On set issue (now) : Arrisun 12

Grant Peacock · February 17, 2020

This 1200 PAR HMI, with 575/1200 e-ballast, has worked reliably in the past, but today has developed strange behaviour, something not seen before :

Day 1, it worked great and was on all day. Then it was turned off and during restart had an issue where the lamp pulsed once during strike but would not stay lit. Waited a while between strikes and didn't get it back on. A crew member opened it up, and the bulb looked cloudy in the middle so he figured it was a dead bulb. Changed to another bulb that had looked already used. First try striking it, same result.

We have re-seated all connections, have verified that we're energizing ballast before supplying power to head, and also to note that this unit is running on house power, not an on-site generator's output. Shoot is indoors, so dampness is not a factor. The ballast has very little time on it.

Is there anything else that we should try in terms of troubleshooting? We're nervous about repeatedly loading fresh lamps, in case something is happening that could be damaging each lamp during re-strike.

Joseph Tese · February 17, 2020

Was the initial re-strike a hot restrike? I'm also assuming you're not pulling on a long run to experience voltage drop?

EDIT: I just re-read that you put in "a bulb that already looked used".. For the sake of the shoot, if all other components are in order, I would make sure that the bulb you're replacing the first with has been tested and verified to be in working order. Also, not to state the obvious, but you're not overloading the breaker within the house, right?

Edited February 17, 2020 by Joseph Tese

Grant Peacock · February 17, 2020

Thanks Joseph. Hot restrike may have happened once during the day. The power is being run over a long distance, so I've asked crew to get a multimeter across the 120 volt wall receptacle, and then again check at the other end, where it meets the input to the ballast. Thanks again for thinking of this issue. - Grant.

Grant Peacock · February 17, 2020

Update from here : the ballast just produced a burning smell and is dead. Last time I checked, we did not have a repair shop on the East Coast (we're near Washington DC). I have used Galaxy Lighting in the past (CA). Does anyone know if we currently have a closer facility?

Grant.