Lightstar HMI Balloon Light Head 1.8kW

The M18 is an 1,800 W open face lamphead, combining the Academy Scientific and Engineering Award-winning lens-less optical technology of the ARRIMAX with the innovative True Blue design. The result is an extremely powerful lamphead, as small as a 1,200W PAR but with a 70 % higher light output. The M-Series M18 fixture is adjustable from 20° to 60° without requiring spreader lenses.

Starting with the EB MAX 1.8 in 2017 ARRI built the foundation for a whole new range of high speed electronic ballasts – the EB MAX Range. Together with three other models − EB MAX 2.5/4, EB MAX 6/9 and EB MAX 12/18 − the MAX ballasts offer cutting-edge features with new remote control possibilities from 575 up to 18,000 W.

Combined with state-of-the-art ARRI daylight lampheads such as the True Blue Daylight or M-Series, the EB MAX Range enables optimal performance and advanced control for high image quality at any frame rate.

For ultimate ease of use, indicators on the ballast’s front panel display the lamp wattage, DMX channel, operation mode and selected lamp frequency.

Weighing only 125 lbs and having a small shallow profile of merely 23”, the Alpha 18K can use a Ceramic glass lens or Standard 24” Fresnel to create the smallest, lightest and most versatile 18K ever designed.

At the core of this innovation is a custom made reflector molded out of quartz composite material. This allows the lamp to be placed much closer to the reflector, therefore reducing the physical size of the Alpha 18K by a third compared traditional 18K’s on the market. The light output from this new reflector increases output by nearly 15%, adding a softer and smoother lighting pattern compared to the oversized conventional aluminum reflector.

The extrusion/vent system is precisely angled to get maximum cooling efficiency , the small diameter reflector allows for better heat circulation, along with a new back bulkhead, which assures that the Alpha 18K operating temperatures remain within specifications in any critical position, including straight down.

A double suspension system (one to the lamp heat sinks and one to the chassis support) makes the Alpha 18K lamp less fragile to rough handling, occurring during location transportation.

Whether it’s creating a soft Fresnel look or a hard shadow using the open eye set-up, the Alpha 18K gives any cinematographer or lighting director the tool he needs to get the job done.