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Author Topic: SOLVED! Delayed Striking? James Ness Film Handler Posts: 47 From: Houston, TX, USA Registered: Jan 2008 posted 06-27-2010 01:33 PM                        One of our Strong Super Lume X's, has just developed a weird problem, when you strike the bulb, it takes about 10-20 seconds before the bulb actually lights up, no noise, no nothing, just silence and then 'bing' it lights up. Runs perfectly fine, good light output, good amperage. Any ideas?  |  IP: Logged Ian Parfrey Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1049 From: Imbil Australia 26 deg 27' 42.66" S 152 deg 42' 23.40" E Registered: Feb 2009 posted 06-27-2010 02:40 PM                     A few possibilities come to mind... Check the bulb connections are clean and tight. Check the spark gap size. Rectifier cap failing. Failing safety interlock switches. I would be checking the bulb connections first then try the others. Cheers  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 06-27-2010 03:51 PM                     Flaky igniter. If it's one of those white DC igniters, they love to go flaky since they don't have an autostrike circuit in them. If it's an AC igniter, the autostrike relay is going bad. When this happens, can you manually stike the bulb quicker than waiting for it to autostrike? If so, then the auto strike relay inside is going bad, if it's an AC igniter. -good luck - Monte  |  IP: Logged James Ness Film Handler Posts: 47 From: Houston, TX, USA Registered: Jan 2008 posted 06-27-2010 04:03 PM                        Just tried manually striking it, took the same amount of time. I'll check the igniter, thanks for your help.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 06-27-2010 04:20 PM                     If it takes the same amount of time, then the no-load voltage from the rectifier isn't coming up fast enough. Is it a switching rectifier or old style magnetic? If a switcher, good luck...get a spare/replacement 'cuz it's gonna die soon. If old style magnetic, like Ian mentioned one of the caps can be going bad, you could have diodes about to fail, the no-load blocking diode or resistor is bad/failing..all of which are easy to test/fix.  |  IP: Logged Randy Bowden Expert Film Handler Posts: 146 From: Portland, OR, USA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 06-28-2010 12:53 AM                     there are a number of things to check, already mentioned here. However, It could just be something as simple as the airvane switch. Sometimes they get sticky and take a while to latch. But most likely, the power supply is just taking it's sweet time building up voltage. Try pressing the red button under the meter and watch for a slow voltage build up.  |  IP: Logged James Ness Film Handler Posts: 47 From: Houston, TX, USA Registered: Jan 2008 posted 06-28-2010 03:58 PM                        well new symptom, today it just screeches at me changed the igniter for a known working one, same issue bulb strikes up great, but the igniter is making this god awful noise continuously  |  IP: Logged Richard May Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1057 From: Floral Park, NY USA Registered: Aug 2004 posted 06-28-2010 05:35 PM                     Check the blower motor next to the igniter.  |  IP: Logged James Ness Film Handler Posts: 47 From: Houston, TX, USA Registered: Jan 2008 posted 06-28-2010 05:39 PM                        what am i checking for? everything seems normal to me...i guess screech isnt a good word, its more like a super loud buzzing coming right from the igniter  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 06-28-2010 06:02 PM                     James, did you not read my post? You are likely having a problem with the rectifier! We need to know if it's a switcher or old style magnetic, what is the voltage reading both before and after the lamp strikes (use the little button below the ammeter and get those readings), does the bulb still strike, is there flicker on the screen while running (check with no film in the machine). You gotta give us answers to the questions already asked so we can help you out! You've already swapped the ignitors so that rules the ignitor out. For now you need to pull the relay off of the autostrike board before you burn up the ignitor.  |  IP: Logged James Ness Film Handler Posts: 47 From: Houston, TX, USA Registered: Jan 2008 posted 06-28-2010 06:18 PM                        Haha I'm sorry, I did read it, its a Strong switcher. The voltage is 80, the bulb strikes fine, tried two bulbs, both the same.  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 06-28-2010 06:22 PM                     Ok thanks, that helps. First off, 80 volts is too low for the no-load voltage, but if you're reading 80 volts with the lamp lit that is a huge problem as it should be around 25-30 volts with the lamp lit. If it is voltage with the lamp lit then the rectifier is definitely bad. And that is the voltage reading with the button depressed, right? In this case the amperage isn't too important to the process of finding out what's going on. If all else fails send me a PM and I can give you my number to call for troubleshooting.  |  IP: Logged Dave Macaulay Film God Posts: 2321 From: Toronto, Canada Registered: Apr 2001 posted 06-28-2010 09:45 PM                     delayed striking(the original problem) on a Super Lume-X is often either a rectifier problem or a problem with the autostrike board. But you say the lamp takes as long to strike even if you push the manual strike button under the shiny plug/cap on top? When you press that button is it making the ZZZZZ striker sound or does it wait the 10-20 seconds in silence and then strike the lamp? Silence suggests a rectifier problem or else a lamphouse interlock is open. There are few interlocks on the rectifier activating circuit - the switches have to be set properly, the side door has to be closed properly, and the airflow switch on the internal blower has to be activated (you can have a stack airflow switch too, but they are rare). Is this new buzz/screech the ZZZZ striker sound you hear when pressing the manual strike button or is it something completely different? Bit of a mystery anyway. There's not much in the lamphouse that can screech or buzz: just the fan and the ignitor, plus I guess the autostrike relay if it was going really mental. If it's the ignitor that's bad news since it will burn itself out pretty quickly if left on continuously. The voltage at 80 is not right. Are you sure you are measuring voltage, not lamp amps? The pushbutton switch for reading volts is notoriously weak, and many don't actually switch even though pushed in as far as they will go. Try removing the plastic button cap (pulls straight off fairly easily) and pressing in on the metal stud that remains. While you are waiting that 10-20 seconds try reading the voltage. It should be well over 100V volts with a switcher, about 80-90V with a high reactance rectifier. Lamp ON voltage must be roughly 20-24VDC. If you read zero volts then see it shoot up to 100+ just before the lamp autostrikes you have a problem most likely with the fan or the airflow vane switch. Less likely with the rectifier itself. If you have lots of volts but no autostrike then probably the autostrike board is failing. This is located on the inside back at the bottom behind a sheet metal shield. It sits on three plastic clip standoffs... but that's another problem. Strong used nylon standoffs, and nylon + UV light + time = fragile brittle stuff. Removing the board to service it will destroy those pins unless you have a brand-new lamphouse and Strong has used a size that I have never found anywhere except from Strong (8-32 threaded 1/4" PCB hex standoff clip pins). There is no easy substitute mounting method. So make sure the board is the problem before you remove it, and get replacement standoffs from Strong before you do. The board itself is pretty simple, a relay with the coil powered from lamp DC via a zener diode that basically subtracts a bunch of volts: simplified, to pull in the 24V coil relay coil (and power the ignitor unit) at 124V you use a 100V zener. SO first make sure the lamphouse internal blower fan is clean (dirty blower wheels reduce airflow a LOT, and cinema air is unbelievably dirty... I have seen scary buildups of nasty gunk on lamphouse and rectifier fans) and free turning, and gets up to full speed blowing lots of air in a second or two after powerup. Then make sure the airflow vane switch is clean and free moving and activating within the fan speedup time (it should switch on at about 2/3 speed of a clean blower). Then make sure the rectifier is going into "DC ON" mode as soon as the vane switch operates. Then make sure the DC voltage gets up to 140V or so more or less instantly after the rectifier is at "DC ON". Finally check the autostrike board zaps the striker within a second of the DC voltage going above 120V. Usually with switchers the lamp strikes almost instantly once the lamp power is turned on (by automation or the manual ON rocker switch). Something bad is going on with this lamphouse/rectifier. Continuing to use it "as-is" is not a good idea.  |  IP: Logged Richard Hamilton Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1341 From: Evansville, Indiana Registered: Jan 2000 posted 06-28-2010 11:37 PM                     Could be arcing inside the lamphouse also.  |  IP: Logged James Ness Film Handler Posts: 47 From: Houston, TX, USA Registered: Jan 2008 posted 06-29-2010 12:14 AM                        ok me see if i can answer some of the questions here nothing happens when i push the manual strike button on the top of the lamphouse the voltage is right at 25 when i press the red button when the bulb is lit, sorry the 80 was the amps, my bad on that one the side door switch is working, the air flow switch is working the zzzzz noise happens right when i hit the manual lamp on switch or if i attempt to auto start the projector using the controls we aren't running it in this condition, its currently down until i can figure it out, my usual tech is unavailable for the next 3 weeks, so i'm kinda out of my depth on this one.  |  IP: Logged

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