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HMI lamps

Reprinted from
LIGHTING DESIGN & APPLICATION
August 1978

TTFI

HMI lamps
These metal halide lamps, which first appeared
in West Germany in 1969, are now meeting the
needs of theater, TV, and film, especially
on location
Thomas M. Lemons, FIES
The HMI lamps were developed by OSRAM
GmbH to meet a need established by ihe
Germany Federal Television System. They
were lirst praced tn service in Germany in

[1]The original HMI lamp lamily.

1969, and their use quickly spread throughout

Europe. Their initial application was for TV
lighting outside TV studios, but this has now
spread to location lightinq for fi1ms. Llany articles have been wriften about HMI lamps and

their application,l s but their use in North

America is now oecominq siontficant A review

and updating ol the lamp data will help those
who are just now starting to use lhe lamps to
betler understand them.
The family of Hf.rl lamps as oriqinally intro

du.ed rdnged'rom 575 lo 4000 wahs iFig.

[1]). The latest developments in this fam ty
have resulted in lower waftage lamp iypes.

-..,b ,e* t" =*

The aulhor: TLA Lighting Consulanls,

tnc.,

Table 1. HMI (hydrargyrum medium-arc-lenglh iodide) lamp dala

200-walt
Lamp wattage (watts)
Luminous flux (lumens)
Lamp voltage (volts)
Lamp current (amps)
Arc size (mm X mm)
Avg. luminance (cd/cm2)
Chromaticity (x/y)
Correlated color
temperature (K)
Color rendering index (Ra)
Burning position
Maximum overall length (mm)
Bulb diameter (mm)
lqnition peak voltaqe
Cold (kV)
Hot (kV)

Warranted life (hours)

575-watt

200
16,000
80

49,000

3
10

95

2.3

5000
(for all

types)

11

10,000

0.330

Lamp Oesignation
1200-watt

2500-watt

4000-watt

1200
110,000

2500
240,000

100
13.8
2.5 X 13

4000
410,000
200

25.6

12,000

5600

5600

90

90
any

90
any
220
29

150

24

5.5 X 32

19

12,000

+ 0.008/0.330 + 0.012

5600

horiz.

115

75

145

14

23

10

12

'12

20

'25

300

750

45
750

5600

horiz.

LIGHTING DESIGN

90
150

600
90

horiz.

355

&

1,000

150

33

405
40

20
55
500

20
65
500

APPLICATION

AUGUST 1978

I
I

[2] illustratesthe 575-watt lamp and the

new 200-watt lamp plus, a kin to this lamily,
a 400-watt HCI lamp used in projection systems. The wattage range and market potenlial
have thus expanded. A complete listing ol
lamp data is lound in Table l. Expanded usage,
however, has resulled in users forgetting the
basic lacts about the lamps and therelore a
review ol the basics is ot value.
One of the basic facts ol any arc source
(HMl included) is that they are very dependent
upon how their ballasts operate them. With the
Lrse of a standard reactor ballast, the lamps are
very vollage dependent. and most of the HMI
lamps being operated loday are running oll
reacior ballasts. The curves for lamp perforFiqure

mances versus line voltage with a reactor

ballast are shown in Fig. [3] This illustrates
how performance varies as the line voltage
varies.rn this counrry beforF thp energy crisis.
the line voltage normally varied from 120 io
130 volis. Today it is not unusualto fjnd volt
ages ol 105 io 115 volts. When working with
a system that is supposedly desiqn-centered

around 120 volts. one is always operating on

the down side, which is the minus percentage
on voltages in Fig- [3]- With a 5 percentdrop
in voltage, a 10 percent power change is approached, and this is with the best reactor
ballast available. Unfortunately, we never have
the best of an)'thing available, and, typically,
llind 1o-percent changes in power with a 5'
percent voltage change, and as high as a
12-percent reduction when the ballast reactor
is not of the lop quality.

