Cold protection

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version

   Is the glass of innermost "bulb" looking black or is it still silvery in color? If its black, you're nearing end of life.  And yes, the older the bulb, the more power it takes to get 'em warmed up, and it even takes longer at room temp as well.

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version
LightChristmas Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Beta Testers Joined: 15 Oct 2007 Location: Equality, IL Online Status: Offline Posts: 993	Quote Reply Posted: 03 Dec 2011 at 3:46pm
	Is the glass of innermost "bulb" looking black or is it still silvery in color? If its black, you're nearing end of life. And yes, the older the bulb, the more power it takes to get 'em warmed up, and it even takes longer at room temp as well.


LightsOnLogan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3187	Quote Reply Posted: 03 Dec 2011 at 11:49am
	Been there, done that! The 60 watt bulb wasn't quite enough yesterday. I had to reset the fixture once before it would boot up (it was stuck with a row of blocks on the LCD display). That one reset brought it to life. At least I didn't have tho bring it in the house this time. I've upped the bulb wattage to 100w and set the thermostat higher. I just hope the issue isn't secondary. Do MSD250 lamps require more power to start in the cold versus warm? Could this be a symptom of an aging lamp overtaxing the power supply and locking up the startup sequence? I never had thermal problems with this fixture before, so it makes me wonder.


LightChristmas Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Beta Testers Joined: 15 Oct 2007 Location: Equality, IL Online Status: Offline Posts: 993	Quote Reply Posted: 03 Dec 2011 at 8:46am
	Ran into a similar problem last year when the Intersil comm chips on my controllers started dropping like flies (would scramble the controller ID). Turns out they weren't overly cold tolerant. The $1 solution was to cram a half-string (bulb pulled) of minis in the enclosure to keep things warm until the new chips arrived.


LightsOnLogan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3187	Quote Reply Posted: 02 Dec 2011 at 10:06am
	I just rigged up a 60W bulb to a thermostat and put it inside the weatherproofing enclosure... I'll see if that helps or not. I have the apparatus on a spare channel not used in the show... I can hold that channel on at the end of the show and have it go off at show start. Michael


LightsOnLogan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 11 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3187	Quote Reply Posted: 02 Dec 2011 at 8:02am
	Ok, here is a fun one... My intelligent moving fixture has decided that it doesn't want to start up / strike the bulb in the cold after experiencing a dip to 25 deg F the other night. I have to remove the motion light from its weatherproofing case, bring it in the house to warm up for 15 minutes, then return it to the yard and repower it for it to work. This is a real nuisance. Obviously I can't leave the bulb on 24/7 (those things are $$$) so I need to find a way to keep the enclosure warm just prior to the start of the show. Here is the catch-- I need to do so without fogging up the enclosure. Any suggestions? Michael