1   Lamps / Modern / Re: Run-up time of American 1000-1500W probe-start MH lamps: Question  on: Today at 06:21:06 AM 
Started by dor123 - Last post by Medved
It does and a lot.
CWA is a constant current, so when the lamp is still cold and its arc voltage low, the power dissipated in the lamp, so the heat warming it up, becomes low as well.
On the other hand the series reactor and to some extend also HX autotransformer tend to operate very close to saturation during normal operation (to minimize the number of turns needed, so the wire length and so losses).
This has the consequence of becoming partially saturated once the arc voltage is still low. And a saturated choke (or shunt in CWA) means the current becomes significantly higher than would otherwise correspond to the reactance it has at normal operation.
And this higher current at low arc voltages means higher power dissipated in the lamp, so more heat warming the thing up, hence the shorter warmup time.
 2   Lamps / Modern / Re: Run-up time of American 1000-1500W probe-start MH lamps: Question  on: Today at 06:01:28 AM 
Started by dor123 - Last post by dor123
I don't think the use of CWA or reactor should affect the warm-up period.
 3   General / General Discussion / Re: How do HPS Lamps Age?  on: Today at 12:48:44 AM 
Started by Multisubject - Last post by Medved
One major contributor for the last one is rather simple: As the arctube becomes darker, it absorbs more of the otherwise radiated power and runs hotter. Higher temperature then means higher vapor pressure and that means higher arc voltage drop.
Yes, there are design features to suppress this effec (detaching the amalgam reservoir from the arctube around the arc,...),but that only reduces the effect, it won't eliminate it completely.
In fact the effect is to some extend needed: Aging lamp has lower efficacy, so a mechanism operating it at higher power compensates for it, yielding more stable lumen output over lifetime. And that means the system does not be designed with so much lumen output margin as others, so has lower power consumption (because of less lamps needed) when the lamps are fresh, yet keeps the illumination even as the lamps age (because the elevated run temperature mean higher voltage so somewhat higher power for the lamp). My guess will be, the lamps would be really engineered to match the efficacy loss by the elevated power on the gear the particular lamps are designed for (CWA in the "120V" market, series choke in the "230V" market) over the rated lifetime.

The sodium loss is an issue only for unsaturated vapor lamps, the normal saturated vapor types have so much excess of it, the sodium loss won't ever be a problem. Of course, I do not mean cases of failed seals or arctube, when everything leaks out.

So most of the question comes back to why the tube darkens over time. There one reason wouod be the same as with any discharge using electrodes: Electrode sputtering and evaporation coating the electrode material onto surrounding structures, so onto the arctube wall, turning it dark. In a HPS is no cleaning mechanism like halogen cycle (in MH's) or so, so the only thing helping somehow reducing the effect to lumen depression is the arctube being thin, so the sputtering/evaporation concentrates the darkening mainly just around the electrodes, but over time the whole arctube accumulates some tungsten coat too.
 4   Advertisements / For Sale or Trade / Re: Anyone interested? Variety of Canadian Street Lighting Fixtures  on: August 31, 2025, 11:47:25 PM 
Started by ElectroLite - Last post by Richmond2000
@ElectroLite

B2228: $120 complete with NEW 1kW lamp and wiring. These are really uncommon.
M400: $60 (No ballast)
Uni400: $60 (No ballast)

these still available?
I will be driving though stoon in about 2 weeks time
 5   General / General Discussion / How do HPS Lamps Age?  on: August 31, 2025, 07:42:50 PM 
Started by Multisubject - Last post by Multisubject
As HPS lamps age, their characteristics change. The lamp voltage rises and the discharge tube gets darker and it eventually cycles at the end of its useful life. This is all fine and dandy, but I have questions about why exactly this happens:

1) Sodium Loss:
According to Wikipedia (reliable, I know), the aluminum oxide discharge tube and the sodium metal reacts over time to become sodium oxide and aluminum metal. This obviously makes sense because sodium is probably a lot more reactive than aluminum. But, since the discharge tube is saturated with sodium, isn't there an excess of sodium? Does the arc tube really eat all of that sodium up to the point that it becomes unsaturated?

2) Metallic Aluminum:
Since the alumina arc tube decomposes into metallic aluminum, what happens to it? Does it ever vaporize and go into the arc stream? I know that it has to at least melt because the arc tube does get yellow-hot.

3) Voltage Rise:
Why does this happen? Is it sodium loss? Is it electrode wear? Does anyone know?

Thanks so much!
 6   Advertisements / For Sale or Trade / First generation Philips Alto F32T8's  on: August 31, 2025, 07:36:10 PM 
Started by BlitzBiker2001 - Last post by BlitzBiker2001
In my quest to find every month/year of the first generation Philips Alto F32T8 fluorescent lamps, I've had to buy entire lots of lamps of Marketplace in order to get my desired lamps. For that reason I thought I'd advertise the surplus here to see if anyone wants them. Since I want the surplus to go to a good home that could use or appreciate, and since I didn't pay much for these lamps, I'd be fine with letting them go for free so long as you cover the cost of packing and shipping. I would also consider trading for a date code that I don't already have.

I can't verify for sure if most of these lamps have been used before, they look low hour, but they are being advertised under the assumption they have been used at some point.

The surplus I have,

Philips F32T8/TL735 April 2001 Datecode
Philips F32T8/TL741 August 2002 Datecode
Philips F32T8/TL735 April 2005 Datecode
 7   Lamps / Modern / Re: Run-up time of American 1000-1500W probe-start MH lamps: Question  on: August 31, 2025, 07:11:40 PM 
Started by dor123 - Last post by WorldwideHIDCollectorUSA
I think the reason for this is because most North American 1000W M47 probe start metal halide lamps and 1500W M48 probe start metal halide lamps are usually operated on CWA ballasts while European HID lamps are almost always used on reactor ballasts.

I say this because I have observed that lamps operated on HX and reactor ballasts tend to warm up faster than lamps operated on CWA ballasts.
 8   General / Off-Topic / Re: Should I start a lighting YT channel?  on: August 31, 2025, 01:18:44 PM 
Started by LightsAreBright27 - Last post by LightsAreBright27
I've finished the first vid! Unfortunately it will be silent as my birds wouldn't stop chirping, and I muted the audio.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Cuc3H4b_DPI
 9   Lamps / Modern / Run-up time of American 1000-1500W probe-start MH lamps: Question  on: August 31, 2025, 10:52:54 AM 
Started by dor123 - Last post by dor123
I've noticed that the American 1000-1500W probe-start MH lamps takes as long as LPS and medium pressure mercury lamps to run-up to full output. @Ne-guy M.CZ said me that his GE Multivapor 1000W probe-start MH lamp takes as long as 10 mins to reach full output.
On the other hands, European >1000W MH lamps, includes ones with starting electrodes like the Osram HQI-T 2000W/D/I and 2000W/N/I, takes much shorter time to run up to full output.
What is the reason for this?
 10   General / General Discussion / Re: Ive found a few 8 foot T-12 tubes, NEW. 85W and 120W  on: August 31, 2025, 06:40:30 AM 
Started by Timlx1 - Last post by Baked bagel 11
Brilliant find!
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