Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hi,

I'm still testing my first Einstein and after only a few shots (around 100 I guess) I noticed some carbon inside the glass of the flashtube, especially near the legs (see lower arrows in attached picture). The unit works fine (no missing shots) but I wonder if the carbon indicates that there is something wrong because the flashtubes of my Aurora/Bowens lights are still crystal clear after years of heavy usage. I did not check it but I think that this brown/black hue (see upper arrows in attached picture) may influence the results in constant color mode.

Is this normal?

Regards,
Michael

This is not an uncommon question. I cannot speak of the Aurora/Bowens lights, but the tubes we sell have "getters" in them. These are teh metallic grey cylinders inside the tubes. Thier job is to collect and deposit impurities in the gas inside the tube and they are deposited on the glass where you see the black marks. It is impossible to insert gas that is free of impurities. The marks are perfectly normal, appear on all flashtubes we sell, even brand new ones (as they are tested before they are sold). The yellowish brown tint you see is the UV coating on the tube. Again, it is normal and unrelated to the deposits.

Thanks for your detailed and very interesting explanation! And of course it's good to hear that there is nothing wrong!
Regards,
Michael