Conventional Fixtures TP-220 XL Socket - Discontinued?

Les

Well-Known Member
In the last few years I've been using the TP-220 XL socket as a replacement part in my Shakespeares and they have seemed to work well. The problem now is that I'm looking around for a few more and no one has them in stock. I found one on Amazon but it's over $100! BulbAmerica says they're discontinued.

So what's the deal with that, and is there a go-to socket that everyone likes? I know these have been out forever, but I was under the impression that the TP-220 XL was an improvement on the design.
 
Hopefully @DELO72 will be along soon with the story on these.
 
(Looks up in the sky) "Crap, it's the CB Signal. I better log into Controlbooth.com."

Yes, we had to discontinue the TP220 XL socket about 2 years ago now because when the factory went to reorder the small metal clip component they were told by their supplier that the company that made the component previously had gone out of business. When they attempted to find another source, all vendors had a tooling cost to make it- and that amount was such that it would have taken us >10 years of TP220XL sales just to recoup the tooling cost on a ~$.10 clip. So while the demand was still there, we could no longer make the socket without tripling the price, and we weren't sure that was going to be viable. Not to mention the Min. order quantity the vendors were requiring on a stamped metal component. (usually 50,000 pcs.)

I think we are going to see a lot of the smaller volume sockets start to die out as materials become harder to reorder. For those where we feel we need to keep them active, the price is likely going to increase to make up for the declining volumes and to help cover the increased cost of taking reorder amounts on the materials in smaller quantities. (If we make/sell only 2000 of a socket a year, then having to buy 50,000 pcs. of a single component to make that socket becomes harder to justify, so if we can talk the supplier down to a 5,000 pc. min. order qty., the price on the part goes up by a lot to us, which means we have to then pass on that increase on the final product to stay in the black. Uggh.

You do realize it's all your faults (I'm being very general here and talking about all the folks in the ENT industry) for buying these new fangled LED fixtures, right? :) It's not too late. You can fix this. Go back to buying Tungsten fixtures with lamps. PERFECT dimming, and no fans or electronics to worry about!

There are certain sockets where the volume is still quite high (TP22H sockets for HPLs, PAR-1 sockets for PARcans, etc.) which shouldn't be affected as much or go away anytime soon I hope.
 
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Believe Ushio and would guess Bender & Wurth is still making or at least have supplies in the lamp socket version of them. Possibly other brands like Buhl and Fediuci (sp). A lot of lamp socket bases gone from the market in general. TP-22 socket will also work at least in sourcing - just don't have the heat sink in lasting longer.

Mark, given there is LED sources/fixtures in luminous output or better and beam spread DWE similar or similar, any chance of doing a LED direct reiplacement lamp soon to the market?
 
Ship,

an LED direct replacement for the DWE? That'll be a tough one. Just like with the FF series of 1000W PAR lamps, the DWE is designed to run VERY hot and put out a ton of lumens with a short lifetime (100 hr. lamp life). An LED retrofit designed to mimic it would burn out fast if over-driven with the current needed (>5 amps?) to achieve those levels at that beam angle. I'm thinking (guess work only here) that we are still far away from a source that small that can get that bright and not burn itself out from the heat it generates. Remember- unlike an LED fixture, the entirety of the cooling and PCB electronics (and optics) all has to fit inside the tiny shape of the current DWE to fit in the existing fixture. This is also why you don't see any commercial FF series LED pars out yet that match the TH ones.

I don't think this is something we are pursuing due to the challenge and fact that a lot of companies have new Fixtures (LED) designed to replace the older fixtures, where they can use the entire fixture as a heatsink or add fans to help cooling, etc.
 
Thanks for your response in given I have LED fixtures with more output and similar beam spread to a DWE. Wonder if short sited in not looking into given a ID keyway dimention, but also a depth that has some space, enough room for going high output LED in the area allotted by an audience blinder still. But thanks for the letting us know. As a DWE customer I see our audience blinders going to LED versions of them in fixture type. Simple on my part if thinking a LED version of direct replacement to the DWE is a good thing given the amount of audience blinders on the market. I already have a PAR 36 5-Lite Mole Richardson work table light lit thru 10+ year old Halco LED lamps.

How is Osram going with LED tape at this point? Or sold off? I found only US LED and Aspect make a high output silicone coated IP-65 RGB tape at this point, neither match to each other in colors given to play nice with each other. Given that, there is supply line difficulties. Always liked the better than others' fade curve and color rendering of the Osram color changing lamps. And used your Osram RGB samples under my daughter's castle loft bed for the dance floor. That product line for osram going anywhere in while sources like Super Brite LED and Green Lighting amongst many other companies are making a lot of advances, the Osram is the name brand and cited quality.

Thanks for taking time with your responses by the way.
 
Was on the Bulbtronics website yesterday while looking for a better retaining for support MR-16 G-5.3 socket, Lots of TP-22 sockets in stock in brands or at least still in stock. As a theater supplier, I think for lamp bases they have one of the best in options presented. Though they could use some - a lot of work work on refining the options to shorten the search.
 
@DELO72 - thanks for the update. I saw that there were plenty of the cheaper non-sinked sockets but I really liked those TP-220XL's! I guess it's time to stock up. Luckily even the "regular" sockets give about 10-12 years of reliable service (and 5 additional years of playing whack-a-mole).
 
@DELO72 - thanks for the update. I saw that there were plenty of the cheaper non-sinked sockets but I really liked those TP-220XL's! I guess it's time to stock up. Luckily even the "regular" sockets give about 10-12 years of reliable service (and 5 additional years of playing whack-a-mole).

The TP22 XL is almost the same socket (just without the heatsink in the design), and may be a viable alternate. That one is still active. The heatsink of the TP220 was important when people were using really hot lamps like 1000W FELs inside 6x16s and Colortran 50/50 fixtures, but, if you swap out for more efficient lamps (GLCs, GLDs, FLKs) at 750W max, or even 575, then you would be fine with the TP22 XL instead.

SHIP- I'll DM you re: LED tape so I don't muddy the thread.
 
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The TP22 XL is almost the same socket (just without the heatsink in the design), and may be a viable alternate. That one is still active. The heatsink of the TP220 was important when people were using really hot lamps like 1000W FELs inside 6x16s and Colortran 50/50 fixtures, but, if you swap out for more efficient lamps (GLCs, GLDs, FLKs) at 750W max, or even 575, then you would be fine with the TP22 XL instead.

SHIP- I'll DM you re: LED tape so I don't muddy the thread.

Heat sinks were a good design and preferred. More that the entire socket type is not delisted. A shame Osram would delist the better of the two sockets. This topic all instead of converting to HPL and sockets for them.
 
Hey- if you'll pay the $10,000 for the tooling of the new clip, I'll bring the socket back. Just say the word and cut us a check. As I specifically noted above, it wasn't our intent or choice to delist it, and it was forced on us.
 
$1K I'm told is my unsupervised PO approval and we only have anchint "Roy" lights in still using this lamp socket type. Can you take a payment plan? :(
Believe Ushio is the current only (non approved) high temp lamp socket producer at the moment, but have not checked if Buhl is also still. I look as Bulbtronics as my base in is Osram still making the TP-22 - non heat sink! Astounded by that in yes. I will have replaced one before the other.
 

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