Lamps

Your asking a few different things here. First, google/search on here for amps/volts/watts. There was a very active thread a few months ago about it. As far as lamp types, its just dependent on the fixture. Some fixtures can take a huge magnitude of lamp types, others can just take a few. Ship has posted lists upon lists on different lamp types, once again do a search on that. If you could zero in on what you actually want to know about lamps and let us know, I am sure someone can help you.
 
You are mixing up a lot of things that don't go together. Check for Ampere, Volt, Watt in the Wikki. If that doesn't help ask specific questions here... also wikipedia has some really good stuff on electricity

Base... There are hundreds if not thousands of ways that lamps attach to lighting fixtures. Each of these bases has it's own unique code.

HPL is a specific type of lamp that is patented only for use in ETC Source Four products.

"Special" well that's a different topic all together. You generally light your stage with "Washes" (large broad areas of light that cover whole areas of the stage). Specials are small local lights used for just a special purpose... for example the big solo song in a musical, or to light the murder weapon for dramatic effect.

Check out the new wiki, use the search, and feel free to ask. You sound like another person who could really use a book. An old edition used copy of [URL='http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1559345276/ref=sr_1_olp_4/002-3749267-9483240?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189043161&sr=1-4"]Michael Gillette's "Designing with Light" on Amazon for $15[/URL] will do wonders for you.
 
After following all of the advice above also take a minute to understand the bewildering fact that there is no "magic code" to ANSI classification of lamps. By that I mean, an FEL, and an FHG have almost nothing in common. When I first started out I thought , "Oh, the F means something and the E means something, and the L means something...." Nope just random letters assigned to random lamps. I love Technocrats.
 
After following all of the advice above also take a minute to understand the bewildering fact that there is no "magic code" to ANSI classification of lamps. By that I mean, an FEL, and an FHG have almost nothing in common. When I first started out I thought , "Oh, the F means something and the E means something, and the L means something...." Nope just random letters assigned to random lamps. I love Technocrats.

Same with me... not so much the "F" code but in thinking it a simple concept. Nope, not so much. Really good and free on-line PDF type book that's recognized by experts as a source to read comes from Osram/Sylvania. Go to the Sylvania website, do a search for say a EVC lamp, than scroll down and look for their further readings and texts. Pull up something like their low voltlage lamp technology PDF. Print it up an read it over a few days. This text while written in a language all can understand is a sort of bible for all one needs or wants to understand about lamps. Further info is their PDF's about arc lamps but read this and you will understand most questions. After that, it's ANSI code, Lif code and J-Code, what make them up and how to understand them. Read the Osram text and the follow up question this in ANSI code is simple, it's an American National Standards Institute guideline for all lamps of this specific class which no matter the brand fit within a certain broad guideline. Same with the Lif Code lamps and J-Code lamps per definition though more broad. Understand what the lamp spec is and how it changes and you understand how the ANSI code workssssss - this for voltage/wattage/amperage of the lamps also. Granted you tend to want to understand voltage/amperage/wattage as definitions also. Some lamps flow voltage or sealed beam lamps or instance don't list wattage, they list amperage. Such a question thus is sensible, but still an understanding of it all is important & makes amperage verses wattage a non-question.
 
Unlike the industrial lamp world, which has a somewhat* uniform lamp code, the photo/theater world descended into a hodgepodge of nothingness long ago, with each new lamp reinventing the system! Example: Q1000PAR64/NSP is the industrial code for a Quarts 1000 watt Narrow Spot Lamp that is housed in a Parabolic Aluminized Reflector style bulb that is 64 eighths of an inch in diameter. The same format would be used for an old scoop bulb: 1000PS52/CL would be 1000 watts in a Pearl Shape bulb that is 52 eighths of an inch in diameter, and has a Clear finish. So, What is a FFP? It's a theater version of a Q1000PAR64/NSP with a shorter life! FFN, FFP, FFR, and FFS are all Par 64's ranging from very narrow, to wide flood, but before you get to thinking there was some master plan, it was more likely that they were originally all introduced at the same time and by shear luck someone was actually thinking for a moment! Believe me, it didn't last long!

(Note above that I said "Somewhat", and why they chose 1/8's of an inch is beyond me!)
 
The GE website would no doubt have info on why 1/8" increments - confounds me also at times in converting. ANSI codes are American National Standards codes for lamps meaning any lamp no matter what brand complying with that code fits within a broad range of standardization for the lamp. That's an ANSI code, the description of the lamp code is different than this as a Q1000PAR64/1 is still also called this. Just easier to follow the ANSI designation. But the above description code for what it might be Q1000PAR64/NSP is for a by far different lamp - a long life version of it. 4,000 hours instead of 800 hours and due to this, much less output & color temperature.

As said, gets complex. Get a lamp catalog from a primary manufacturer and use it by way of reading it cover to cover and for better understanding what's what.
 
I'll have to go look it up again, but something in the back of my mind tells me the 1/8ths of an inch thing came from an early scientists who was working with lens I believe. Ok now I have to go look it up......
Hey I just emailed a guy who has a really interesting website, http://members.misty.com/don/light.html Trying to find out if he knows why.
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back