my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Running 900w xenon with house power

Author Topic: Running 900w xenon with house power Jacob Delaney Film Handler Posts: 23 From: Rancho Cucamonga, California, USA Registered: Dec 2014 posted 10-05-2015 06:12 PM                     I'm planning on setting up a projector with a 900w xenon lamp house but the only power I have is standard 115v house power. I searched the forum and found out about people using welder inverters for powering lamps but I couldn't seem to find one with 100% duty cycle at 45 amps. I found a 1000w "Illuminator Power Supply" PS1000SW-1 by ILC on Ebay but since they're selling it for $750 I was wondering if that would be the best option. I'm looking at the OSRAM 69261 XBO 900W right now which seems to be the only 900w lamp on the market. I also wanted to know if a 900w xenon with a dual bladed shutter would give me much better light than my other projector with 1200w incandescent lamp with a one bladed shutter because even on a 60 some inch silver screen it only gives me ok brightness. I'm planning on using a much bigger screen soon so I hope even 900w will be ok.  |  IP: Logged Sean Weitzel Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 619 From: Vacaville, CA (1790 miles west of Rockwall) Registered: Dec 1999 posted 10-12-2015 04:46 PM                     Welcome to the club of trying to find the best solution for powering xenon at home. If you are indeed limited to single phase 115v, purpose built power supplies for that type of ac power are going to be scarce. This is why people try to home-brew solutions using welders and what not with varying degrees of success. Christie electric DID at one time make a 115v single phase rectifier that put out a maximum of 600 watts DC. It would be enough to drive a smaller 450 watt lamp. I've used a Cinemeccanica vertical 450 watt xenon and one of these rectifier running 35mm on a Century JJ head and it produces quite an acceptable image on even a 12 foot wide screen. Other collectors with professional 35mm projectors have used a much more common ORC M1000 750 watt xenon lamp. This uses an integrated 115v single phase power supply which makes the whole package quite compact. You could also start looking out for Strong switching power supplies as many of these were available to run on household split phase 208v (like an electric dryer or electric stove plug)and power up to a 1000 watt lamp) Here are pictures of the small Christie 600 watt rectifier since they are so uncommon they seem to not be anywhere in google image search. The ORC M1000 lamps are much more common. I suggest posting a wtb in the equipment sub forum. Theres a lot of folk on this board that have some of this stuff gathering dust on garage shelves. Here's an example of an Orcon M1000  |  IP: Logged Jacob Delaney Film Handler Posts: 23 From: Rancho Cucamonga, California, USA Registered: Dec 2014 posted 10-12-2015 05:13 PM                     Thanks that was very helpful. I'm all very new to xenon. I can dump the Strong lamp house for an ORC if I have to, considering what I said happened to it in another thread. I was going to look into split phase since my projector is only about 5 feet from the electrical panel.  |  IP: Logged Sean Weitzel Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 619 From: Vacaville, CA (1790 miles west of Rockwall) Registered: Dec 1999 posted 10-13-2015 11:48 AM                     If cost isn't too much of an issue you could always acquire a rotary phase converter (common for powering 3 phase heavy equipment in the home like Bridgeport mills and the like). I personally know someone who was able to power a modern Christie SLC with a 3 phase converter in his garage and there was no noticeable flicker or other issue with the quality of the light.  |  IP: Logged Jacob Delaney Film Handler Posts: 23 From: Rancho Cucamonga, California, USA Registered: Dec 2014 posted 10-16-2015 03:29 PM                     I looked at rotary phase converters but they all run on 208/230. Wouldn't my problem be solved if I had 230 in the first place? I could always run a super long extension cord from the laundry room if I can't install it in the garage  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-16-2015 04:12 PM                        See this thread You probably have 240v available in your house. Depending upon how comfortable you are with electricity, making an adapter is an option. Otherwise, a licensed electrician can likely install a 240v circuit for you without too much hassle or expense.  |  IP: Logged Don Furr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 509 From: Sun City, Ca USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 10-17-2015 09:29 AM                     Luckily our laundry room had a gas clothes dryer when we purchased the home, but it also had the 220v (unused) plug mounted on the wall. I simply used that as the 220 single phase line for my power supply.  |  IP: Logged Sean Weitzel Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 619 From: Vacaville, CA (1790 miles west of Rockwall) Registered: Dec 1999 posted 10-17-2015 12:38 PM                     My comment about a phase converter would be if you want to operate a 240v *3* phase rectifier which are common as dirt. You use your house 208/220v to power the phase converter which outputs 240v 3 phase. 208/220 *single* phase rectifiers which would not require a converter are going to be a little less common.  |  IP: Logged Ed Inman Expert Film Handler Posts: 103 From: Jackson, Mississippi USA Registered: Jul 2004 posted 10-19-2015 01:35 PM                        I find the ORC 1000's with a 750 watt lamp adequate for filling about a 12 foot screen, but they are kind of temperamental. For your indoor 5-foot screen a used Navitar 750 xenon slide projector mounted behind your movie projector will provide ample light. They can be had for $200 or less often on ebay. Just insert a blank slide mount (preferably the large hole 127 "superslide" type mount) and a position a f2.8 Kodak Ektanar 127mm (5-inch) lens as close as possible to your shutter. They can be somewhat awkward to mount, but it works like a charm. One word of caution: you should insist the seller remove the xenon lamp and send it separately well packaged. If they don't the lamp is liable to explode during transport and destroy the reflector. This will essentially destroy the projector because reflector replacements are no longer available for these units.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-19-2015 03:54 PM                     Everyone be VERY leery of those Christie 120 volt single phase power supplies. They are quite literally flame throwers... all of them! I've seen it happen myself! I do the exact same thing Don is doing and use the 220 volt dryer outlet to power a single phase 2.5kw Strong Switcher. I can run up to a 2kw xenon at home, but I only run a 1kw lamp in a Super Lum-Ex so I don't melt my screen. Mark  |  IP: Logged Fabian Schreyer Film Handler Posts: 63 From: Aachen, Germany Registered: Feb 2009 posted 10-31-2015 08:10 PM                     Before you pay $750 for some old junk that may probably set your house on fire, I suggest you just buy a modern day welding inverter. Just add some caps and you have a perfect xenon power supply. A lot of people are using these things here in Germany. They go for around 150 bucks new.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-01-2015 10:45 AM                     Hmmmm that is not something I would recomend it is a easy way to have a fire 1 Welder invertors almost all have a duty cycle and cant deliver full current for 2 hours 2 The use of some extra caps will increase the inrush current to the lamp and possibly damage the electrodes 3 The no load voltage (ie for xenon boost supply) is often far too low There are many good used Strong or Irem single phase switchers out there get one of them or even one of the older high reactance single phase units Orc Strong Kneisley Irem all made them  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-01-2015 11:05 AM                     What Gord said. If you use a welder be sure it is rated for 100% duty. Not many are. Mark  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 11-02-2015 06:35 AM                     Most welders are 50% duty and may have aluminum wound cores. The last fire I hand to deal with in a booth service call was from such a set up.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.