What does that really mean? This is the

a.9wer ro a loi of queslions lhal people raise
about color quality ol lamps that they find in the
lield. This often relates back to a voltage
change. Thrs is Fspecially true when running
lamps on generalors instead of power company power and when cable lengths are
long-

Allthis relates to the visible light output of

the lamp as seen in Fig. [4], how this changes
during life, and how much uv and ir ihe lamps
produce. Below 380 nm the lamps produce 11
percent ol lheir output as uv energy (Fig. [5]).

120
r15
I
U1

.t5

l1

r10

105
100

400

tsct

0L

95
90
85

n'r.r/,
'\ ./
tr,

8C
90

100

114

'/6

LJv -

200 w HMI

[2]The HMI lamp lamily has been expanded lo include a 200-wall

lamp and a related HCI 400-watt lamp,

J4l Visible spectral power dislribulion

95

lor a lypical HMI lamp.

[3] Lamp flux (O), power (P), current (l) and voltage (U) as lunclions
of line voltage (Uv) lor a reactor ballasl.

[5] Ullraviolet (uv) speclral power distributlon lor a lypical

larnp.

HMI

The 11 percent output in the uv is high and

The infrared energy data shown in Fig. [6]

must be eliminated lor most applications. Most

glass does not let the uv pass, so all of the luminaires have some type ol glass or uv lilter
on them- Usually tlEy also have a safety switch
so that il the glass door opens or il breaks
exposing a bare lamp, it shuts ofl. (Never operate an HMI lamp so thal there is the possi-

indicale that 42 percent total power is converted to heat- An incandescent lamp is a

bility of anyone seeing the bare lamp-)

much better generator of inlrared than an HMl,

so if maximum infrared is desired, don't go to

the HMl. With incandescent lamps, heat filters

will reduce 50 percent ol lhe inlrared and get
the infrared energy down trom 85 percent to
aboul 42 percent, which is about as much as
HMI starts off with. The HMI is, therelore, a
very cool source that has one-half the ir and
three to four times the visible energy ol an
incandescent lamp.
The color of the HMI changes at a rate of
one degree per hour. Figure [7] illustrates the
color variations in the lamp with lile using the
output of a brand new lamp and a lamp that has
been operated lor about 200 hours. The blue
portion of the speclrum drops off with life and
the red increases. ln motion picture work,
people have found they need a uv filter on a
camera to get the same results with the HMI
lamp as they obtain with daylight. Since there
is more uv from lhe HMI lamp lhan there i5 in
sunlight. the daylight films need this coryection.
Thig is especially true with the new fast films

I
I
t
I

that have a uv sensitivity in all three color

HMI
[6] lnliared (ir) spectral power dislribulion tor a typical

lamp.

pigments. With a source such as HMlthat puts

out more uv than others, lhere is more re-

sponse, so people are using uv filters on

cameras when they use HMI lights. lnitiallythe
filters are needed. but because ol the falloff of
blue during lite the need decreases.
What happens to the lamp after ignition?
How quickly can I use it? What will happen if
lstart shooting right away and lhaven t waited
for the two minutes for the lamp to warm up?
Figure [8] provides lamp odpd data at 20.40,
and 80 seconds aFter initial rurn-on. The basic
element that starts off the arc is mercury vapor
arc discharge. The arc builds up in pressure

beyond that of normal low-pressure mercury

vapor, and the spikes, as a result, are suppressed as the pressure increases and spread

out and add to the continuum. So the real

change during lhe lirsl minule and a half rs a
[7] Visible spectral power dislribulion change lrom inilial to 200
hours ol operalion lor a lypical HMI lamp.

[8]Oulput change during warm-up lor a typical HMI lamp.

suppression ot the spike as the light builds up.

