Help needed with Par16's

[tokm]

Found sum accurate information from rich :)

 

it might not be the best idea to put them in the middle of a pub full of drunk people

 

But yes, Rich please, if your going to comment on something.. even if you don't know much about the subject. At least do sum research!!

 

*End of Rant*

 

Re birdies - Would their be sufficient load on a dimmer channel even with 4 birdies on?

 

Tom

[sparkyweb]

most dimmers would like to see approx 60watts minimum on them.

[Jivemaster]

Please check whether they are low voltage PAR 16s or mains voltage PAR16s, LV ones will likely have slim pins in the holder, mains ones larger pins, - did you get holders in the cans?

 

Any answers related to beam angle, wiring, connectors, and dimming are dependent on the lamps in use

[Pete]

IIRC,the 240v GU10 lamp bases lock much better than the 12v ones!

 

And r.e. beam angles from my warehouse days-the client will always want the lamps you took out two jobs before!

[SceneMaster]

I think that the problem with the par16's is not the brightness, its the beam angle. They do take quite a bit of throw to get a decent size spot on them.

 

So I must have been using magic birdies then (well they were White Light owned)? I installed a birdie which was about 1.5 mtr from the subject it was lighting the other day and it seemed to be able to up-light a whole person and I wouldn’t say 1.5mtr is a massive throw distance. It’s funny how often pro lighting designer’s plans that I rig to have birdies lighting from very small throw distances with no problems, yet apparently according to Rich they all have a beam angle problem. :)

[david.elsbury]

Correct, GU10's lock far better than MR16's which, generally, do not lock at all. However in my experience the GU10's are very very prone to blowing at the slightest hint of vibration.

[Pete]

Correct, GU10's lock far better than MR16's which, generally, do not lock at all. However in my experience the GU10's are very very prone to blowing at the slightest hint of vibration.

 

Theres also 24v Par 16 lamps-personally Id like to see these adopted by hire shops for "howie" style battens. The ones I used fitted the standard MR16 lamp base. 240v lamped battens would have their advantages though-becuase they would be wird in parallel if one lamp blew you wouldnt lose the whole string!

[Ynot]

most dimmers would like to see approx 60watts minimum on them.

Both our old Strand Permus and the new ETC Smart Racks (and, come to think of it the Zero Betapacks) handle a single birdie well enough. You perhaps get a better curve with 2 or more, but in a storm, any port will do.

[dbuckley]

I think that the problem with the par16's is not the brightness, its the beam angle. They do take quite a bit of throw to get a decent size spot on them.

So I must have been using magic birdies then (well they were White Light owned)? I installed a birdie which was about 1.5 mtr from the subject it was lighting the other day and it seemed to be able to up-light a whole person and I wouldn’t say 1.5mtr is a massive throw distance.

 

You may well have magic birdies, but in your eagerness to be belittling you are ignoring the data: PAR16s are available in beam angles from 10 degrees up, and as a front light at 1.5 meter throw, I'm sure you would agree that 10 degrees wont light up a whole person. On the other hand, a 60 degree throw will. Selecting the lamp with the correct beam angle is really quite important with all types of PAR lamp as it is the only variable you have control over.

[tokm]

Perhaps Rich has never come across birdies other than ones with a narrow angle before..

 

 

Both our old Strand Permus and the new ETC Smart Racks (and, come to think of it the Zero Betapacks) handle a single birdie well enough. You perhaps get a better curve with 2 or more, but in a storm, any port will do.

Only reason I asked was incase the low voltage that the transformer supplied and extremely low ampage would have an effect on the dimmer.

 

Remember once using some ancient green ginger dimmers (at school) where even when the dimmer was at 0%, the practical (25w table lamp) we had plugged into it was still still on! Kinda worrying if you think about it!

 

Back on the subject of birdies, what 'movers' and scans you using? Not sure even 4 birdies would show up much against even some DJ type units with 250w halogen lamps. But then again, you did say you wanted the band dark :)

 

Tom

[Ynot]

Back on the subject of birdies, what 'movers' and scans you using? Not sure even 4 birdies would show up much against even some DJ type units with 250w halogen lamps. But then again, you did say you wanted the band dark :)

Oh, I don't know. The thing with disco movers, even the 250W versions, is that they spend most of their life projecting thru gobos and colour filters, so a good deal of their lumens output is lost. So a handfull of birdies could well cut thru the darkness.

 

That's not to say it's the way I'd do the job, but each to his/her own.

 

TD

[kingpin]

Thanks for all the replies, just to clarify they are Par 16 12 volt Spot Lights made by DTS, they can take up to a 50w bulb. The movers and scanners are used mainly as disco lighting and are not often pointing at the band. I would ideally like to be able to control the pars using my laptop and DMX, can anyone recommend equipment that would allow me to do this.

 

Thanks again,

Andy

[Pete]

Can I suggest a search?

[gareth]

Perhaps Rich has never come across birdies other than ones with a narrow angle before..

Highly unlikely for someone who has, as he states in his profile, been working in "pro" lighting for the last three years. Unless that's a big ol' porkie, of course .... :)

[Bryson]

OK, folks. Open season on Mr Newby is closed. Move on please.