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Arri ceramic 250w problems


Niall Flynn

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Hello folks, 

Just wondering if any one could shed any light on this. I have a arri 250watt ceramic with the correct bulb which is very specific. It worked fine one I put it in but then I handt used it in a while and the unit now give out a very load rattle noise one I hit the on switch. I wondered if anyone new what this could he and how I fix it. I really loved this light and turned out to be a very useful part of my kit. Any help appreciated. 

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Sometimes discharge lamps of all kinds do buzz, especially if the ballast is switched to a flicker free mode. Can you record it, maybe upload it somewhere?

If it's more of a harsh rasping that might be electrical arcing, that's alarming.

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Hi Guys 

 I will upload a video of the buzzing sound as well just in case it's a lose connection or something simple. Really hoping it is as this was a very useful light especially as it has a low electricity draw. I am very thankful for the response to this post. 

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  • 8 months later...

Sorry , I had thought I got back to this post. It turned out to be a faulty bulb. Been using this light a fair amount since I got it. Very useful seeing as it's only 250 watts.  Thank you everyone for your responses.

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14 minutes ago, Niall Flynn said:

only 250 watts

Ceramic metal halide bulbs are more or less the pinnacle of development as regards gas discharge lighting. HMI, by comparison, is actually a rather historic design that has barely been touched since the mid-60s. HMI is not actually that efficient; it's more efficient than tungsten, of course, but that's not that hard!

That 250W ceramic is at least a bit more powerful than an otherwise-equivalent 250W HMI would be.

 

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Hi Phil, 

I wondered why this ceramic technology didn't get that popular it seems to be a great design yet there is no large heads with this set up that I could find. They all seem to be 150 watt or 250 watt sizes. 

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1 hour ago, Niall Flynn said:

Hi Phil, 

I wondered why this ceramic technology didn't get that popular it seems to be a great design yet there is no large heads with this set up that I could find. They all seem to be 150 watt or 250 watt sizes. 

I think it's because it's a repurposing of more industrial gear. It was used massively (really massively) in retail lighting, you've probably noticed. Practically all of that is 150W or under because that's all you need in, eh, a department store. There are tiny versions down to 35W. The 250W was a rare beast and there are now 315W versions made for horticulture which are, as far as I know, the last holdout of it against LED.

I don't think any of it was made for film and TV but it's a solid technology.

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