I was working with my brand new extreme output 100w/12v PAR 46 lamp today for a minute or two. Had a great resistance dimmer that I could adjust with a multi-meter to the exact voltage necessary to safely optimize the lamp and all was going to be good.
Got out my figure 8 multi meter accessory so I could meter the voltage, and multi-meter and plugged them in line with the lamp. Away I go. One volt, two volts, three up to seven volts... ten volts... ten volts... ten volts, than sudenly 0 volts after a quick peak in voltage.
I look, think a bit, answer a phone call than "#%$@," I was using the amp clamp instead of the voltage probes. Got up to tem amps and no matter how many volts I put into the lamp it was not about to get up higher. Hello, the meter was set to amperage reading and hooked around the figure 8 tester, and what you were attempting to read voltage. There goes $19.00. The replacement lamp I'm going to get my rear chewed about will be in Monday. The designer will be there to see it on Thursday - in the morning tomarrow. Never even got to look at the beam, my focus was on the voltage... er Amperage.
Later:
Than I blew up a perfectly good Mac 2000 wash fixture. Yep, my figure 8 and multi-meter again. Seems the moving light people were trying to figure out the correct amperage of the fixture. I made them a test wire for doing this but somehow the three Ideal clamp meters were showing 6 volts... er Amps more than the analog meter and Craftsman meter. Only had 20 amps available and needed to know the operating and start up amperages. Could have got a manual but who thinks of such things.
I was asked in to solve the problem with the different readings so I decided to do a more accurate test. The Figure 8 when converted by way of 208v plug to stage pin. Stage pin to Edison. Edison figure 8 back to edison. Edison to stage pin. Stage pin to 208v. Had to lift the ground in doing this and because the figure 8 did not grip very well I was in the process of taping the connections when suddenly of two fixtures twofered together one of them went poof in a flash of light. We thought it was the figure 8 which is basically a plastic wireway in that shape that allows you to safely clamp a multi-meter amp probe around a two wire circuit. The intent was to use the x10 factor on the clamp to ensure the low amperage was closer to the 200 amp setting thus more accurate.
There was a flash of light most and I thought was in a plug or at the figure 8. Egg on me, thought I blew up the figure 8 in front of a croud of people by doing something it was not rated for. Nope it worked still as tested on a 300w lamp showing that it was safe and both the Ideal meter and analog meter were measuring the same amperage.
One fixture worked, the second even when the twofer was removed did not work when plugged directly in. Checked the fuses, the plug, it's circuit board, even the lamp. The fixture would not turn on much less strike the lamp and none that worked moving lights could figure out why. Guess the moving lights crew chief is going to be a little pissed and I'm going to be banned again from moving lights. he he he.
We kind of figured out an hour later that since the Ideal clamps have peak hold and they must have measured the fixtures when they strike the arc with the hold on. The Craftsman and analog meter do not thus the difference in readings and why they asked for the better meters in the first place. All Ideal meters read the same amperage as with the analog and Craftsman. That's simple enough to explain why they would agree in amperage a few minutes later with a lower amperage and with the figure 8. Once you turn the meter off, the peak hold goes off. When I saw the meters all of them were on still. I presume that they forgot to release the hold.
Still don't know what happened to the second of two fixtures on a twofer or why it also did not take out the first fixture given the figure 8 - designed for 120v, did not take out the other fixture but seemingly it did or the on and off flickering while I was taping it up caused the problem.
In any case, even on a good day - bought about $5K worth of lamps, $2.5K worth of gaffers tape, fixed a bunch of stuff and started a 2Kw Scoop re-wiring project. Still between all the stuff going on I made too big goofs. And the moving lights head will not be a happy camper in the morning - he he he again. I thrive in driving him crazy so that's not an entirely bad thing. Competing departments/crew chiefs we are. He makes work for me, I make work for him. This time I gave him a puzzle to work on.
Got out my figure 8 multi meter accessory so I could meter the voltage, and multi-meter and plugged them in line with the lamp. Away I go. One volt, two volts, three up to seven volts... ten volts... ten volts... ten volts, than sudenly 0 volts after a quick peak in voltage.
I look, think a bit, answer a phone call than "#%$@," I was using the amp clamp instead of the voltage probes. Got up to tem amps and no matter how many volts I put into the lamp it was not about to get up higher. Hello, the meter was set to amperage reading and hooked around the figure 8 tester, and what you were attempting to read voltage. There goes $19.00. The replacement lamp I'm going to get my rear chewed about will be in Monday. The designer will be there to see it on Thursday - in the morning tomarrow. Never even got to look at the beam, my focus was on the voltage... er Amperage.
Later:
Than I blew up a perfectly good Mac 2000 wash fixture. Yep, my figure 8 and multi-meter again. Seems the moving light people were trying to figure out the correct amperage of the fixture. I made them a test wire for doing this but somehow the three Ideal clamp meters were showing 6 volts... er Amps more than the analog meter and Craftsman meter. Only had 20 amps available and needed to know the operating and start up amperages. Could have got a manual but who thinks of such things.
I was asked in to solve the problem with the different readings so I decided to do a more accurate test. The Figure 8 when converted by way of 208v plug to stage pin. Stage pin to Edison. Edison figure 8 back to edison. Edison to stage pin. Stage pin to 208v. Had to lift the ground in doing this and because the figure 8 did not grip very well I was in the process of taping the connections when suddenly of two fixtures twofered together one of them went poof in a flash of light. We thought it was the figure 8 which is basically a plastic wireway in that shape that allows you to safely clamp a multi-meter amp probe around a two wire circuit. The intent was to use the x10 factor on the clamp to ensure the low amperage was closer to the 200 amp setting thus more accurate.
There was a flash of light most and I thought was in a plug or at the figure 8. Egg on me, thought I blew up the figure 8 in front of a croud of people by doing something it was not rated for. Nope it worked still as tested on a 300w lamp showing that it was safe and both the Ideal meter and analog meter were measuring the same amperage.
One fixture worked, the second even when the twofer was removed did not work when plugged directly in. Checked the fuses, the plug, it's circuit board, even the lamp. The fixture would not turn on much less strike the lamp and none that worked moving lights could figure out why. Guess the moving lights crew chief is going to be a little pissed and I'm going to be banned again from moving lights. he he he.
We kind of figured out an hour later that since the Ideal clamps have peak hold and they must have measured the fixtures when they strike the arc with the hold on. The Craftsman and analog meter do not thus the difference in readings and why they asked for the better meters in the first place. All Ideal meters read the same amperage as with the analog and Craftsman. That's simple enough to explain why they would agree in amperage a few minutes later with a lower amperage and with the figure 8. Once you turn the meter off, the peak hold goes off. When I saw the meters all of them were on still. I presume that they forgot to release the hold.
Still don't know what happened to the second of two fixtures on a twofer or why it also did not take out the first fixture given the figure 8 - designed for 120v, did not take out the other fixture but seemingly it did or the on and off flickering while I was taping it up caused the problem.
In any case, even on a good day - bought about $5K worth of lamps, $2.5K worth of gaffers tape, fixed a bunch of stuff and started a 2Kw Scoop re-wiring project. Still between all the stuff going on I made too big goofs. And the moving lights head will not be a happy camper in the morning - he he he again. I thrive in driving him crazy so that's not an entirely bad thing. Competing departments/crew chiefs we are. He makes work for me, I make work for him. This time I gave him a puzzle to work on.