid sales if I can help it. Such stress and souring of such things from my brothers in the local industry in adding to my stress levels in just making it
thru the day and hoping I did not have to come in to work during the weekend soured me to more efforts.
Ushio at least might have a larger discount factor given all moving light lamps are for the most part made and Europe and given the dollar tanked all moving light lamps have recently gone up in price. Next week at some
point, I will have to sit down at the computer to figure out how many lamps I bought last year and add them to my lamp by lamp
tracking of what I buy so such info will be of use in giving me a price for the next year’s expected
purchase in them for the best price verses profit ratio by the supplier at Ushio if they get to be cheaper. Most of my suppliers in offering me a good price expect me to furnish specific amounts per year I will be expected to
purchase. Easy with the EVC much less
HPL 575w/C lamp, it’s just under a thousand a year, with the MSR 700SA, it’s more complex in me buying about 16 every other month but specific amounts? Don’t know. I have about 30 suppliers just for lamps, Ushio being only one of them distributer or manufacturer alike. $100K a year in lamp purchases is enough for various manufacturers to visit me directly but often not enough for a large enough discount factor in buying direct from them. This all as opposed to the days of buying one or two lamps per
fixture type a year when prices per lamp were at times at least double in price. Now at least I as a buyer have some kind of pull with my own suppliers in having target goals in price and backing them up by saying hey, this guy is offering the lamp for this price, can you do better? When I had more time to shop around for lamps I even sent around a yearly list of pricing and expected purchases for the last three years in making them go
thru a few hundred lamps and re-quote their pricing on them if they wanted to keep my business or
gain more. Such pull I had but it takes a lot of effort on my part I don’t have time for anymore much less defiantly the stepping on the hurt feelings of suppliers in not being adequate to others. (These prices being dealer volume costs given on average $1K a day in purchased lamps - normal retail value of such lamps is often much higher.)
In the case of just about all
halogen PAR lamps of any wattage, there is normally an inner capsule part of the lamp inside of the
PAR globe. This has the same
effect above in optimizing the efficiency of the lamps
bulb around the
filament yet still offering the
reflector assembly. Also why you can touch a
halogen PAR lamp but not a
halogen Leko lamp. There are other styles of inner
halogen capsule such as on some linear
filament tube lamp fixtures. Another style is on the
line of CDM lamps used in some architectural lighting fixtures and even some Lekos and
PAR’s. Such lamps have
ceramic instead of quartz inner glass globes. I believe on the CDM lamp, that
ceramic becomes so hot it’s
clear when at operating temperature, yet
ceramic has distinct advantages over quartz in high heat conditions.
Further study might be in the pressure involved with heat and any gas inside of a lamp from argon or nitrogen in a
incandescent to the chemical soup of metal halides inside of an expensive moving light lamp. Given an inner
globe operating at extreme temperature, the pressures must be extreme once hot. As mentioned before, there is some stated concerns at least with home owner grade low
voltage lamps which operate under a
dimmer in that they are not getting hot enough for the iodine/bromine mixture of the
halogen gas to absorb and redeposit the
filament. Instead these might when active simply corrode the
pinch seal. Such concerns have been stated
thru some manufacturers with only few slight notes about
stage and studio lamps not having this problem due no doubt to improvements in
pinch seal technology such as necessary due to the MSR 700SA. Philips has P3 pinch seals, other brands have other technology and they are a good read about. One company even just uses a Purple UV paint in resisting damage.
Stage and Studio lamps are also HRG (Heat Resisting Glass) in nature in being more expensive but
shock and heat resistant above home owner grades of the glass.
Stage and Studio lamps to some degree also have a certain amount of noise resistance meaning that humm you sometimes might get off some lights when near especially with a
microphone will be much less with a
stage and studio lamp. Given the higher quality of such lamps, expecting that such an improvement to the low
voltage line to prevent damage while dimmed is possible.
In any case, the Quartz
lamp globe allowed for a higher operating temperature than normal lamps such as soft lime glass in that it’s inherently stronger if more brittle as a material and due to the smaller sizes necessary to withstand the heat more efficient in heat and strength.
There is lots of notes on globes and glass. In all a lamp no matter the form of it is one big balancing scale in optimizing the desired characteristics of it. For instance, most modern Lekos use a higher output in
color temperature lamp. This is in many ways due to it’s operating at an over the lamp’s design primary
voltage condition. 115v instead of 120v of normal
Leko lamps. This was a balance in choosing this attribute of the lamp in that while it would last a much shorter amount of time especially under an expected 118v - three volts over it’s design
voltage, it would however have expanded output and
color temperature due to this. Had such lamps had a xenon filler to them, much less they are working on
dichroic coatings and inner reflectors for them, they would be more efficient yet.
A sample of further improvements is Silica fused to the quartz glass is an even higher temperature / wattage range improvement by 50%. On the subject of outer
globe lamps, there are some
projector lamps now using a liquid filled outer
globe to better control cooling of the lamp much less expansion and contraction. Such liquid filled lamps either with an outer
globe which requires a larger hole in the
reflector - part of the reason they are not used as much for efficient equipment, or other details such as expensive rare earth - often high in electron elements once added to the lamp preform much better. Some of these elements are even slightly radioactive. KR-85 is a common
trace element inside of a
metal halide lamp. HES in an interview about lamps and them said that they had to apply for a special licence in stocking their over 100 radioactive lamps at a time in
stock. I expect I should also given that IESTA article last year, I
stock about twice as many as a minimum.
Further reading on the subject of balances between lamps and on the subject of lamp design is the free
book by Osram/Sylvania:
http://ecom.mysylvania.com/sylvaniab2c/b2c/z_login.do;jsessionid=ID4001DB0.9892852556966844End go to the PDF:
Engineering Bulletin - Technology and Application -
Tungsten Halogen Low
Voltage Lamps Photo Optics
This
book is cited in many books as a source for a lot of their and my information and it’s free to download. Should the link not work, go to the Osram website and do a websearch on any
ANSI lamp such as the EVC as recommended and a specific lamp. Below it will be bulletins and sources. Click on it and you will have an excellent
book on lamps beyond titles such as “Determination of the ratio fo the luminous flux of discharge lamps to the luminous flux of reference
incandescent lamps” - EUR #10574. Talking about boring reading for only a few useful tips.