A trend will be noticed as we go from a mercury arc to a full-color spectrum arc.
A little spike comes off the top of the arc,
and that too is interesting lo see and evaluate.
lf one is varying the iapur vollage or if lhere is
low input voltage, a very detinite red crust
around the arc will be seen. the arc diameter
increases, and the spike djsappears. With a
lamp running at about 10 percent overpower,
I have seen the spike become a tornado running around inside the lamp. which created a
llicker that was very noticeable in the output.
That is why I say, get to know what the arc
should looL lihe. lrore can bp told by looking
at an arc when it is operating to know what the
voltage setting is or whethei the lamp is operating properly. lf the tornado is in there, the
lamp is running at too high a power; il the skin
is fairly broad. ii is not running at high enough
power; and it there is no red there. it is really

LIGHTING DESIGN

&

APPLICATION

AUGUST 1978

I
I

low, and something had better be done about

finding a good voltage sourco.
The arc luminance and energy distribuhon
from the HMI lamps are an important concern
in optical system designs. The brighlesl arc is
produced with the '1200-watt lamp (Fig. [9]).
ln the case of the 2500- and 4000-wat't lamps,
their luminance diskibution is slightly lower,
but very similar to the 1200-watt lamp- The

brightness distribution from the 575- and

200-watl lamps

is much lower than the

1200-watt lampiFigs. [10]and [11]).ln ttre case

f
t

of lhe 200-watt lamp, ils luminance is approximately that of a compact incandescent

coil. For optical systems that depend upon
source brightness as lheir perlormance limilalion, lhe 200-watl HMI lamp provides no increased potential over an incandescent lamp.
Its use is lherefore related to lamp efficacy and
oplical conrrollability. The energy distribution
around the arc is illustrated in Fig. [12].
The other variable with the design and operation ol the arc is the condition at the tip of
the electrodes. The tip form starts offas a bllnt
rod ol tungsten. ln the lirst 10 to 25 hours of
operation the tip form changes 10 something
approximating that shown in Fig. [13]. ll the
lamp is run at too high a power, the eleclrodes
erode and the arc length increases. Such a
lamp will become increasingly hard to slart,
since it needs a higher open circuit voltage to
sustain the arc. I have also seen this happen
with lamps run at high frequency (400 cycles)
and on ballasts whose current cresl lactor is
greater than 1.6 to 1. {The current crest lactor
is the rafio of peak to rms lamp current and the
current crest factor of a good reactor ballast
is about 1.45 to 1.) This has resulted in the

ence between the significance of the problem

when used as a key light versus the reduced

importance when used as a lill light. One

studyl0 conducted by Samuelson in England
provides excellent data on the best operating
conditions for HMI lampsThe quest to eliminate flicker has been the
goal ol every fixlure and ballast manufacturer.
Many attempts have been made to obtain solutionsll but few systems are on the market.
A total flicker free system would have a wave
shape as good as or better than that shown in
Fig. [15]. Some systems have increased the
operating hequency to 200 or 250 Hz, which
limits flicker problems but does not eliminate
them. A 200- to 25o-Hz system wjll eliminate

Isl Arc luminance distribulion tor a 1200-wa HMI lamp.

manulacturer's establishino a current crest

factor upper limit of 1.6 to 1 for the HN.ll
lamps.

I
I

The normal lamp voltage, current, and light

output wave shape for a reaclor ballast operated H[,4] lamp appears in (Fig. [14]). The lighi
output variation cau<es flicker when lilm rs
shot with a motion plcture camera that is not
in sync with the light oulput variaiion- The lilm
speed and shutter angle establish a film exposure characteristic that must be in sync with
the beat of the light outpui. This is no problem
for film cameras operated at exactly 24 frames
per second at any shutter angle with the lamp
operated at exactly 60 Hz.
Pracrice ind;cates rhal a properly maintained, crystal controlled, 24Jps camera. with
lamps operated off power company power,
produces no flicker illeffects. However, some
portable generators and noncrystal controlled

,,_,_=_________

,oo*c

[10] Arc luminance distribution lor a 575-watt HMI lamp.

