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MAC 550 not closing dimmer 100%


Ashley R

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Hi all

 

I currently have a pair of MAC550's here that for some perculier reason won't close thier shutters 100%, or even when strobing they wont strobe to black.

 

This was all using the fixtures inbuilt test mode, and manual mode. Yet to stick them into a console to see what the result is.

 

Also yet to open up the covers and check, but does anyone have any ideas?

 

A common problem I don't know about?

 

Cheers Ash

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Key question will be whether the two blades are moving in sync. If so then you have an electrical problem (a broken wire to one phase or a blown phase on the driver chip). If they are moving asymmetrically then a motor is at fault. This is aside from the obvious bent blade etc.

Dave

E2A: It won't make any difference if you connect a desk

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I'd check that the blades are actually tight on the shaft of the motor, this is a common problem with the MAC 550. If they are loose you need to recalibrate the shutter and then tighten the clamps of the blades, expect to repeat this process on occasion as the blades on the MAC 550 were without a doubt the weakest point of the fixture.
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I'd check that the blades are actually tight on the shaft of the motor, this is a common problem with the MAC 550. If they are loose you need to recalibrate the shutter and then tighten the clamps of the blades, expect to repeat this process on occasion as the blades on the MAC 550 were without a doubt the weakest point of the fixture.

 

 

 

Once I ran the fixture up with the covers off it was a quite a obvious problem, and John hit the nail on the head. One of the shutter's has become loose on the shaft, and was not operating correctly.

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the blades on the MAC 550 were without a doubt the weakest point of the fixture.

 

Really? I had some in a venue and just found them all round to be totally unreliable and they exhibited the behaviour of our 10 year old Martins when brand new.

 

I spoke to a popular Martin dealer and repair shop who said they refused to sell them to anyone because the fixture was just clearly not finished by Martin before releasing it. Why they rushed it out the doors I don't really know, it doesn't do anything special or fill a particular gap in the market. The only plus side to it all really is that if you don't mind fixing them all the time you can get them pretty cheap and they are a nice bright head.

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  • 1 month later...

to bring this back up, any suggestions for getting the blades to hold onto the shaft a bit better? I was thinking of some kind of high temp loctite (if it exists).

 

As even when I do a random strobe, just after they have been tightened up, after a while they start to slip again. But they are fine with just the normal open/close/dim

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If there is a model shop near you, go there and ask them. It sounds funny but they always sell lots of different glues, and there are many applications in radio control models where parts are attached to motors. most R/C models rely on servos throughout. My little buggy's gearbox is held on with some glue I bought in a model shop after the plastic it was bolted to cracked, it's held up fine for literally about 10 years where the bolts managed about 2...
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