ROP bulb burning/smoking

[abarth_1200]

Okay so i had my brand new ROP out last night

I ran it until the batteries started to go dim very rapidly at which point, about 25 mins in, i switched it off. The longest it was switched on for was 5 minutes.

Today i recieved my new UCL lenses so i got to work taking it apart, head off bezel off old glass out, new glass cleaned, o-ring cleaned and ready to screw the bezel back on i noticed the reflector was a blueish blur around where the bulb sits. My heart sank, its a brand new FM gen2 smooth, i know there is no way to clean it so im just gonna live with it.

I then clicked the flashlight on without the head in place and the bulb started smoking, i quickly turned it off and pointed it down and turned it on again away from me, still smoking away, a couple seconds later (25 seconds) and its finished smoking... WTF

This means that the whole time i had it on last night it was smoking away, gutted.

Has anyone else had this problem, and do you think this is a sign of the bulb going to go .

And do you think the damage has been done, meaning no more smoking inside head assembly.

I know next time i get a new bulb to heat it up to burn any residue off before screwing the head on:sigh:

 

[KeyGrip]

Potted hotwire bulbs do that when they're first used. I can't get too technical, but I think it's just small amounts of epoxy burning off because of the heat. It's recommended that you take some time to "smoke" the lamp before use with a reflector or window, but keep the bezel on just in case the lamp blows.


It's also possible that there is something wrong with the lamp. Could you post pictures?

 

[Anglepoise]

Been there. I was able to clean my lens/reflector after a similar experience.
Those potted bulbs seem to have allot to out gas.

I now use bi pin bulbs and have had no problems since.

 

[abarth_1200]

its a pr base pelican big D bulb its not been potted

i cant really post pictures i dont have my digital camera

the bulb looks foggy blue around the base and has a brown burn sort of mark a bit from the top, down the side. I noticed when i took it out its packaging it was scratched quite badly from sitting in its packaging and being transported

 

[DUQ]

I always "cook" my bulbs before using them. Run them sans bezel for about 20 minutes.

 

[KeyGrip]

the bulb looks foggy blue around the base and has a brown burn sort of mark a bit from the top, down the side.

That sounds like lamp damage. Anybody?

 

[jrmcferren]

That sounds like lamp damage. Anybody?

Sounds like the lamp is leaking air, I believe that it would be the best course to replace it.

 

[abarth_1200]

any chance of it exploding and wrecking my reflector, ive taken it out and using the ROP lo, its still the brightest flashlight in my arsenal of nitecores fenix's and surefires, amazing.

 

[Icebreak]

Some will tell you not to clean your reflector. If it's not effecting the beam you may want to leave it alone. I'd clean it with dish liquid and a stream of water flowing on it while very gently swirling a thumb or finger on the surface. The idea is to let the soapy water lift the residue off the surface and allow the water stream to carry it away. Finish up with distilled water as a final rinse then hot air. I've never had a problem cleaning a FiveMega, litho123 or modamag reflector.

The guys are right. There's a leak. It sounds like there was a potting failure (the factory potted your OEM 3854H) then there was an envelope (glass) failure which has compromised and failed the atmosphere. Continued use could cause the envelope to begin to liquifiy, become red hot, balloon and possibly explode.

When a lamp envelope is broken while the filament is ON, or the filament is energized subsequent to the envelope having been broken, the compounds which form and their colors are:

Tungsten Nitride, (WN2), Brown
Tungsten Dioxide, (WO2), Brown
Tungsten Pentoxide, (W2O5), Blue-violet
Tungsten Trioxide, (WO3), Yellow

When a lamp envelope is broken while the filament is on, even briefly, you get yellow Tungsten Trioxide.

When a lamp envelope has failed previously to the filament being energized you get blue-violet Tungsten Pentoxide.

With help from LuxLuthor's last post I've discovered that blue can occur after brown, yellow or white occur. What this means is just because there is blue in the lamp doesn't mean the lamp failed before it was turned on. Your description of the event indicates it failed during operation. The evidence of brown Tungsten Dioxide residue cinches it.

Read and see more about it in the picture heavy Race to Failure thread.