Replacement Light bulbs-Light Bulb and Lamp resource

Line voltage lamps may be subject to power swings. Check line voltage. Minimize power swings to less than 10%.

Is the lamp over cooled? Direct airflow on the bulb can cause the lamp to turn dark. Minimize cooling.

May also be related to over cooling. Dark spots that have collected on the bulb will absorb heat then the quartz may bulge. Oil from fingerprints on the glass can quickly cause glass to bulge.

Often related to installation and poor quality or damaged sockets. Check and maintain the sockets. Are they oxidized, burned or bent and dirty? Periodically replace them.

May be silica haze or smoke. Generally not a problem and most often is silica left over from the production process. Again, typically will not cause a performance problem.

Most of time this is humidity related. Finite pins amounts of moisture collect in the base. Should this be an issue, the solution may be as close as a heat gun or drying oven.

It is very important to change all the lamps on large circuit strings at the same time. Lamps all have some sort of average life. Should you just change a few lamps at a time as they burn out, you may later find a whole series failing, usually at an inopportune time. These additional lamp failures may be simply related to the fact that they have reached end of life.

Make sure the voltages to all the lamps or strings of lamps are consistent. Power variations can cause some lamps to operate above or below rated color temperature.

Never handle lamps with bare fingers. Inspect the bulb for accumulated dust or dirt. Wipe the bulb as need be with alcohol and a lint free cloth.

Make sure the lamps do not encounter serious vibration. The lamps should never be over driven. Maintain maximum voltage rating at all times.

When changing quartz lamps, be careful not to touch the quartz glass surface with your skin. This can decrease the lamp life and/or discolor the lamp during use.

When purchasing lamps, always check the manufacturer's specifications and UL listing for the lighting fixture. Just because a lamp will fit doesn't mean you can use it!

2. Color Rendering Index: (CRI), a term used to describe the extent to which an artificial light source is able to render the true color of objects as seen by natural outdoor sunlight which has a CRI of 100.

Incandescent is used as the base reference of 100 CRI. Compact fluorescent lamps are graded at 82-86 CRI, which is considered high quality color rendering. CRI is a more important consideration for retail lighting design than it is for office lighting. Any CRI rating of 80 or above is considered high and indicates that the source has good color properties. Incandescent lamps and daylight have a CRI of 100, the highest possible CRI. The higher the CRI of the light source, the "truer" it renders color.

Refers to the way color groups are perceived - the psychological impact of lighting. Color temperature is how cool or warm the light source appears. The color temperature of a light source is a numerical measurement of its color appearance. This temperature is based on the principle that any object will emit light if it is heated to a high enough temperature and that the color of that light will shift in a predictable manner as the temperature is increased. This system is based on the color changes of a black metal as it is heated from a cold black to a white-hot state. As the temperature increases, the color would shift gradually from red to orange to yellow to white and finally to a blue white. Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin (K). Colors and light sources from the red/orange/yellow side of the spectrum are described as warm (incandescents) and those toward the blue end are referred to as cool (natural daylight).

The sun for example rises at approximately 1800 Kelvin and changes from red to orange to yellow and to white as it rises to over 5000 Kevin at high noon. It then goes back down the scale as it sets.

2700°          Friendly, personal, intimate                Homes, libraries, restaurants
3000°          Soft, warm pleasing light                      Homes, hotel rooms and lobbies
3500°          Friendly, inviting, non-threatening         Executive offices, public reception areas, supermarkets
4100°          Neat, clean, efficient                            Office, classrooms, mass merchandisers, showrooms
5000°          Bright, alert                                         Graphic industry, hospitals
6500°          Bright, cool                                          Jewelry stores, beauty salons, manufacturing

Standard Domestic Light Bulb (40-60w) 2800K
Standard Domestic Light Bulb (100-200w) 2900K
Standard Domestic Light Bulb (500-1000w) 3000K

These bulbs will be significantly "warmer" (orange/red) than tungsten light sources designed for photographic purposes. The color temperature of quartz halogen fixtures for photography is usually 3200K.

Standard household bulbs are not very diffuse. They tend to burn hotter in the center. You may find this undesirable, especially, if the light source is in frame.

Enlarger Bulbs are widely used in motion picture lighting. They are evenly diffuse across the surface of the bulb, have a proper color temperature of approximately 3200K and come in three wattages.

        PH211 = 75w (color 3200°K)
        PH212 = 150w (color 3050°K)
        PH213 = 250w (color 3400°K)

Photofloods (standard pear shaped) are another option. The most common sizes are: 250w and 500w.

