Conventional Fixtures Par16 lamps

[Zachary Tarantino]

What lamps do you use for Par 16s? Looking for the brightest output from these small lights!

Thanks!

 

[derekleffew]

12v, 24v, or 120 volt? Brightest possible is probably 100w JDR/NSP.

I take that back. Brightest is FXL Bulb 82v 410w (Altman Comet lamp.)

 

[Zachary Tarantino]

Thanks!

More information for others:
Its a e26 screw base, 120v

 

[RichardBunting]

Thanks!

More information for others:
Its a e26 screw base, 120v

Hi Zachary,
I don't want to be pedantic, but surely a Par16 is a miniature ParCan and uses a dichroic lamp with a GU10 base? They used to take a 12V lamp, but a mains LED version is now available.

 

[RonHebbard]

Thanks!

More information for others:
It's an e26 screw base, 120v

@ship Would you care to contribute your thoughts for @Zachary Tarantino 's benefit?
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

Hi Zachary,
I don't want to be pedantic, but surely a Par16 is a miniature ParCan and uses a dichroic lamp with a GU10 base? They used to take a 12V lamp, but a mains LED version is now available.

@RichardBunting On my side of the pond, MR16's were available in 6, 12, 24, and 82 volt versions (The 82 volt lamp was used in at least one follow spot as mentioned previously in post #2 of this thread.) In North America we had only one 120 volt line voltage lamp, ANSI 'EZK' if I'm recalling correctly. Making the 120 volt filament as compact as possible with optical considerations in mind forced its being wound from thin gauge, fragile, wire. The lighting designer for The Who's "Tommy The Musical" insisted on using eight of the 120 volt EZK's across the apron for low angle front lights. Even on our side of the pond, if you had 8 EZK's at lamp check, you'd likely have lost one or more by interval and having only four remaining lit by the end of any given performance was not at all uncommon. Our shop in Canada won the bid to build "Tommy" for Offenbach / Frankfurt, Germany in 1995 and we built it all again for London, England a year later in 1996. (Tommy performed in the Shaftesbury if I'm recalling correctly.) In your country the U.S. based designers specified the eight 120 volt EZK's be wired as series connected pairs to operate on 240 volts prior to Britain agreeing to the newer 230 volt standard. (In reality, I believe your lads stayed with 240 suggesting it fell within the new 230 +/- 10% specification.) Again in London, the fragile EZK's were dropping like flies. The designers would have been better to have gone with transformers and 6 or 12 volt MR16's with their MUCH coarser, far less fragile, filaments. The EZK's were already fragile when cold and they didn't gain any strength when up to operating temperature. It was a combination of the driving sub woofers and the choreography vibrating through the production's partially hollow show deck that was shaking the thin 120 volt filaments into submission by interval, performance after performance. We knew sourcing 120 volt EZK's would be difficult on your side of the pond and thus included 200% spare lamps when we shipped both productions. In both Germany and London the production electricians whistled through 24 lamps during previews and had more 120 volt EZK's sent from North America by UPS "Red" overnight courier. Although 120 volt MR16's were available in North America, 240 volt MR16's were 'unobtainium' on your side of the pond. More than you ever wanted to know about line voltage MR16's. [ Be pedantic, join @derekleffew 's and my club. ]
EDIT: Added an inadvertently omitted closing bracket.
Toodleoo!
(posting from Canada, one of the colonies and outside of Mr. Trump's walls)
Ron Hebbard

 

[ship]

EZK would be way way powerful and thanks for the history but don't do it. This lamp will possibly melt down the fixture, and certainly melt down what is facdtory supplied in wiring with a MR-16. Than in bypassing the transformer for getting 120v with this high output 100-200 hour lamp. Very impressive lamp... Not for normal doing this!

Do not try this usage unless you absolutely have to. There is other solutions for doing this in concept. Yea, I made some 50w Halo track light fixtures into 650w DWE lights also... in adding venting and re-wiring = believe the corporate liability insurance for what I do is +6 million or more ten years ago! Do not do this, either of these in concept!

Terms official, a 12v MR-16 PAR Can is a Birdie. The rest are MR-16 can. Most MR-16 lamps are GU-10 lamp base, bus some are E-17. Some might be E-26, but mostly those are PAR 20 if E-26 and for all intensive purposes are the same fixture, only slightly larger.

E-17 are for the most part maxed out at 75w normally. FSF and JDR150-INT, and FSE exceptions among many. Not the best lamp socket platform so as to handle a higher wattage lamp in sustainability. Not recommended in burning up lamp socket and fixture wiring.

GU-10 lamp bases while better, in wiring normally don't above 75w at 120v unless for a 230v fixture also do well at 120v in higher wattages..

I recommend doing PAR 20 with E-26 base PAR Can. E-26 base and Q100JDR/MR-16/MF/E26 lamp. Lots of output and well within range of it's wiring specs. Widely used in the industry modernly still. 12v Birdies are normally 50w and similar in output to 100w versions @ 120v. Antiquated these days in usage of.