What do I look for when replacing modeling light bulbs?

Question

What characteristics have to be taken into consideration when replacing modeling light bulbs?

For instance, can a 240V standard light bulb be plugged into a 90V modeling light bulb socket? How would LED/CFL bulbs react to being put in a flash set (which I guess use a 0-90V voltage range to control the light intensity)?

More specifically, can I use ordinary light bulbs, can I find no-name light bulbs, or should I stick to spare parts from my flashes' manufacturer?

Reference: I use Elinchrom flashes that expect 90V 100W bulbs I can't find under 25€ (yes, I use North American flashes in Europe).

Answer 1

Note: this answers my original question although it may not be applicable to any setup

The flashes I used were brought from north America (where they use 110V) to Europe (where they use 220V), and the modeling lights burnt when I plugged them in on 220V. This is simply because the flash units simply transfer the current with little or no transformation.

Therefore the light bulbs which were expected by Elinchon to work slightly out of spec (90V plugged on 110V) were just burnt by 220-230V. I then replaced them with 190-200V bulbs, slightly out of spec on the new 220V power grid, which I bought (cheaper) locally, and it is now going fine, and has been for a few years of light use.

Again, this works for my Elinchron flashes which apparently do not transform the voltage. I make no assumptions on other brands or models.

Answer 2

Modeling lights are incorporated into studio flash units to help you previsualize the effect of the lighting setup. Since the flash outputs a blitz of light, we need the modeling lights as a helper to aim the units.

Most flash units will switch off the modeling lamps during the flash. Even if they remain on, the light they output is so feeble, they likely will not contribute anything worth mentioning, including influencing the color balance. Therefore, you can replace the bulbs with most anything that will work.

That being said, if the standard lamp is rated at 90V, you are limited to replacing them with a substitute that is rated within a range of about 10% (80V thru 100V). Lamps run dimmer and redder when under-volted and brighter and bluer when over-volted. Also over-volted lamps have reduced service life.

If it were me, I would rewire the modeling lamps and replace the sockets so that they accepted a commonly available bulb equal to the main voltage. If this is beyond your skill set, then either stick with an exact replacement bulb or hire a local electrician or electronics repair person make the wiring and socket change.