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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Change Your Xenon Power Supply in 30 Seconds! (Page 1)

 
This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3   
Author Topic: Change Your Xenon Power Supply in 30 Seconds!
Greg Pauley
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 173
From: Huntington, WV, USA
Registered: Jun 2000

- posted 10-06-2000 11:05 AM      Profile for Greg Pauley   Author's Homepage   Email Greg Pauley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Ok it might take you a little longer if you don't have your spare power supply in the same booth, but you should be able to eliminate lost shows due to the failure of a xenon power supply. The story begins, I was managing a theater about 15 years ago that was using Strong 61000 xenon power supplies. These power supplies seemed to blow diodes every time I had a full house or wore my best suit. Even though I usually had a spare diode bridge on hand it still resulted in refunds for all or part of the audiences. As you know manager/operators have the luxury of not only having to fix the problems but then have to deal with all the angry customers afterwards, at least in my case. I thought if you can change out the bulb and save a show, why not find a way to change out the xenon power supply quickly and save a show. I found a very simple and pretty cheap way of doing this with arc welding connectors. Take a set of welding connectors (1 male 1 female) and install on the DC (+) (-) line coming out of the lamphouse. Take another set and place coming out of the DC (+) (-) line from the xenon power supply (make sure you don't cross polarity). I used a twist lock electric plug to run the 120v to and from the lamphouse again using male coming out of the power supply and female going to the lamphouse. I used a 220-dryer cord hooked up to the power supply and a 220-receptacle mount on the base for power to the xenon power supply. It's impossible for anyone, even the worst PJ working in your booth to hookup anything backwards. It will only work one way! . If you are worried about getting a 2000 or 4000 mixed up you can put different 220 plugs on each type to eliminate that worry. We have since replace all of these power supplies with strong switching power supplies and have all of our booths wired with quick disconnect that can interchange power supplies with any of our theatres. We now use a lot of these old power supplies as spares and have enough to keep a spare in each booth ready to go. I now supervise and train all manager for our theatres and have trained even the most rookie managers to change the xenon power supply. When was the last time you told a rookie assistant manager to change out the power supply? This also comes in handy if you have a problem and just need to eliminate the power supply as a problem. You just pull one from the next auditorium and plug it up for testing. We've been running these for 15 years and haven't had any problems with the connectors other than the occasional loose connection. You will need to treat the connectors like you would any high current connection and check the connections once a year. Hope this can help someone, check out the pictures below.






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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

- posted 10-06-2000 11:35 AM      Profile for John Walsh   Email John Walsh   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
We thought of something simular awhile ago, and came to the conclusion that the existing DC plugs ("stage plugs", etc.) created too much resistance for larger (3000w and higher) applications.

But the connectors you are using actually look better then the ones we tried. Who makes them?

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Greg Pauley
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 173
From: Huntington, WV, USA
Registered: Jun 2000

- posted 10-06-2000 11:39 AM      Profile for Greg Pauley   Author's Homepage   Email Greg Pauley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
John:

It's been awhile since I purchase any of these plugs. We bought them from a local welding supply house. I'll find out and post later. The largest bulb we have used with these plugs are 4000wt. I do have a payment plan on anyone who uses any of my ideas. If I come to your town you have to buy me a beer or at least promise me one. My boss is up to 367 beer now, one night I'm going to burn the town down and stay awake past 3 beers!



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Greg Pauley
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 173
From: Huntington, WV, USA
Registered: Jun 2000

- posted 10-06-2000 12:23 PM      Profile for Greg Pauley   Author's Homepage   Email Greg Pauley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
John:
Jackson Cable Connectors - model QNBM-2-BP
Jackson Products Inc. Belmont MI 49360

Should be able to find these at most welding supply houses.

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Jason Burroughs
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 654
From: Allen, TX
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 10-06-2000 12:27 PM      Profile for Jason Burroughs   Email Jason Burroughs   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The Loews Chisholm 5 in Plano Tx has a very similar arrangement, The have an extra (or 2) spare Christie powersupply mounted on wheels, whith a quick connect type connected on the back of the lamphouse, so that it can be used in emergencies. I don't know how long they've had that setup, but it appears to be for quite somtime, my guess is since they opened, or close to it.

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

- posted 10-07-2000 12:03 AM      Profile for John Walsh   Email John Walsh   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I would love to "steal" your idea, but most of our theaters now have switched to using consoles, so the power supplies have to be unwired, unbolted and pulled out!

At the time, we were using IREM power supplies, which were "free-standing" behind the projector.

But, what the hell, I'm thirsty.. I'll buy you one anyway...

