Simon Danaher

Could do that I suppose.

Right, I guessed heat was why the cable entering was a different type, probably failed near the fitting as you suggest. Seller has been great, yes. He has tons of stuff for sale, mostly his father's older video kit, but a fair few lights, mixers etc. I think there are some frenels but they're long and square, not like the arri ones I've seen. Wish I knew more about it as I'm sure there'd be some other good buys.

Thanks guys, good advice for anyone buying 2nd hand powered kit. I'll give them a check over for safety issues. They actually do have PAT test stickers on them, but dated '09... actually I'd already established that one of the PBs doesn't work and checked it over, changed fuse, bulb and checked continuity, but no joy. As far as I can tell there's nothing but the rubberised cable between the bulb fitting and switch but there's no sign of wear or distress to it so it must be open circuit somewhere. Seller is swapping it out for another unit for me though or I'd have opened it up.

Thanks Mark, that's a handy link!

Good point re globes. Ah yes the Ianebeam reflector is untextured. Not sure if that affects the quality of the light, both looked nice and even, but definitely different in quality somehow...I'll have to recheck the focus settings. I suppose it won't hurt to give all the reflectors a bit of a clean as well.

I'd like to setup in the centre of the hangar so I'm anticipating some longish runs of cable. if 20m gets me there I'm good as I already have some of those (they will be fully unwound :) can't afford heavier gauge cables so I'll just have to keep an eye on it. Of the 4 redheads one is an Ianbeam (sp?), I notice it's a fair bit brighter than the photon beards but still 800w, could it be a shinier reflector?

Thanks again guys, great stuff. I was wondering if daisy chaining extensions is OK or not, max length of 13A extension I've seen on a spool is 50m.

Thanks guys. I saw a YT video of a guy showing the wire screen from a burst redhead bulb. It had a hole right through it. That's what made me think I should only use them for the BG or at a considerable distance from people. That said it was probably cheap Chinese kit rather than the Photon Beard units I've bought. Picking them up today, so I'll know exactly what and how many safety guards they come with. Its an industrial location so I'm not expecting any issues powering everything but getting them into position is a bit of a worry due to the size of the space and as yet I have no idea where the power points are located. If current draw is Watts/Volts that's about 3.3A per light on 240v mains IIUC. Would that mean I could safely run 3 redheads off a single 13A 240v extension cable if need be?

Thanks Adrian. Good advice about the bulbs, I wouldn't have know that, I'll make sure I bring gloves. Re the BG, yes until I get in there I won't really know if it'll be usable lit (haven't seen it in person yet). I wasn't planning on using the redheads to light the talent, but maybe I should consider it. Dimmers also a good idea, will look into it. thanks!

Thanks Brian that's really helpful. I haven't picked up the lights yet but pics show they come with a wire mesh and also a glass pane. I should buy some spare bulbs too I guess. Any recommendations there? Stick to branded or not necessary?

This is my 1st post so hi to everyone, I've lurked for a bit and have been impressed by the very helpful replies, the forum is a great resource for learners like me. I'll be shooting a music video shortly and have bought some used photon beard 800w redheads but have never used them before. I've read they can explode and shouldn't be kept on for long periods. Is that correct? I'm a photographer and cgi artist by day so I have experience and intuition with lighting but with studio strobes not continuous lights and not in such a big space (a hangar). We were planning on using 120-400w worklights for practicals, a lot of tight shots and close lighting, the 4 redheads are a bonus that I picked up very cheap. Am I right in thinking the power of the redheads will give me more options for wider shots in a big space? Limited budget meant I was going to shoot around what light we had and just keep the bg black, but I'm thinking I might actually be able to light it now? What else do I need to know regarding safely using redheads? Common pitfalls, etc. Any general advice and tips from pros would be very much appreciated. Thanks