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Topic: Christie Lamp Hourmeter Keeps Breaking

Joseph Pandolfi
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 213
From: Milford, CT.
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 05-26-2000 10:10 PM

I want to toss this to all who use Christie 2000 watt lamphouses (Not SLC). Is anyone having a problem with the hourmeters keeping time or the numbers would jam up and break. This will be our second one that we will be replacing this year. Currently this one like the last one would go up to 07999.9 and would then change to 07999.0 ! The tenth digit would function but not the whole hour. Coincidently the last one registered 07999.9 before it died completely. Our third projector has 4500 hours (replaced) But the hour digit is not lined up with the rest of them (like it out of frame

) If anyone has had a similar problem, let me know so I would not be the only one.

Richard Hamilton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1341
From: Evansville, Indiana
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 05-26-2000 10:23 PM

I think they have an 8 month, 8000 hour warranty!!

Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-27-2000 05:58 AM

Hour meters and amp meters have always been a bit troublesome. A few companies have wisely gone digital in this area. Strong only offers it as an option. Christie should do the same.
Sounds like they got a bad batch to me. Look into changing them out to a digital variety. There are many available, some no more expensive than their analog counterparts. Same with the Ampmeter. Check the Digikey web site.
Mark

Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 05-27-2000 08:13 AM

Joseph, the second meter within the year dying at 8000 hours? We'll just presume it isn't on the same console, otherwise...man do you need a day off...8000 hours in less than a year!

Mark...it is Ammeter, not amp meter or ampmeter...don't ask me why ;-)

Personally, I have never had that big a problem with the analog componets and MUCH prefer analog ammmeter to their digital counterparts.

Most of the digital displays I have seen in consoles have had their share of problems...flaking out, battery dies so the hours reset to 0...totaly bogus wattage value, bouncy readings... Sure some of it is an engineering problem but what do you really get for the digital displays?

I think if we polled the projection community, we would find that most are not having their hour meters die at 8000 and ammeters generally last the life of the lamphouse/console, unless you don't have bypass caps on the shut to keep the ingnition pulse away from the meter.

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"

Joseph Pandolfi
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 213
From: Milford, CT.
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 05-27-2000 08:53 AM

STEVE: It's two different consoles. We have to be running shows 24/7 to accumulate that much in a year. It's amazing just on that Christie design they fail.

Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 05-27-2000 10:58 AM

I've found the motor mount has to be bent-in a little, so the drive can reliably contact the dial mechanism.

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Better Projection Pays!

Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-27-2000 11:03 AM

Having had my fill of Digital meters and there problems I would go analouge

For hour meters I used the crammer one as replacments they seem to last the best

Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 05-27-2000 11:38 AM

Yes, I've used the Cramer's too. Very good.

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Better Projection Pays!

Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 05-27-2000 03:17 PM

8 months/ 8000 hours? Don't you mean 800 hours? I have a Christie bulb in a Christie lamphouse that only has a mere 7100 hours on it now and it is only 2 and a half years old. Still works great! It would be pretty hard to get 8000 hours in 8 months

Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-27-2000 04:24 PM

At the place where I used to work (Williamsburg Theatre), we had a pair of Christie K20 lamphouses. These were installed in 1982 and, as of last year, had about 14k hours on each of them. It seemed high to me at the time, but I guess that it's not. We generally only had two shows per day and three on weekends, though. (Those lamphouses have since been replaced with Kneisley Xenex IIs, the CP-50 is now a CP-500, and there's talk of replacing the Century SAs with JJs!)

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