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Showing results for tags 'ballast maintenance'.
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Hi Folks, I got a Desisti 1200/2500 hmi head and ballast, it had a open door fault/bulb disconnect fault showing on the digital read out on the ballast. So on investigation the door open switch wasn't sprung or opening the switch, I looked inside and as expected. The spring had came of the door switch. I repaired this and plugged the lamp head in to the ballast thinking all would be well however the fault still shows up which is definitely been repaired. I wondered do I have to clear the fault in the ballast software to get it back up and running. The ballast and light are in like new condition and ran perfectly before. If anyone could shed any light on this it would be very much appreciated. Link below to video
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I own a total of 15 Kino lighting systems (DIVA 400’s and 4ft 4Banks). I need to tap into any available expertise on the best way to look after these systems over the longer term. Here’s a case in point - I just loaded up a ballast, got a nasty burning smell. I cut power and found that the wiring on 2 sockets was swapped over. A basic mistake that could have destroyed a ballast. With this in mind, I would benefit from a working set of ‘rules of the road’ that can be followed to protect the gear for longevity. One thing I have always tried to do is only plug in ballasts once all other connections are in place (assuming that a ballast without a load connected may be damaged as it tries to fire up a tube that isn’t there). Added to that procedure is my new rule-to-self - check all the socket connections before putting any heads up on stands. I also have one specific unresolved question - as tubes accumulate hours, is it okay to just wait for them to fail, or is there a better maintenance practice? I wonder out aloud if a tube at the point of failure is adding a lot of stress to the ballast’s output section? (ie : does the start-up impedance of a tube go up greatly as it gets older?) I use my complete set of lights a few times per year (specific client & lighting plot) and hire around the mid-Atlantic locally, so I am working with grip/PA's with varying degrees of knowledge and established practices. I would like to boil everything down to a must-do sequence of assembly and checks along the way. Cheers, Grant.