        BBA (No.1) = 250w (color white 3400°K)
        BCA (B-1) = 250w (color blue 4800°K)
        ECA = 250w (color white 3200°K
        ECT = 500w (color white 3200°K)
        EBV (No.2) = 500w (color white 3400°K)
        EBW (B-2) = 500w (color blue 4800°K)

        DAN (R-20) =200w (3400K)
        BEP (R-30) = 300w (3400K)
        EAL (R-40)= 500w (3300K)

Take a 130 volt, 1000hr rated bulb and feed it 123 volts and you get:
AL/1000=(130/123)^13 or 2053 hours actual life.

In contrast, take a 120 volt 1000hr bulb and feed it 123 volts and you get:
AL/1000=(120/123)^13 or 725 hours actual life.

Lamp failure occurs due to a mechanical break in the tungsten filament winding. As the lamp operates the tungsten filament becomes thinner due to evaporation and it eventually breaks. Failure may be accelerated by factors such as, mechanical shock, vibration, high line voltage and temperature.

Lamp failure in an overhead projector can be due to mechanical shock. This occurs when using the lamp changer or bumping the unit while the lamp is operating. A hot lamp filament is very fragile. You should always make sure the unit is turned off and the lamp is cool before moving the lamp changer or the unit.

Each time you turn the unit on, there is an inrush current that applies stress to the lamp filament. The more often this stress is applied the sooner the lamp will fail. For this reason, turning the overhead projector "on" and "off" frequently during presentations is not recommended. Some projectors have a "soft start" power supply that provides a gradual voltage increase which limits the inrush current shock. This results in extended lamp life.

Improper cooling can cause lamp envelope seal failure or lamp capsule swelling. Always make sure the fan is operating and the intake and exhaust vents are not blocked.

High power line voltage is a major cause of short lamp life. Using a voltage less than the rated lamp voltage will increase lamp life but, reduce light output. Higher line voltages will reduce lamp life but, increase light output. The table below shows an example where a lamp at normal 120VAC line voltage would have a 75 hour life, however, if the line voltage increases to 130 VAC it will only last 28 hours.

Some lamps have a version for use where the power line is consistently higher than 120 volts. If your projector is equipped with a" high/low lamp" switch you can extend your average lamp life by using the "low lamp" position whenever possible. Also, some projectors are equipped with regulated power supplies that deliver the correct voltage to the lamp. This also extends the lamp life.

When installing lamps, be sure the lamps are seated completely. The tendency is to stop at the first sign of resistance. Continue to apply force at the base of the lamp until you are sure the lamp is secure.

     • Run at the lower lamp setting
     • Be sure vents are open, minimize the "on" and "off" cycles
     • Assure lamps are completely seated
     • Don’t bump an operating unit
     • For high line voltages consider the use of special lamps.

For information on recycling your light bulb ("lamp") spent mercury-containing lamps go to:

Electricity is the force that energizes all that we do. One concept that must be understood is power. All lamps are rated in watts, a measure of power. We will begin by defining a few terms related to electricity. The four terms we need to understand are Voltage, Amperage, Resistance, and Wattage. We will use a water model to help define and understand these terms. If we look at a water pipe as an example of an electrical wire, and in the example, the water pipe is hooked up to a water wheel, then we could call the friction that the wheel has while turning "the resistance". All light bulbs present a certain resistance to the flow of electricity. If we turn on or open a faucet, water starts to flow. This flow is just like bringing the level up on a dimmer. The pressure of the water in the pipe is directly comparable to the voltage in an electrical circuit. As you bring up a dimmer you are increasing the voltage. In our water model we could say we have increased the water from a trickle to a torrent. The next term to consider is amperage. The size of the pipe carrying the water is the corollary for amperage. The larger the diameter of a pipe, the more water can flow. The larger the gauge, or diameter of a wire, the more current can flow. Fuses and circuit breakers are rated in amperage. They provide protection in an electrical circuit. When you try to draw more amperage through the circuit than the fuse or circuit breaker is rated for, the fuse or circuit breaker will "blow". The larger the fuse or circuit breaker, the more lighting fixtures you could use. In our water model we could measure the amount of water flowing past the wheel as it "spins" the wheel. The amount of water flowing as well as the pressure and rate of flow controls the speed of the spinning wheel. In the case of our lighting instrument, we control the power with our dimmer. The measurement of the amount of power flowing past the light bulb, our spinning wheel in the water model, is called wattage. In electrical terms we measure wattage, the amount of amperage or current flowing past a point at a certain voltage or pressure. We can define "Power" as the measurement of how much work is being done. In the case of the water model example, we would multiply the amount of water that flows by the pressure, or how much we opened the tap. If the friction or resistance is a small number and we open the tap all the way then the amount of water will be large. If the friction is large then the amount of water flowing will drop down. However, the resistance provided by the wheel is not a factor we need to be concerned about in lamps. Most of the time we are concerned with how much amperage is being used by a lamp, not how much resistance it places in the circuit. Long ago a man named Ohms figured out these relationships and set them down. We know them as Ohms Law. He set them down using the following variables in 2 basic formulas. Here are the 2 formulas that we use most.

