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  1. #1

    Angry Metal halide lamp smells

    I've sorta got a problem here.. The 250-watt metal halide (double ended, HQI) lamp setup I bought for my projector really friggen stinks when It's on! Not like a cheesy stink, but a really sickening unlike-anything-ive-ever-smelled-before kind of smell. The smell will start after just about 30 seconds after the bulb ignites.

    I've done some reading and supposedly ozone can be produced by high-voltage (my ballast maybe?) or from intense UV radiation reacting with oxygen (these MH bulbs put out lots of UV radiation).

    I've tried wafting some air from the ballast and smelling that but I really couldn't smell too much from there. I did the same with the bulb and still couldn't smell much. However, when I stand back a few feet from the lamp and ballast, the smell will really hit me.

    This is what's leading me to believe its just the UV light reacting with the air thats creating the smell. However, I'm not exactly sure if it smells like ozone. Ever look inside a DC motor while its running and see the sparks on the commutator? If you smell it, there's a real distinct smell. I've been told that this smell is ozone, however, what I'm smelling with my lamp smells nothing like that.

    Any ideas where this smell could be comming from?
    [COLOR=dark-blue]Matt Carpenter[/COLOR]
    Offer your clients a brandable FTP upload utility

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Orlando, FL
    Posts
    12,207
    Something melted on the lamp?

    Try it in another location to see how it interacts with the air there.

    BTW ozone smells like "rain" after a severe thunderstorm.

  3. #3
    hmm.. Well, I've tried it up here in my room and I've tried it out in the garage and the smell still doesn't go away. I also cleaned the lamp with rubbing alcohol so I don't think something melted on the lamp would be the case.
    [COLOR=dark-blue]Matt Carpenter[/COLOR]
    Offer your clients a brandable FTP upload utility

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Orlando, FL
    Posts
    12,207
    Then maybe it's the PSU.

  5. #5
    Possible I guess... Later tonight I suppose I'll add 10 feet of wire between the lamp and the ballast and try to pinpoint where the smell is coming from. I did try sniffing the ballast while it was running though) and didn't smell anything :-\
    [COLOR=dark-blue]Matt Carpenter[/COLOR]
    Offer your clients a brandable FTP upload utility

  6. #6
    aight, I just added about 10 feet of wire between them and I can now confirm that it is the bulb that smells, not the ballast. I'd try a different bulb, but I don't have any and they cost about $30 each...
    [COLOR=dark-blue]Matt Carpenter[/COLOR]
    Offer your clients a brandable FTP upload utility

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