Lamp alignment & optimisation

[DonkiDonki]

Please can you all leave any tips for lamp alignment, for as many fixture types as possible?

 

In particular tips on the best way to ensure optimal alignment on a Martin Mac250 Entour, but I thought this could be a useful thread for anyone who has good tips for any other make or model.

 

 

Cheers

[gyro_gearloose]

Do exactly what it says in the manual! Just yesterday I realigned some Mac 500s we've hired for our panto. I've never worked on a Mac 500 before, but by following the manual I was able to easily get a bright even beam.

 

I started by removing the plate the lamp holder is attached to. The manual said that the lamp holder should be 38mm from the plate, so adjusted the three alignment bolts until this was so. I re-fitted the lamp, powered up the Macs and used the alignment bolts to 'tweak' the lamp focus very slightly until the beam was even.

[DonkiDonki]

Do exactly what it says in the manual! Just yesterday I realigned some Mac 500s we've hired for our panto. I've never worked on a Mac 500 before, but by following the manual I was able to easily get a bright even beam.

 

I started by removing the plate the lamp holder is attached to. The manual said that the lamp holder should be 38mm from the plate, so adjusted the three alignment bolts until this was so. I re-fitted the lamp, powered up the Macs and used the alignment bolts to 'tweak' the lamp focus very slightly until the beam was even.

 

 

Thanks for that, the manual is usually a good place to start but I'm sure some of the guys out there must have a few tips to share?

[gyro_gearloose]

Well that was kind of my point really. The manual really is the best place to start! One of the lamps I adjusted was so far from where it should have been that had I not read the manual, it would have taken me a long time to get it aligned properly. With the manual, it only took a few minutes.

[Martijn de Groot]

First read the manual (as said), adjusting (benching) tips are, first start up the fixture, focus it to a flat surface, make it sharp and then as open as possible, focus, zoom, iris all to 100%. try by moving the screws to get highest output/spot in the centre of the thrown beam. Look away sometimes, after looking in that light, your eyes are not telling your brains what's realy projected. After you have found the middle, try to turn the screws that way that the whole circle is getting evenly spread of light. (sometimes it will be a littlebit darker on the edges, matter of optics), then bring the iris, zoom, focus to the home possition and check if it still looks evenly white.

That should do it.

[DonkiDonki]

Thanks for the tips Martijn.

Maybe I should adjust the original question to ask if anyone has alignment tips which are better or even contradicting the manual version?

[Tomo]

Aligning basically any spot fixture:

Aim it straight at a flat surface, 90deg incidence.

"Donut" the beam - dim in the centre, bright around the outside.

Align the dim spot to the exact centre, then nudge in/out to make the field fully even.

 

- This can be a bit more difficult with the 3-screw style of adjustment - count your turns and go around the screws in one direction.

 

Until you've got some experience, make small, deliberate changes.

 

However, it's always best to check the manual first - if it says to start from a given plate distance, that's where to start from.

The manufacturer knows far more about the optics and the hardware than you'll ever want to.

 

- I've seen too many fixtures that were 'adjusted' off the end of the screws, and that can be very difficult to put back together.

[trusspin]

A wee "trade tip" I find useful is to focus the lantern onto a matt black surface. This makes it easier to see 'peakiness', where the reflectiveness of a light-coloured surface might overload your retina.

Not seen that advice in any manuals, but do try it - it works.

[KevinE]

With the 3-screw type. I usually start by setting the screws to the same depth and in the middle of their threads so I have maximum leeway. If it's in the workshop or somewhere light, I sometimes do a double-check after adjustment to make sure I haven't accidentally wound the lamp capsule into the reflector...though the spot should look pretty awful before this happens. The advice about a matt surface is good, and get it on a distant target if possible to avoid blinding yourself!