Amperage: The availability of power (controlled by the gauge of the wire and breaker or fuse rating.)

One of the single most important things you need to understand is load calculating. Load calculation is done to insure that you do not exceed the available power. The first step is to determine what is the configuration of available power. Talk with an electrician or maintenance staff worker about available power. There are 3 basic options, 1.) 15 amp wall outlets, 2.) Single Phase power in a breaker panel, or 3.) Three Phase power in a breaker panel. You need to know which option you have and what is the available amperage per hot leg, or you need to know the total amperage. Load calculation is not a difficult task to perform; here are two methods of calculating your needs.

1.Add up the wattages of all the fixtures that you plan to use and divide that by the voltage on a single hot wire. For example, 24 fixtures at 500 watts equals 12,000 watts. In the US the voltage is a nominal 120 volts. 12,000 watts = 120 volts x what amperage? Using the formula above, you can see the required amperage would be 100 amps to utilize all 24 fixtures at once. The next step is to divide this by the number of hot legs of power connected to your dimmers. This would be either 2 or 3, based on single phase or three phase power. In the case of single phase power you would need to have 50 amps of power available per leg. In the case of three phase power you would need 33.33 amps per leg.

2.Find out the available power and calculate the maximum wattage. This way you can calculate the maximum number of fixtures that you can turn on in any given cue. For example, if you have a three phase power service that is fused (or breakered) at 100 amps per leg, the total available amperage is 300 amps at 120 volts. You would solve for wattage by multiplying the amps times the volts. 120 volts times 300 amps equals 36,000 watts. If you are using 500 watt lamps then you can use 72 fixtures in any given cue.

• Halogen lamps operate at extremely high temperatures that can cause serious physical injuries and property damage.

• Only use Halogen lamps in Halogen-approved fixtures. Fixtures should fully contain any parts of the Halogen lamp upon the event of a lamp burst.

• Do not use Halogen lamps in close proximity to paper, cloth or other combustible materials that can cause a fire hazard.

• Do not touch the Halogen bulb surface or inside reflectors with your bare hands. Oils from skin can lead to breakage or shorten the life of the lamp. Use clean gloves or lint free cloth for installation and removal.

• Clean any dirt, oil, or lint away from the lamp with alcohol and a lint free cloth or tissue. Any foreign particles or materials on the bulb surface can cause hot spots on the bulb and result in lamp failure.

• Never touch the lamp when it is on, or soon after it has been turned off, as it is hot and will cause serious burns.

• Do not look directly at the operating lamp for any period of time; this may cause serious eye injury.

• Always turn off the electrical power before inserting, removing, or cleaning the lamp.

• Affix the lamp securely in the socket. Improper installations will cause electrical arcing, overheating, and short life to lamp and socket. Replace lamp holders and sockets when necessary.

• Make sure lamps of specified wattage and voltage are only used in appropriately rated fixtures. Unspecified use will lead to short lamp life, breakage and overheating of fixture.

• Lamps should not be operated beyond the total rated voltage. Avoid the use of dimmers that may drive your lamp over its rated voltage.

• Operate the lamp only in the indicated burn position. Failure to do so will lead to overheating and short life of the lamp.

• Do not allow one lamp to directly expose another. This may lead to overheating and shortened lamp life.

• Metal Halide discharge lamps emit ultraviolet radiation which is harmful to eyes and skin!

• Metal Halide discharge lamps should only be used in enclosed fixtures with ultraviolet absorbing filter glass. Failure to do so may cause serious skin burn and eye damage. Do not use these lamps in fixtures where any unfiltered light is emitted from the fixture. Do not operate these lamps if the ultraviolet absorbing filter glass is broken or not installed.

• Metal Halide discharge lamps should only be operated in an enclosed fixture that safely contains all lamp parts in the event of a lamp burst or rupture. These lamps operate at a high internal pressure and at high temperatures. A lamp burst may occur causing physical injury and property damage.

• Lamps should never be operated beyond their rated useful life. The risk of a lamp burst increases with lamp age, temperature, improper operation, and improper handling.

• Never bump, drop, apply excessive stress, or scratch the lamp. This could cause the lamp to burst! Do not operate any lamps with any traces of scratches, cracks, or physical damage.

• Never operate a lamp above or below its rated current or voltage. This may cause the lamp to leak or burst.

• Always turn off the electrical power before inserting, removing, or cleaning the lamp.

• Clean any dirt, oil, or lint away from the lamp with alcohol and a lint free cloth or tissue.

• Electrical connections should be clean and in good condition. Replace lamp holders and sockets when needed. Affix the lamp securely in the socket. Improper installations will cause electrical arcing, overheating, and short life to lamp and socket.

