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From: beyer@houxs.ATT.COM (J.BEYER)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,rec.photo
Subject: Re: Flashbulbs (was something stupid and illegal...)
Summary: I suspect electronic flash would not use as much electricity as claimed.
Message-ID: <1148@houxs.ATT.COM>
Date: 24 Jan 89 15:35:00 GMT
References: <10096@sequent.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T BL Holmdel NJ USA
Lines: 34

In article <10096@sequent.UUCP>, brian@sequent.UUCP (Brian Godfrey) writes:
>    By the way, they mentioned a guy who takes large (12X20 inch negatives)
> group portraits. He uses flash bulbs because he gets more light for the
> dollar. Equivalent electronic flash would cost him $70,000 in equipment,
> result in massive tangles of cabling, would weigh half a ton, and would
> consume 15,000 watts of electricity. His flash equipment cost him $500,
> weighs 200 lbs, and uses trivial amount of electricity.

While there is probably more light per dollar, per pound, and per cubic inch,
in flashbulbs, provided that only one exposure is desired, I cannot believe it
would require 15 kilowatts of electricity to run a lot of electronic flash units
unless extremely fast recycling is desired. My White Lightning units, for example,
draw at most 2 amperes from the AC line. This could be cut at least in half
by removing the 100 watt modelling lamps. Rounding off the numbers, if each WL
unit drew 100 watts, I could use 150 of the things to come up with 15KW.
That would be a lot of light. You can always use more flashbulb power than what
150 WL units would provide, but for the second exposure, you must replace all
the flashbulbs.

Think of the poor guy that used to photograph entire 150 car railroad trains
at night with flashbulbs. Bet you he only made one exposure per night.

The really big studio flash units contain transformers that increase the weight,
and many put out more than the 250 joules that the WL10000's do. But much of
the increased power is so they recycle faster than the 3 seconds the WLs require,
and to power the 600watt quartz-halogen modelling lamps.

How many flashbulbs  did whoever need to replace 15Kw of electronic flash?


-- 
Jean-David Beyer
A.T.&T., Holmdel, New Jersey, 07733
houxs!beyer