Replacing Discharge Lamps

[centrestagediscos 0]

i have a pair of abstract clubscans which i have not used since the bulbs blew as they are 150 watt discharge lamps and the best price i could find was about £35 per bulb, at the time i was moving over to led lighting anyway so it seemed better to putnthe money towards an led effect, however i need to use these lights for just i gig so can i put in non discharge lamps, as long as the watts and voltage are the same?.

[Dukesy 0]

NO! Absolutely not.

 

Discharge lights use other components within the unit similar to fluorescent light circuitry, using ballasts and ignitors in line with the lamp holder. Some of these components produce an initially high start up voltage (strike voltage) which can be many 1000's of volts which will pretty much risk exploding conventional halogen filament lamps, carrying the risk of flying glass and perhaps losing an eye!

 

Even beyond the initial high start up voltage, most discharge lamps run at a voltage which is vastly different to those which filament lamps operate at, normally in the 75v - 100v range

 

The only way to safely run a halogen lamp in a unit suitable for discharge lamps is to remove all of the discharge gubbins and ballast and put in a conventional 24v 250W transformer (example) - you will probably also need to change the reflector and lamp holder as well, or buy a conversion kit (if such a thing exists for your equipment).

 

Since discharge equipped lighting effects generally cost more than halogen or even LED powered units, I'm not sure why you would pay more for a discharge powered effect and then want to convert it to halogen (?) which is a bit like buying a Porsche and then complaining about the price of petrol!

Why not just buy the cheaper halogen version in the first place?

 

Certainly discharge lamps cost more than halogen variants, but in the main if they are used correctly they last several times longer, are more robust (have no delicate filament to break) and give a much whiter - cleaner light.

 

But don't be tempted to directly swap over a discharge lamp to a halogen or vice versa, even if the lampholders are the same.

 

[superstardeejay 0]

Which discharge lamp do the abstracts use? Their lamp of choice used to be the General Electric Arcstream CMH150 (going from memory, tell me if I'm wrong).

 

If that's the case, £35 is a bit steep, maybe shop around. A Philips CDM150 will fit and can be bought for £18 and is only fractionally dimmer.

 

And of course you cant fit a halogen, that would be like trying to screw 2 100W lightbulbs into the ends of an 8' fluorescent fitting because you'd run out of tubes. It wont work.

Edited August 22, 2010 by superstardeejay

[centrestagediscos 0]

i only want to use them for one night, if they were being used on a regular basis i would of course buy the discharge lamps but all my lighting is led and lasers plus a couple of projectors with portable screens but thanks for the advice i actually asked my local dj store and they could not give me an answer.

[Norfolk DJ 0]

 

I bought a pair of Philips 150w discharge lamps from ebay last year for £10 each and they are excellent

[superstardeejay 0]

i only want to use them for one night

 

Lol yes you said that before! Unfortunately it doesn't change the fundamental principle. They wont work, not even for one second.