Metal Halide Cobra's « on: September 01, 2020, 10:29:12 AM » Author: suzukir122
Found this out while motorcycle riding last night after an oil change... Has anybody ever seen Metal Halide Cobra's? For whatever reason, it seems as if parts of Middletown Ohio, Franklin Ohio (where I live) and Springboro Ohio, is converting their HPS and MV Cobra's to Metal Halide! I don't know if this is some sort of lamp replacement kind of thing or if they're changing the ballasts as well. They are very very bright though, and it's a welcoming site in this world of LED. It's actually funny because I passed one and immediately thought it was a bright LED. I looked at my right mirror and flipped my eyes up and down. That's when I quickly found out it was clearly a magnetic ballasted Metal Halide. Anyways, have you guys seen Metal Halide Cobra's in use as street lighting? And why is it that Metal Halides aren't used more often as street/highway lighting?
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	Re: Metal Halide Cobra's « Reply #1 on: September 01, 2020, 11:31:04 AM » Author: Lumex120
Are you sure it wasn't LED retrofits? There are retrofit lamps available that are completely indistinguishable from a metal halide lamp, especially if they are behind a refractor. Metal halide wasn't used much because of it's shorter lifespan, and when you have thousands of street lights to maintain those costs add up.
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	Re: Metal Halide Cobra's « Reply #2 on: September 01, 2020, 11:33:30 AM » Author: CreeRSW207
Not super common, but there is MH is N.H. and in some Maine towns.
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	Re: Metal Halide Cobra's « Reply #3 on: September 01, 2020, 12:11:45 PM » Author: HPS_250
MH cobraheads are definitely not common as street lighting here, but I have seen them in a few random parking lots. A parking lot for the boatyard in Oxnard, CA in my county has some PSMH M-400s.
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I’ve always been interested in all kinds of lighting, mainly incandescent and HID, and especially all kinds of sodium lamps (HPS/LPS). I’ll tolerate LED but I’m not a fan of it.
I’m not proud to say that my city has Devolved to LED.

	Re: Metal Halide Cobra's « Reply #4 on: September 01, 2020, 12:17:57 PM » Author: suzukir122
@Lumex120, that explains it. Metal Halide must have a seriously shorter lifespan than MV and HPS then, because this is seriously the first time I've ever seen MH in Cobras. Definitely Metal Halide though, not LED. I'll have to find time and see if I can watch one of them start up to further confirm it, but it was very obvious to me with that "eye flipping" test. 120hz flicker, with very pink afterglow between each flash. I'm gonna have to try and take picture proof, hopefully video proof as well -- 100% Metal Halide here. Not Mercury Vapor, not LED. But... why? Why are they doing this? My only guess is that it could be some money saving tactic before they actually do convert them to LED. Also... one was installed near a HPS lit Speedway not far from where I work... so there's that. That's in Springboro Ohio. @HPS_250, I'm not even sure I've seen them as parking lot lighting. Most certainly Mercury Vapor ones, but definitely not Metal Halide. I *think* I might've seen one, maybe two, as parking lot lighting at a Kmart I use to go to when I was a kid, but I'm not sure. That was a while ago, so those days are kinda fuzzy.
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Interests:
1. Motorcycles, Cars, Women, and Lighting (especially fluorescent)
2. Weightlifting/staying extremely athletic
3. Severe Thunderstorms of all kinds
4. Food and drinks. So gimme them bbq ribs
Lighting has ALWAYS been a passion of mine. I consider everyone on here to be a friend

	Re: Metal Halide Cobra's « Reply #5 on: September 01, 2020, 12:25:35 PM » Author: HPS_250
Yeah, MH cobras are pretty uncommon even as parking lot lighting. There was only one other time I saw MH cobras in parking lot, and those were 1000w MH M-1000s that no longer work.
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I’ve always been interested in all kinds of lighting, mainly incandescent and HID, and especially all kinds of sodium lamps (HPS/LPS). I’ll tolerate LED but I’m not a fan of it.
I’m not proud to say that my city has Devolved to LED.

	Re: Metal Halide Cobra's « Reply #6 on: September 01, 2020, 08:28:49 PM » Author: wide-lite 1000
MH cobras seemed like they were a "thing" in my area (Franklin Co. , Ohio) for a little while.  There are at least 2 intersections near my house that are each lit by 4 - 250w MH (1-AEL125s , and the other GE M-400A3) . Stringtown Rd in Grove City is lit by mostly MH (GE M-400A3 FCO 400w and modern Holophane teardrops (unknown wattage) . There's a stretch of West Broad St lit by 400w PSMH Cooper OVX's . Columbus has others scattered hear and there. As for parking lots , a lot of older stores and strip malls have MH cobras lighting the parking lots. probe start MH has close to 1/3 less lifespan and roughly 20% less light output than  equivalent wattage HPS . Most of the MH cobras near me have at least 1/2 the lamps that are significantly dimmed out . The 250w ones near my house seem like they get relamped at least once a year ! Truthfully, I HATE THEM !  As Lumex said , there are a lot of the LED retrofits that I can't distinguish from MH without really looking closely. There is a Chinese restaurant here who's parking lot is partly lit by 60's M-400s which were converted from 400w MV to 250HPS then about 5 years ago , converted again to LED cobs. Honestly, the LEDs produce light almost exactly like MH ! The only way I can tell they're LEDs is to look at the refractor when they're lit, you can make out the individual rows of LEDs vs. an arc tube.
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	Re: Metal Halide Cobra's « Reply #7 on: September 01, 2020, 10:02:07 PM » Author: Cole D.
In my old hometown, they have a couple of GE M-400 with PSMH lamps, near the downtown area. Also there are those MH retrofit lamps that are sometimes used in cobras. I've seen them on here, in pictures.
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Collect vintage incandescent and fluorescent fixtures. Also like HID lighting and streetlights.

