AIEL Instructional
STAGE LIGHTING
SOCKET GUIDE
This Article will Discuss the
Various Socket Types used
in Stage Lighting Fixtures
THE FOLLOWING MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED
WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR ©
The most important component of a stage lighting fixture is its electrical socket. Without it, most lamps cannot be held correctly, and, screw terminals and ferrule contacts excluded, none would have the electrical connections needed to emit light.
Various sockets have been developed over the years to provide the proper connection, orientation, and filament height, along with the mechanical abilities to hold the lamp and to dissipate some portion of the heat transmitted or radiated toward the socket. At least some of these different versions were only made because patents of a given socket type prevented usage by rival companies.
Here is an initial article that will discuss socket aspects in regards to the fixtures that use non-LED lamps. This will be followed by a reference table that gives the typical lamp base types with their common names and their IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) scoket designations.
Electrical sockets grew out of connectors for some lamps that had only screw terminals to attach the lamp to its voltage source. This method is still seen today in rough-service situations such as marine and railroad applications.
Sockets came about as a way to quickly replace failed lamps, and as an alternate method to hold the lamp in place. These sockets were originally made from metal with a cardboard insulator. Some very cheap sockets that used low-wattage, low-heat sources were made of metal that was insulated with wax! (These could still be seen as late as the 1950s in some parts of the world.) Later, an early type of plastic, Bakelite, began to be used; it, or a similar material is still employed today in low-wattage, typically residential, fixtures.
However, as light and heat output increased in lamps designed for performance and other demanding purposes, socket insulators began to be made of porcelain because other materials deteriorated too easily from heat. These are often encased partly or completely in metal for strength and heat-dissipation purposes.
Although lamp manufacturers work to improve existing products, new ones also come about because of the innovative methods of the fixture designers themselves. They want smaller fixture bodies with more efficient optics. This is especially true in projection and medical equipments; these demand more compactness coupled with new techniques of directing light to where it is desired. So new socket types must also be developed. The following table explores both old and new ones.
This table focuses on sockets used in entertainment
industry equipment. Be aware that some sockets appear
more than once because the table is cross-referenced.
Note that there are variations of many of these sockets as seen
by those in other professions, and that they have different
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) designations.
To directly locate a Socket without scanning the table,
please use your browser's built-in "Search" function.
For information regarding this feature,
go to Intra-Page Search)
Socket
|
|
|---|---|
|
Lamp Base and Description |
IEC Socket Designation |
| Bayonet: Single-Contact | BA15S |
| Bayonet: Double-Contact | BA15D |
| Bi-Pin: MR8, MR11 | GU4, GY4, GZ4 |
| Bi-Pin: Medium | G9.5 |
| Bi-Pin: Prefocus | G29.5 |
| Bi-Pin: Medium Prefocus | GY9.5 |
| Candelabra: Miniature (MiniCan) | E11 |
| Candelabra: Screw | E12 |
| Double-Ended | R7s |
| Extended Mogul End Prong | GX16d |
| Medium Bi-Pin | G9.5 |
| Medium Bi-Pin, Prefocus | GY9.5 |
| Medium Prefocus | PS20 |
| Mogul Prefocus | P40s |
| Medium Side Prong | G16? |
| Medium Screw | E27 |
| Medium Two-Pin | GY9.5 |
| Miniature Candelabra (MiniCan) | E11 |
| Miniature Screw | E10 / G4.5 |
| Mogul Bi-Post | G22 |
| Mogul End Prong | GX16d |
| Mogul End Prong, Extended | GX16d |
| Mogul Prefocus | P40s |
| Mogul Screw | E39 |
| Prefocus, Bi-Pin | G29.5 |
| Prefocus, Bi-Pin, Medium | GY9.5 |
| Prefocus, Candelabra | ? |
| Prefocus, Medium | PS20 |
| Prefocus, Mogul | P40s |
| Screw, Candelabra | E12 |
| Screw, Intermediate | E17 |
| Screw, Medium | E27 |
| Screw, Miniature | E10 / G4.5 |
| Screw, Mogul | E39 |
| Ferrule Contacts (No actual socket) | ----- |
| Screw Terminals (No actual socket) | ----- |
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Stage Lighting Socket Guide: Text Format
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