[11lArc luminance distribulion lor a 20O-watt HMI lamp.

cameras have produced nothing but llicker

problems. There is a potential for problems
from llrcker chanqe wilh cameras and lheir
film speed and shutter angle as well as the
frequen6y stability of the source of power. lt
is

therefore a good practice to check cameras

and line frequency before they are used and to

shoot test film to establish your own limit for

llicker. This should include noring the dillerLIGHTING DESIGN

&

APPLICATION

AUGUST 1978

cd/,

^t

to eliminate flicker, occurs when the lamp

rectifies. Any ac arc lamp experiences this
flicker for 2+fps film speed and shufter angles
over 100 to 150 degrees, but at high speeds
and narrow shutter angles, llicker will still be
experienced. The best judge of a system s
flicker potential is to evaluate the tamp operating current wave lorm.
At a range between 300 Hz and 150 kHz for
high-wattage lamps and 1600 Hz and 220 kHz
lor low-wattage lamps, operation is unstable
because of acoustical resonance. An evaluation has been made with one systeml2 that
will operate lamps at ranges ol 150 to 250
kHz, but this does not seem practical for normal applications. A more practical solution is
to develop a system that manipulates the
current wave shape and operates it at line
lrequencies up to 250 Hz.
One problem that plagues any ballast design, especially electronjc ballasts designed

problem, which occurs when the arc operates

direction-the open ckcuit voltage
available from lhe ballasr is enough lo sustain
an arc lor one half cycle, but not the other. As
indicated earlier, if the elecvodes have overheated, the arc gap increases and the open
only on one

circuit voltage required to start a lamp increases. lf the ballast cannot provide open
ckcuit voltage after the arc gap has increased,
then lamp rectilication is inevitable. This has
resulted in many electronic ballasts doing a
great iob of operating a brand new lamp, but,
at some time in later life, the lamp rectifies and
the electronic circuit gets wiped out. The expense ol replacing both the lamp and electronic ballast is a high price to pay to obtain a
llicker-free system. This, however, is not an

insurmountable problem. and flicker-free

systems that produce less than an I percent
fluctuation in light oLJtput willbe available in the

When a solution is found lor the flicker

[12] (below] Luminous intensity

dislribulion lor the (A) 200- and
57s-watt as well as the (B) 1200-,
2500- and 40oo-wall HMI lamps.

problem, the ballast will not be able to operate

the lamps at as high a power as with the
standard ballast. A ballast that limits the light
outprlt fluctuation to as low as I percent is also

more efliciently converting energy to light. The

HMI lamp operales within a critical limit, as
indicated previously. ll the operation is too low,
rhe red outpul is low: if il is too high. then violent gas currents inside lhe lamp make the
arc unstable. A lamp operated at increased
efficiency can, as a result, experience violent

inlernal gas currents unless the operaling

power is reduced proporlionally 1o lhe increased efficiency of the light outpul. ln the
case ot a 2500-watt lamp operated at 1 80 kHz,
the lamp was operated at about 2250 watts to
obtain satisfactory lamp operation. This reduction helps to compensate for the reduced
efficiency of the system that achieves the
180-kHz lamp operation.
The two most important lixture design factors beyond the contol ol the lamp's (lv outpul

are the electrical contact of the lamp and

high-voltage ignition limitations. The lamp's
operating temperature results in electrical
contacts that musl operate at up to a 25OoC
limit. Air cooling or massive contacts and heat
dissipating fins have been used to maintain this
limit. The contact members, lead wires, and
junciion points must all survive the high temperatures and high lamp current. The combinaiion of high temperature and high current

[13] (right) Change in cor iguralion

ol a typlcal HMI la.np's

elec-

lrode.