	Re: Metal Halide Cobra's « Reply #8 on: September 02, 2020, 08:29:14 AM » Author: suzukir122
In all cases that I've seen (so far) the corn cob LED's are so much dimmer that it's hilarious. The Home Depot parking lot in Miamisburg Ohio is a perfect example. The light from the corn cob LED's barely illuminates the ground! lol... literally right next to the Metal Halide versions too, and due to difference in brightness, it's extremely easy to tell which was which, besides the "cob" style from the LED's lol But if it does get difficult to tell whether it's LED or Metal Halide, I just flip my eyes up and down.. as dumb as that may sound. I've never heard of LED's with after glow color, and most LED street lamps seem not to have any noticeable hertz flickering, from what I've seen so far. Seems like most MH have a shorter lifespan than HPS though, and if so, that's an excellent reason to keep it HPS and MV... but evidently Middeltown, Franklin, and Springboro Ohio don't know this.
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Interests:
1. Motorcycles, Cars, Women, and Lighting (especially fluorescent)
2. Weightlifting/staying extremely athletic
3. Severe Thunderstorms of all kinds
4. Food and drinks. So gimme them bbq ribs
Lighting has ALWAYS been a passion of mine. I consider everyone on here to be a friend

	Re: Metal Halide Cobra's « Reply #9 on: September 02, 2020, 09:48:09 PM » Author: wide-lite 1000
One of my local gas stations is converting the canopy lights to LED cobs (I'll get a photo when I get a chance) . What ever retrofit they're using , unless you actually look at the lamp , you can't tell the difference between the LED & the MH !!!  Now, the local IHOP is retrofitting their 1000w shoeboxes as they go EOL and the retrofits they're using are HORRIBLE ! They're about the same brightness as a 70w MH !
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	Re: Metal Halide Cobra's « Reply #11 on: September 03, 2020, 08:29:59 AM » Author: suzukir122
Added to that, electronic CMH street lights, from what I know, were expensive. That idea did emerge in some areas, but it didn't last long. Shoebox cob LEDs, and also flood lights with cob LEDs... that's where I've noticed a significant difference between MH versions, with the MH versions being obviously brighter. But yeah... these MH's in the Cobra's... over here these are very recent installations. I'm still scratching my head regarding what the heck is going on. I was really, really expecting LEDs to emerge in these HPS and MV lighting based cities. MH lit Cobras is not the best idea regarding life expectancy, but definitely better than LED street lights.
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Interests:
1. Motorcycles, Cars, Women, and Lighting (especially fluorescent)
2. Weightlifting/staying extremely athletic
3. Severe Thunderstorms of all kinds
4. Food and drinks. So gimme them bbq ribs
Lighting has ALWAYS been a passion of mine. I consider everyone on here to be a friend

	Re: Metal Halide Cobra's « Reply #13 on: September 04, 2020, 12:38:29 PM » Author: suzukir122
My guess (just a guess) is that the Cobra's here in Middletown, Franklin, and Springboro Ohio might also be using the clear MH, 1000w. I of course don't know at all... but they are definitely very bright
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Interests:
1. Motorcycles, Cars, Women, and Lighting (especially fluorescent)
2. Weightlifting/staying extremely athletic
3. Severe Thunderstorms of all kinds
4. Food and drinks. So gimme them bbq ribs
Lighting has ALWAYS been a passion of mine. I consider everyone on here to be a friend

	Re: Metal Halide Cobra's « Reply #14 on: September 04, 2020, 11:57:53 PM » Author: Cole D.
Quote from: wide-lite 1000 on September 01, 2020, 08:28:49 PM As Lumex said , there are a lot of the LED retrofits that I can't distinguish from MH without really looking closely. There is a Chinese restaurant here who's parking lot is partly lit by 60's M-400s which were converted from 400w MV to 250HPS then about 5 years ago , converted again to LED cobs. Honestly, the LEDs produce light almost exactly like MH ! The only way I can tell they're LEDs is to look at the refractor when they're lit, you can make out the individual rows of LEDs vs. an arc tube. That's really cool that they kept the old GEs!
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Collect vintage incandescent and fluorescent fixtures. Also like HID lighting and streetlights.