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Author Topic: Xenon Bulb Life Time Marin Zorica Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 671 From: Biograd na Moru, Croatia Registered: May 2003 posted 12-05-2005 10:55 AM                     Ok, xenon bulb average service time is between 1500 and 2000 uhrs, but what is the average time for exchanging bulb? Normally is it operate at recommended conditions? How often do you exchange xenon bulbs?  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 12-05-2005 01:05 PM                     The warranty period is usually between 2000 and 2800 hours. After which if it blows up in your lamphouse and damages your reflector or other parts the lamp company won't pay for the repairs. Most theaters don't change them based on hours used however. Most rely on light output and try to squeeze the most out of every lamp. Since every lamp is different some will last less than warranty, others will last for two, three, or four times the warranty period before they start getting too dim. I say as long as it's still bright and not flickering you're in good shape. We rotate our lamps ever 500 hours as per our lamphouse manual's instructions. Apparantly it helps. Hope that helped. Good luck.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 12-05-2005 01:58 PM                     Interesting. What breed of bulb that has a 2800 hr warranty posted on it, per any chance? Good rule of thumb is the 50 percent over warranty hours of any bulb size to achieve the maximum usefulness of the bulb. (example: a 2k bulb should be pulled out at 3000 to 3200 hrs after the install hours..). But the real sad thing is that bulbs start to lose their light efficency 25 to 50 percent after install hours Any hours over is when the bulb's efficency and output begins to lessen. Plus, with bulbs that has moogoo hours on it, the light output has gone muddy due to the gas inside has seen better days, the quartz has begun to weaken, or even have begun to darken for chance of explosion, gas loss, weaken end seals,et.al. , arc points inside the envelope are shot, have widen causing increased igniton pulses, amperage and voltage use which could tax the rectifier(s). Some theatres worry about the dollar sign instead of quality presentation with recommended bulb changouts when needed. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 12-05-2005 03:04 PM                     Just before I left Regal my GM told me he had been instructed by the home office to change his 4500w lamps every 1200 hours.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 12-05-2005 03:36 PM                        With everything perfect I can reliably get 4500 hours on 2000 watt Osram. Naturally I overlamp. Other wattages are about what Monte suggested. Osram's warranty is based on the point where 20% light loss is expected. Hence 2400 hrs at 2000 watts is where 20% of the light is expected to be gone. Naturally, if you start slightly low, you can reduce your light loss by increasing current. Louis  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-05-2005 04:19 PM                     quote: Dominic Espinosa The warranty period is usually between 2000 and 2800 hours. Lamp sizes are different. You must have small wattage lamps burning in your theater.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 12-05-2005 05:25 PM                     quote: Robert E. Allen GM told me he had been instructed by the home office to change his 4500w lamps every 1200 hours. ..the same here when I was with EDWARDS in our Christie SLC nd Refrence consoles - to pull these bigger lamps (4k, 4.5k and 6k) with no more than 1400 hrs on them since these big bulbs loses their light brilliance so quickly. Kinda sad to had to bust these bulbs that looked so new, but with this required replacement hours on these big bulbs, they had to go no matter what. ..but I heard that LTi's (especially the Helios) have a greater endurance of light output in these larger sizes that they can stay in longer in consoles.. thx-monte  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-05-2005 05:45 PM                     That's not what I've heard from techs I know who have used them. No matter how you slice it, you cannot beat the usable lifespan on a Christie lamp in a Christie console. Some of the money crunchers making purchasing decisions should really do the math on this, as theaters could save a lot of money in operating costs.  |  IP: Logged Mike Spaeth Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1129 From: Marietta, GA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 12-05-2005 05:48 PM                        I have Strong consoles and have seen 2k Christies run in excess of 7k-8k hours with no noticeable flicker. That's all I needed to see to start buying the $50 more expensive Christie bulb!  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 12-05-2005 06:11 PM                     Gee, Mike - I bet when you pull them 2k Christies bulbs with that many hours on them, I bet when you pop these, they don't pop-just shatter (from the weakened quartz) since the gas pressure inside of them is so low from being all worn out. Must be newer X-90 consoles with those compact "switchers" inside then to keep bulbs in them that long with excellent exhaust pulling through them-in as well as pretty "clean" power going into the building. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: California, U.S.A. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 12-06-2005 12:01 AM                     quote: Brad Miller You must have small wattage lamps burning in your theater. Indeed we do, Brad. I failed to mention that.  |  IP: Logged Marin Zorica Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 671 From: Biograd na Moru, Croatia Registered: May 2003 posted 12-06-2005 05:23 AM                     Hmmm, on mine opinion for lamps to 2500W i think 3000 uhrs is working period, here we widely use vertical xenon lamps is single screen theatres. Also one thing is very interesting, what is about mirrors? I and most people heer use Meopta cold mirrors for vertical lamphouses. They are pretty good, and i exchange some what are been in projector for over 15 to 20 years.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 12-06-2005 01:09 PM                     Oh Shoot! Verticals - danged things will burn forever then. I've seen 2k's in ORC/CFS consoles run 12k hours and still have some life in them...even though the envelope is blacker than pitch by this time... -Monte  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 12-06-2005 01:19 PM                        Hmmmm.... that would make the lamp about as efficient as the mirrors in those things, right?  |  IP: Logged Marin Zorica Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 671 From: Biograd na Moru, Croatia Registered: May 2003 posted 12-07-2005 07:19 AM                     quote: Jack Ondracek that would make the lamp about as efficient as the mirrors in those things I've seen couples get 5000-10000 and still burning! Even there are situation with poor mirrors that bulb over lived mirror life time! So what you thing for vertical xenon bulb of 2,5KW what are time for changing? Also how if bulb rotation effective in vertical and horizontal lamp house, and how many time needs it?  |  IP: Logged

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