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Author Topic: No ignition Ken Jablonski Film Handler Posts: 6 From: Nyack, New York USA Registered: Mar 2008 posted 03-07-2008 11:19 AM                     Any one have any experience with an Electrohome/Christie/Roadie X8/Vistagraph 7000 projector. Ours is firing but not lighting the bulb. I can try over and over and some days it will light right away, some days it make take a few dozen sparks. Of course Christie hasn't serviced them for 5 years so they don't really have parts. Any ideas how to proceed?  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 03-07-2008 11:36 AM                     Sounds like a new bulb is in order to remedy this problem.  |  IP: Logged Ken Jablonski Film Handler Posts: 6 From: Nyack, New York USA Registered: Mar 2008 posted 03-07-2008 12:03 PM                     Tried that already. Worked for a week or so then back to the same. Started today on the 3rd try (9th spark).  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-07-2008 03:28 PM                     quote: No ignition Those were two common words at NASA back in the late 50's . Mark  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 03-08-2008 12:41 AM                     .then sounds like the ignitor circuit has a tired cap in it that isn't building up the charge too well or the PS's startup voltage has problems.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-08-2008 09:58 AM                     Its time to E-Bay it off and get a replacement. No Joke... earlier projectors of which few total were sold are very hard to support. Were it more conventionally laid out like the current D-Cinema stuff it would be far more servicable. You may want to consoder a ZX... it should be servicable for a long time to come because of the huge number they have already sold. Mark  |  IP: Logged Ken Jablonski Film Handler Posts: 6 From: Nyack, New York USA Registered: Mar 2008 posted 03-09-2008 10:45 AM                     I spoke to a tech at Christie and they don't support it at all. They could possibly get me a used or re-built power supply from their junk warehouse. I guess the ignitor is part of the PS unit and they only dealt with it on a modular basis. Maybe a $3500 part. We bought it used for $1200 2 years ago. Budget is a big problem right now. Is the constant sparking but not starting going to hurt anything, like the bulb life? I'm running it off 208V (from a 3 phase service),the Christie guys said that should be good but now I'm not so sure. If its an ignitor cap it could be a cheap fix. I'll check that out, thanks.  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 03-09-2008 11:46 AM                        Yes, the constant "sparking" but not lighting of the camp will damage the lamp and could contribute to early failure of the lamp. Have you verified the power coming in to the power supply? I am not familiar with the specific peice equipment you are asking about but it is possible in most lamp house power supplies to have power supplied to the ignitor circuit but not have power supplied to the transformers and bridge rectifier part of the supply due to a faulty contactor, breaker in the panel, loss of a leg of the three phase power. If you had a faulty contactor it is possible that it would make a connection some of the time and not others. I have also seen problems similar to what you describe with the transformer in the power supply themselves. I have seen both an IREM and ORC (Strong) power supply where everything was changed out except for the transformers themselves and the only way we were able to rectify the problem was to change out the entire supply.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-09-2008 12:10 PM                     The constant sparking may eventually toast the ac to high voltage step up transformer inside the ignitor as well. Consider looking for another used projector of the same make since your lamp is probably good anbd keep this opne around as a parts unit. Manufacturers discontinue support for many reasons... sometimes the frame(Make) the projector was built on is just not reliable or parts may be discontinued, etc. Mark  |  IP: Logged Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 03-09-2008 02:59 PM                     In the same booth as Ken's the Electrohome Roadie, is a 35mm projector that is used aprox once a week for foriegn/art films. It has a 1970's vintage Christie Console that does something strange. When you turn on the bulb, it immediatly lights for a few seconds, shuts off for a few seconds, and then re-lights and is fine for the remainder of the show. In both cases, it strikes at the first attempt. Not really a problem, but seems strange that it does this.  |  IP: Logged Sean McKinnon Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1712 From: Peabody Massachusetts Registered: Sep 2000 posted 03-09-2008 03:20 PM                        Have you tried changing the lamp on this one?  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-09-2008 03:36 PM                     Its not necessarily a bad lamp... one thing to consider is the operating current. If the lamp has alot of hours on it increasing the operating current will aid it in stabilizing and staying lit. Its normal to increase the operating current every few hundred hours not only to keep light levels constant but also due the increase in the gap between the electrodes.. IE: The tungsten vaporizes with use and the gap distance increases... for the lamp to operate properly its also going to need a slight increase in operating current. Mark  |  IP: Logged Ken Jablonski Film Handler Posts: 6 From: Nyack, New York USA Registered: Mar 2008 posted 03-09-2008 04:44 PM                     On the 35mm lamp problem is there a direct adjustment for operating current?  |  IP: Logged Scott Christopher Film Handler Posts: 69 From: Adelaide, South Australia Registered: Apr 2001 posted 03-10-2008 03:11 AM                     If it's auto-strike it sounds like you have a high enough 'no-load' voltage. Check your diode bank and all connections. Last week I had a similar problem and I found 1 diode was dead. Once all diodes were replaced, it would run on first strike.  |  IP: Logged Ken Jablonski Film Handler Posts: 6 From: Nyack, New York USA Registered: Mar 2008 posted 03-12-2008 08:51 PM                     Thanks, I'll check the diodes on the 35mm. The "no strike" Electrohome worked great tonight and looks really good. It just took a few dozen strikes before it stayed lit. Makes me crazy. KEN  |  IP: Logged

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