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Stefan Scholz
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 223
From: Schoenberg, Germany
Registered: Sep 1999

- posted 10-07-2000 06:25 AM      Profile for Stefan Scholz   Author's Homepage   Email Stefan Scholz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The idea works, the welding connectors are solid and cheap. (Home builder's / car freak shop) Price is around $ 4 each at the local tool shop. We have painted one of the rubber plugs and receptacles in red, to avoid misconnection, and use the males on the lamphouse side, but Greg's way to use 1 male and one female is even better. As theese connectors are available anywhere in different sizes, up to 1", there should be no problem with carrying high currents, even at 10 kW.
A spare 5 kW rectifier (IREM X3 N150) sells at around $ 2500 end user price, so every complex could theoreticly carry one spare unit on wheels. 2500 $ will pay for itself easily within a 2 - 3 failiures.

I remember, when I came into movie business, the theatre we operated had 3 rectifiers installed for the projectors, with DC switches to select arc-lamp and rectifier, so that in case one rectifier failes, you could changeover to another one. This was installed in 1955, a time when equipment carried the same face value as today, and they knew why at this 750 seat theatre.

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Stefan Scholz
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 223
From: Schoenberg, Germany
Registered: Sep 1999

- posted 10-07-2000 06:28 AM      Profile for Stefan Scholz   Author's Homepage   Email Stefan Scholz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
John, even with console type you could keep a spare unit on wheels, all you need are the connectors to be accesible to connect your mobile power supply.
And this just means to add a little extra of No. 4 wire with welding connectors within the console.

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

- posted 10-07-2000 07:08 AM      Profile for John Walsh   Email John Walsh   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Yes.. I didn't think of that... I have to think about how I can present the idea to management.

I may end up owing that beer after all... !

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Greg Pauley
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 173
From: Huntington, WV, USA
Registered: Jun 2000

- posted 10-07-2000 10:30 AM      Profile for Greg Pauley   Author's Homepage   Email Greg Pauley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
First, find out what the cost of doing the conversion is going to be for your situation. We do all of our booth repairs in-house and the only cost for us was the parts. Explain what the cost would be and what the added benefits would be for this kind of backup. If you have lost a power supply in the past and it resulted in refunds to the public, then reminded them of what happened in the past. If they say no, then just keep it on the back burner until you lose a full house on a Saturday night and then make the sweet statement "I told you so!" Then you will get your backup

P.S. My wife's sister lives just outside of Hartford and I was up to visit her for a week this last August. Does your company have any theatres in that area? Looks like Showcase is pretty dominate in that area.


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Gordon McLeod
Film God

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

- posted 10-07-2000 02:17 PM      Profile for Gordon McLeod   Email Gordon McLeod   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Camlock also makes a connector and there is a canadian company called Joy Connector that make a moulded 2 or 3 conductor 100 and 200 amp connector

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

- posted 10-07-2000 03:07 PM      Profile for John Walsh   Email John Walsh   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Greg;

Hartford is in the upper-center of Connecticut and yes, Showcase does pretty much own that area. However, we are moving in with a 19-plex about 10 min drive outside of Hartford. See the topic here; "Maverick Large Format Projectors."

We kind of own the lower Connecticut area, which is where I work.

I'll have a tough time pleading my case for connectors, because in the six years I have worked at the theater I'm at now, no power supply has gone bad at all!

But it's nice to keep track of these ideas, because (you are right) one day something will happen, and management will willingly spend the money. But you have to act fast, because after a while they lose interest.

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Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999

- posted 10-07-2000 05:43 PM      Profile for Bruce McGee   Email Bruce McGee   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I think this is an excellent idea!

Not meaning to throw a damper on this idea, are there any local codes that would frown on such a set-up? We have a local electrical inspector that is known for turning down work for nit-picky reasons.

He condemned my new 100 amp power distribution box in my house because I had a single splice with a wire nut in the box. All wiring was 12 gauge copper instead of 14 gauge because I got 5 250' rolls for free! I had to move the short wire out of the box and into a junction box beside the main box and run a new line into the box to the circuit breaker and ground.

Not tooting my own horn, but...

Did I mention that I did all of the wiring in the house myself without the help of anyone, and this is all he complained about, besides that "heavy 12 gauge?" The old box had plug fuses and was installed in 1932!

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

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

- posted 10-07-2000 05:51 PM      Profile for Gordon McLeod   Email Gordon McLeod   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
One other problem with the photgraphed connections
Our electrical inspectors would go biserck over having a male connection on the output of the rectifier. For two reasons
If by chance the lead that had the male end touched something and the rectifer was accidentally turned on and also it is possible to short the output by connecting the two outputs togather
Even the seperate camlocks are having problems nowdays as not all connections are made at the same time
On film shoots it is now common to find massive 4 and 5 pole 400amp connectors just to ensure that the ground is made first

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

- posted 10-08-2000 08:25 AM      Profile for John Walsh   Email John Walsh   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Bruce;

Having a wire-nut splice in an electrical panel box is a no-no almost anywhere in the USA. Of course, we know it's really not a big deal. But one thing that interests me is that your town allowed a non-licensed person to install a circuit breaker box (I'm asuming you don't have a license.) That would *never* be allowed where I am. If that's all the inspector complained about, you did indeed do a good job; those guys always like to "find" multiple problems when homeowners do the jobs themselves.

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