I
LIGHTING DESIGN

&

APPLICATION

AUGUST 1978

can cause arcing and pitting al the contact

point, which rajses contact lemperalure and
causes more arcing and pitting. The contacts
can, as a result, selt-destruct; therefore, the
contacts should be examined and cleaned
whenever a new lamp is insialled. Every time
a lamp is installed, the contact screws should
be lully lightened to insure maximum contact
pressure. Lead wires should be soldered or

io contact elements ralher than

crimped or fastened by a screw, unless connected at a remote cool location. Nickelplated
wire and contacl members are normally used
to meet the temperatures encountered at the
lamp.
The reduction ot heai at the lamp contacts
often results in the use of reflector elements
between the arc and electrical contacts. The
reflector, however, cannot direct loo much
energy back into the arc or it will overheat the
arc and make it unstable. The high-voltage
ignition of the lamp will often become
grounded if the reflector ls too close to the
contact members at the end of the lamp where
lhe ignit on voltage is applred. Clazed ceramic
insulation elements are frequently used at this
end of the lamp to insure compatibility with the
high voltages and temperatures associated
wrlh lhese svslems. Gro-ndrng o' the housing
is a necessary safety precaution lor these
systems- A microswitch or other method of
interrupting the input power when the unit is
opened for servicing is also recomrnended.
The H[4] lamp has now become well eslablished for remote TV and film lighting. ln
Germany, they have become known as the
''politicians lioht" because their reduced heat
eliminates sweating previously associated with
the hot incandescent lights. Their compaiibility
with daylight, range of wattages, and high luminous efficacy means that tewer lights are
used and no daylight correction is necessary
whrch saves time and money. I ighlinq cquipment utilizing the HI\rl lamps includes Fresnels,
welded

ellipsoidals, focusing floodlights, softtights,

beam projectors, follow spotlights, and battery

operated hpadlighl> They dre dlso used in

opaque, overhead, slide, and scenic projec-

tors.

6. Fiat. G., Mccovern, M. J., and Lemons, T.

7. Samuelson, D. W., The light which gives the

mosl lumens per watt," Arrerican Cinenatogmplar,

vol.56, no.6, June 1975, p.667.

8. Gibbs,

Glickman, R. B., "HMl: a new name in lights,'

Lighting Dimensions, June,1977, p. A.
10. Samuelson, B. W., "Metal halide lighling paramerers reassessed, Anle.ican CineftEtoTaphe.
vol. 58, ro. 11, Nov. 1977, p. 1156.
11 Lernons, T., McGovern, M. J., and Obolensky,
G., A new ballasr concept. JourElof the tES, vot.
5, no. 4, July 1976, p.229.
12. Sonkin, R. M., Mlcrowave technology used to
develop a solid-state high power generator tor ut,
Itasonics, Ultrasonics, January 1976, p. 25.

[14] Vollage (V), current (A) and lighl output (L) as functions ot tine
kequency.

[15] Maxlmum light fluclualion lo. a fully tlicker-tree system-

1. Kuh, B, "Newdischarge lamps Jortetevision and

the /ES, vot. 1, no. 4, Juty
I972, p.300.
2. Block, W., Mccovern, M. J., and Lemons, T. tU.,
'A new dayllght ight source, ' Journal of SMPTE,
vol. 83, Sepr. 1974, p.725.
3. Lemons, T. M., "The latest in sources," LD&A,
vol.4, no.3, March 1974, p.40.
4. Samuelson, D. W., 'Metat hatide tighring,,
BKSTS Jaurnal, Febtuaty 1975, p.49.
5. Aldworth, R. C., The development and apptication ol metal halide lamps tor cotor titminq and
iele\ision," Journalof SMPIE vol. 84, Feb. 1975,
p.70.

lilm ighting. Journatof

&

APPLICATION

C. R., "The use of metat hatide tamps on

SMP7E, vol. 84, Augusl 1975,

extetiots. Jounalof
p.610.

BEFEBENCES

LIGHTING DESIGN

M.,

"Television news applications ot HMI lamps,

Jaurnal of SMPTE, vol.84, June 1975, p. 461.

AUGUST

1978

you cAN oBrArN youR

OSRAM

[l[t[[

rrclrr

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