ACL definition

[jason5d]

what does does ACL mean in a concert lighting spec, Google is no help.

 

context: ACLs to be open white

 

thanks in advance

[stagemanagement]

ACL's are "Air Craft Lamps" and refer to the 28volt super narrow PAR lamps that they use for landing lights.

 

For a show spec'ing ACL's, I'd usually expect a number of 6-way IWB of PARs with CP60's or narrower.

[indyld]

ACL bars aren't the same as 6 lamp narrow CP60 PARs though. They are usually pairs of 4 lamp PAR cans with ACL 28v in them. All eight are wired in series.

 

AKA Aeros

 

Probably getting less common in hire stock these days. Narrow PARs are OK but aren't as beamy and don't flash as nicely. :-)

[TomHoward]

I've also heard ACL to mean Molefays/blinders as they took the ACL lamps. 8 to a fitting, wired in series to give (about) mains voltage.

[niclights]

That's possible but I would be surprised if that's what is meant here. Blinders are usually 650W/120v DWE lamps series wired in pairs. As Rob says 'ACL' normally means 4-way bar (usually PAR46 or 36) with 250W/28v lamps wired in series across a pair of bars. The DWE lamps are a flood whereas the 250W/28v's are narrow so you can get that lovely 'finger' fanned effect.

[Salazar]

On the North American side of the pond that would be a bar of 4 x ACL's (Aircraft Landing Lights) wired in series, with no colour. The bars of ACL's in our theatre use "GE 4553 (24799) 28 volt, 250 watt (Screw Terminals PAR46)" We have 6 of those bars in use.

[Young Johnstone]

I very rarely come across ACL's that are PAR 46, they're pretty much always 4 lamp bars of PAR64 size!

And someone will always forget the 110v cable to link the bars for them to work!

[sunray]

what does does ACL mean in a concert lighting spec, Google is no help.

 

context: ACLs to be open white

 

thanks in advance

 

The 'ACLs' we used to install in night clubs were a metal box with 2,4or8 250W 120V very narrow beam Par style lamps in a row wired in series in pairs, the lamps were pointed so they displayed narrow beams fanned out. Some were motorised so the box could rotate through about 120degrees. We found lamp failure to be a problem and often rewired for 110V, fitting a yellow site transformer for each unit. The 8 lamp unit included a 4 channel controller for sequencing etc which couldn't cope with 2 lamps in parallel so we removed them and sometimes installed the board in the 4 lamp unit, even the control mains transformer had 2 120V primaries.

 

I think they were DV2, DV4 & DV8's wit an 'M' prefix for motorised but the make eludes me.

 

There were also versions where the fan shape was motorised, so all the beams could splay to about + 60/-30 degrees but the mechanism was far too unreliable.

 

We also fitted 'rolling boxes' which some customers called ACL's, a long square box with 20 12V par36's, 5 each side wired in series. the box could roll or spin and the yoke could turn, a very effective display but very high maintenance, before we fitted them we installed a neon across each lamp to make failures easier to find, that became standard on later versions.

 

Both of the above were capable of having a gel fitted on each lamp.

[timsabre]

We also fitted 'rolling boxes' which some customers called ACL's, a long square box with 20 12V par36's, 5 each side wired in series. the box could roll or spin and the yoke could turn, a very effective display but very high maintenance, before we fitted them we installed a neon across each lamp to make failures easier to find, that became standard on later versions.

 

They were pinspots, not ACL's. The device was commonly known as a harvester because it looked like the front of a combine harvester.

[sleah]

We also fitted 'rolling boxes' which some customers called ACL's, a long square box with 20 12V par36's, 5 each side wired in series. the box could roll or spin and the yoke could turn, a very effective display but very high maintenance, before we fitted them we installed a neon across each lamp to make failures easier to find, that became standard on later versions.

 

They were pinspots, not ACL's. The device was commonly known as a harvester because it looked like the front of a combine harvester.

 

Pinspots were also first developed for the automotive industry, as I imagine were many of the 'PAR' range.

 

My feeling is that narrow beam PARs came from automotive spotlights and wide beam ACLs came from aviation lighting (as the name ACL suggests ;) )

 

So if the lamp is referred to as PAR, it was automotive, otherwise it was aviation. When talking round sealed beam lamps that is.

 

Does that sound about right? :unsure:

[Stuart91]

Pinspots were also first developed for the automotive industry, as I imagine were many of the 'PAR' range.

 

An elderly rock musician told me about his band's early attempts at concert lighting. They got 20 car headlamps, wired in series to run off a 240v supply, and pointed them out at the audience from behind the band, as a crude blinder effect. This apparently looked spectacular for several seconds before something burnt out and it all died...

[xllx]

what does does ACL mean in a concert lighting spec, Google is no help.

 

I always knew ACL as Air Craft Landing light

 

Very narrow beam, often used uncoloured to do beam effects in smoke/haze.

 

In the UK, usually PAR 64 lamps in standard ParCans the lamp used was a 4552, 28v 250w run as 8 in series.

 

Usually supplied as 2 bars of 4 with a series splitter either on the bar or at the dimmer.

 

Sometimes fitted to Socapex fed 4 lamp bars with a "hamster", a 15 amp to Socapex adaptor with the outputs of the Socapex wired in series. The two spare 15A sockets on the bar had series plugs inserted.

 

I used to work with one LD who specced 6 lamp bars, with 5 ACLs and a #5 110v lamp all in series (via a hamster). Used for table spotlights on big gala dinners etc.

 

A quick Google found this

[sunray]

We also fitted 'rolling boxes' which some customers called ACL's, a long square box with 20 12V par36's, 5 each side wired in series. the box could roll or spin and the yoke could turn, a very effective display but very high maintenance, before we fitted them we installed a neon across each lamp to make failures easier to find, that became standard on later versions.

They were pinspots, not ACL's. The device was commonly known as a harvester because it looked like the front of a combine harvester.

 

Yep sure are pin spots but that doesn't stop customers calling them ACL's, especially with the similarity of the effect.

 

It's a bit like calling a Dyson a Hoover.

[Jivemaster]

ACL Aircraft Landing Light. Came in PAR64 and PAR46 in 250 and 450w all extreme narrow spot. ACLs were all 28v because lots of aircraft were 28v, hence the reason for the series array to run on 240v.

 

These lamps were always run in open white because anything in front of the glass burned. The small fat filament was good for rapid flashing but these were never long life rated lamps -good for effects but not for general lighting.

 

The 28v 450w lamps had a warning on the box that they needed lots of free air cooling, they most certainly did! they were intended to have a 100mph wind onto the front glass!

[scjb]

Came in PAR64 and PAR46

And PAR36.

 

These lamps were always run in open white because anything in front of the glass burned.

Regularly used with Colormag in front of them.