Sunburst HMI

[Michael LaVoie]

I need an igniter for a 575 Sunburst HMI fresnel. Can I throw an Arri or Altman igniter in there?

[Richard Andrewski]

Ignitors and ballasts are a matched set. You could damage one or the other with a mismatch so personally I wouldn't -- that is unless you like gambling ;-) Do you feel lucky?

[Michael LaVoie]

According to the folks at Sunray, it's a matter of matching up wires. They said it's either a 2 or 3 wire igniter. That and the physical size (whether it fits in the light) determines whether it will work. I'll ask about the ballast compatibility.

[Richard Andrewski]

What I find disquieting about these kinds of conversations with people on the phone is that it's not going to affect them if it goes wrong when you try it. It's your problem either way once a warranty is finished. It's really easy to say "Oh, that's no problem." Almost too easy.

 

The most common type of ignitor is the 4 wire ignitor. 2 inputs / 2 outputs. No polarization on the wires. Either side of lamp can be connected to either wire of the output and the same for the inputs from the ballast too. the wires between the lamp head and the ignitor should be kept as short as possible--3 feet or less. The wire from the ballast to ignitor can usually be really long. As long as 100 feet or so is possible with some designs.

[Michael LaVoie]

I found the company that makes the ignitor. I'm shipping it out to see if they can fix it. If not, it's $500 to replace it. Considering the light was only $300, I think it's worth it.