• Never touch the lamp when it is on or soon after it has been turned off, as it is hot and will cause serious burns.

• Lamps should be allowed to cool for a minimum of ten (10) minutes after the lamp is turned off.

• Do not use lamp in close proximity to paper, cloth or other combustible material that can cause a fire hazard.

• Do not look directly at the operating lamp for any period of time; this may cause serious eye injury.

• Metal Halide discharge lamps contain mercury. Please refer to your local environment laws regarding disposal and recycling of mercury containing lamps. For more information, please go to www.lamprecycle.org

• WARNING! Xenon arc lamps could burst when not in operation causing serious injuries! It is critical to follow safety instructions when handling Xenon arc lamps!

• Xenon arc lamps have a high internal pressure. Depending upon the lamp, the internal pressure can exceed 10 ATM or 147 PSI, even when not in operation.

• Never bump, drop, apply excessive stress, or scratch the lamp. This could cause the lamp to burst!

• Always transport the lamp in the provided protective case or cover until installation!

• Save the protective case or cover and packaging materials (box) for lamps that have been used to their rated service life. Use the protective case when disposing of the lamps.

• Never touch the lamp when it is on, or soon after it has been turned off, as it is hot and will cause serious burns. Lamps should be allowed to cool for a minimum of ten (10) minutes after the lamp is turned off.

• Do not look directly at the operating lamp for any length of time; this may cause serious eye injury.

• Do not use lamp in close proximity to paper, cloth or other combustible material that can cause a fire hazard.

• Some Xenon arc lamps produce Ozone that is considered toxic at relatively high concentration levels. Use ozone-producing lamps in lamp housings equipped with exhaust systems.

• Never operate a lamp above or below its rated current or voltage. This may cause the lamp to leak or burst.

• Affix the lamp in the correct polarity according to the lamp and fixture design.

• Affix the lamp by hand tightening only. Do not use any tools to tighten nuts or the lamp itself. Any excessive stress to the lamp will cause a burst.

• Electrical connections should be clean and in good condition. Replace lamp holders and sockets when needed. Fix the lamp and its lead wire firmly to the terminals.

• Clean any dirt, oil, or lint away from the lamp with alcohol and a lint free cloth or tissue.

• Xenon arc lamps should not be used beyond their rated service life. Operation beyond the rated service life will cause the lamp to burst.

• The lamp must be operated under the specified conditions such as lamp aperage, voltage, and cooling conditions.

• Do not overcool the lamp. Air should never be directly forced on the bulb because uneven cooling will result.

• Recommended cooling methods are: air flow, N2 gas flow, heat sink and an exhaust duct.

• Wear a protective mask, leather gloves and protective clothing when handling a spent lamp.

• Place the used lamp in its original protective case and original cardboard packaging (box) that was provided when the lamp was new.

• Firmly attach tape around the original cardboard box to seal the lamp securely.

• From approximately three (3) feet in height, drop the cardboard box, with the lamp and protective case inside, onto a hard floor to break the lamp.

The Thorn Lighting Group is one of the world's leading suppliers and manufacturers of a wide range of professional lighting fittings and systems which have broad applications in commercial, industrial and public amenity markets.

Thorn Lighting, part of the Zumtobel AG Group of companies, has established strong brand recognition and has a turnover of £400 million. With operations in 24 countries, in 7 of which it has manufacturing facilities, the Thorn Lighting Group sells to customers in over 140 countries worldwide.

In Europe where it is the second largest light fittings supplier, Thorn is the market leader in the UK and has strong positions in France, Germany and the Nordic region. The Group is the leading supplier of light fittings in the Australasian and Hong Kong markets and is developing further its presence in the Far East, particularly in China and Singapore.

Halco Lighting has been serving America's lighting needs for over 25 years. At Halco, light bulbs are their only business. Committed to bringing their customers the best of all global choices, they offer a complete line of products from a variety of manufacturers, including their own Prism®, Prolume®, Purelite® and Quality Long Life brand light bulbs. Their diverse inventory assortments meet virtually all their customer's lighting needs.

Halco Lighting is a wholesale supplier of both imported and domestic light bulbs and tubes for industrial, commercial and residential applications. Additionally, they stock a full line of specialty products including light bulbs for stage/studio, audio/visual, photo/projection, as well as a wide variety of other special applications. Their business is global in scope. They supply customers in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Latin and South America, Europe, and Asia.

Their mission statement is simple. It is their goal to offer immediate delivery of quality products at competitive prices. For the protection of their customers, all Halco products are covered by their Quality Assurance Guarantee. Their commitment remains steadfast. They guarantee to offer their customers the highest standards of quality and service, excellent value, and the very best of all global choices. They are, and will always strive to remain...

Replacement Light Bulbs
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