Wall Washer with no DMX in venue.

[/skn]

Hi guys. Not something I normally get involved with so apologies if I use the wrong words or sound clueless (I am!)

 

I'm having a prop oven built for a show (big enough for a person) and the performances are in promenade so no DMX facility. I would normally leave the lighting to the tech guys (and there was talk of fitting LEDs on site and just use with a fogger), but I thought I could perhaps get the gear built into the prop at design stage.

So I'm thinking an LED wall washer (perhaps the Equinox LED RGB Power Batten) fired at the back wall to represent the jets of an oven. I was then thinking a portable DMX machine, like one of the Chauvet Obeys. Hopefully be able to create a fire/flame effect pattern but I need the DMX to have a memory or a way to remember the instruction, rather than someone furiously pressing buttons! The oven is only open for a very small amount of time (with smoke used), but the effect would show through the 'grill' throughout. Maybe a 30 second pattern which is repeated over an over. Or if there is another wall washer with inbuilt programmable features?

A quick search suggests several obey models, so advice welcome on an entry level model that would do what I need. Or if there's another way I might have missed, happy to hear ideas.

[alistermorton]

When you say "no DMX" - do you mean there is no way to directly get DMX from the main lighting system into the oven to control the washer?

 

If that's the case, could you use Wireless DMX? You could do it with a couple of the low cost ones you can find on eBay such as these or these or from Thomann or you could hire in a solution such as an RC4 transmitter and receiver from TPP.

 

What's your budget? Do you already have the washer. You could possibly use LED tape to simulate the flames, and run an effect on the main desk, or LED birdies, and hide a rechargeable sealed Lead Acid battery in the prop.

 

[/skn]

Thanks Alister

 

The show is in promenade in an old factory so takes place in different areas (including outside), so no central DMX (is how I understand it). I don't already have the washer, I was thinking I'd acquire a set up which if anyone wanted to hire the prop would be an optional add on (and some toys for the man-cave). Happy to spend the required amount to achieve the desired effect and an easy set-up (so preferably not too home made looking). If it were to be hired, imagine would be theatres with better infrastructure, so something that could tie in easily.

When you say "no DMX" - do you mean there is no way to directly get DMX from the main lighting system into the oven to control the washer?

 

If that's the case, could you use Wireless DMX? You could do it with a couple of the low cost ones you can find on eBay such as these or these or from Thomann or you could hire in a solution such as an RC4 transmitter and receiver from TPP.

 

What's your budget? Do you already have the washer. You could possibly use LED tape to simulate the flames, and run an effect on the main desk, or LED birdies, and hide a rechargeable sealed Lead Acid battery in the prop.

 

 

 

 

[alistermorton]

Where are you based? Might be someone nearby who has done this sort of thing before could chat with you and get some ideas going.

 

E2A

 

Also, I'd have a proper discussion with whoever is doing the lighting before you start thinking about adding portable control desks into the mix. They may already have a solution in mind which will avoid you reinventing wheels or stepping on each other's toes. Lighting in props is the sort of thing that usually gets raised at the technical planning stage and does need to be coordinated before work begins.

[/skn]

You are of course right, this is a world away from 'proper' work for me (as you can tell)! My thoughts were more building a standalone prop with feature that has hire potential, but take into consideration the initial scenario. I was hoping to buy the prop that someone else had made, but the owners now only want to hire it (which is of course fair enough but we've built just about everything else, so wanted the full prop set). If we had bought the prop, the lighting guys were happy to light it as required, but thought as one was now being made, I could give some thought to it in the design.

[Don Allen]

It could be set up as a stand alone prop by using a microswitch on the door to start the smoke machine and led fixture or tape or whatever running. Try keeping it simple, have a manual smoke machine if you can run a power cable to the prop and use the microswitch to run the smoke when the door is open and stop the smoke when the door is closed. Look for something led with an inbuilt chase or flicker effect that can be manually triggered.

[alistermorton]

Good suggestion.

 

If worst came to worst you could knock up a controller with a pi/arduino/propellor whatever to do the flicker effect.

[dosxuk]

A bit of pixel LED tape, a simple micro (off the shelf arduino?) and the requisite electronic / software knowledge would provide a suitable standalone effect that would loop forever. It doesn't sound like you actually need DMX for this application, in fact it looks like it's making it more complicated and expensive.