With no formal training I've inherited the lighting function at our community theater.We use mainly Source4 750, very old Alman elips,
altman fresnells and various
Par cans.
I did a lamp inventory and found the following:
EHG (750), SHD (?), FEL (1000), BTL (500),
HPL (750 & 575) FLK (575) AND EHD (500).
Is there a resource that will tell me what each lamp is used for and which ones are best?
Some of these lamps have been around for years. We use the regular EHG in the S4s and are going to
switch to the long life version....does this make sense?
The key thing to look for is start off the bat by matching the lamp
base to the corresponding
socket.
Medium
Bi-pin lamps (G9.5) go in TP20 and
TP220 sockets. Those lamps are:
EHG (750), FEL (1000), FLK (575) AND EHD (500).
There are other, also good options with a different
filament design (C-13D) called the GL family of lamps (GLC/GLA [575W], GLD/GLE [750W], GLG/GLH [375W]). They have a
filament similar in design to the
HPL lamp. I personally prefer the C-13D
filament over the CC-8.
Since these lamps all have a similar
LCL (light center length), and the same
base (G9.5) and coil design (CC-8), the only major difference (I'm very much generalizing here) is in the wattage. You will want to contact the manufacturer of the fixtures and find out what the maximum rated wattage is for each of the
fixture models you have that use the G9.5 lamp. Some
Altman ellipsoidals can handle up to 1000W FELs. Others are rated for 750W max. My suggestion is to use the FLKs in all of them, as the 575W FLK has an optimized
filament that puts out almost as much usable lumens out of the front of those fixtures as the FEL does at 1000W, and you are saving on energy. Also, all of them are rated to handle the heat generated by 575W.
Next up-- Source Fours take HPLs and ONLY HPLs. (that is why they have a larger
socket opening that allows for that heatsink.) Since you have S4s rated for 750W, you can put any of the 115/120V versions in them up to 750W (375W, 575W, 750W). You can technically rig it so that a G9.5
base lamp goes in there like you are doing with the EHGs, but you would never want to do that for a variety of reasons. Will it work? sure... about as well as pouring everclear into your gas tank. It also voids the warranty as Source Fours require HPLs as part of the license agreement and warranty.
The BTL has what is known as a P28s or Medium
Pre-focus base, and therefore goes into the
Fresnel fixture only. There are other lamps you can get with the same
base and
LCL (BTN, BTP, BTR), but I HIGHLY suggest the BTH lamp. It's a new 575W 115V lamp that has 30% more output than the BTL (15,500 lumens vs. 11,000 for the BTL) at only 75 more watts. Try one and you will be sold. I guarantee it.
Your best bet though is to contact
Altman and
ETC, and say, "Hey, here is what I have in inventory. What lamps do you recommend for them to achieve <insert the name of what you want to achieve-- be it longest life, highest output,
etc.>". They will tell you the best options on the market for getting the best performance out of their
fixture.
