Cheap Strand 300s?

[Amy Worrall]

Yes, I'm browsing lighting consoles on ebay again. (Everyone needs a hobby!)

 

My question is: why are Strand 300s so cheap? From reading about them, they seem very functional and quite well regarded… so why are there a bunch of supposedly working Strand 300s (like this one) from American sellers on ebay for very little money? What do they know that I don't?

 

Amy

[ianknight]

Spare's are an issue and getting someone to repair them - the only commonality they share with the 500/500 series is the operating Software GeniusPro.

 

The 300 Mainboard does all the work that 2 or three cards and a PC motherboard did in the 300 series - if it stops working - the desk is more or less scrap.

 

Also - in comparison to ETC Ion, Zero88 Orb/FLX or Chamsys MagicQ - the software features that one would want to use to control LED's is more cumbersome than trying to use a Sirius 48 to control 10 Mac 500's. Creating fixture definitions in GeniusPro isn't especially intuitive and nor can GeniusPro work 'with' you to create palettes for colours, effects and so on - from memory (and it was sometime ago that I did fixture editing on GeniusPro) you can't make attributes easily LTP or HTP individually (if at all).

 

I like Geniuspro - always have since my 430 desk but it's day has passed and there are better desks (and more repairable desks) for controlling fixtures, LED's and doing clever things with them.

[paulears]

Things have seriously moved on since I bought one in 96 - so that's 20 years with no development. Lovely controls, but not elderly, more geriatric now - DOS type screeen disiplays, no possibility of graohics as every control has now, and complete inability to cope with the creation of fixture library files that can do what modern ones can. A shame, but as has been said, their day is done. No spares, no support, no development = that's not helpful really is it?

 

I note the link is actually to a pile of useless junk, as the actual computer section is NOT included - just the panels that do nothing at all without the 300 rack unit.

[vinntec]

From memory, shouldn't there be another box (processor module?) with hard disk etc in it? I can't see it in the photos or is my memory clouded? "If it's not in the pictures and it's not in the description then its not included."

[gareth]

Wouldn't touch that particular listing with a very long barge-pole. The seller clearly has no idea what they're talking about. The item description says "good working condition", and "if we say an item works, it's guaranteed to work". It also says that anything that's "not in the pictures and description isn't included" - so I'd love to know how they'd guarantee a working 300 console which doesn't include the processor box! What's in the pictures is just the face panel - without the processor, which contains the guts of the system, it's just a very expensive door-stop.

[paulears]

It's dropped drastically in price and now says no brain, so for parts.

[Theatermeister]

However, the consoles have a weak spot . If the internal battery runs out , the motherboard is scrap . I have five 500 consoles fortunately the battery has been replaced as timely . I think the consoles still very good and reliable.

[alistermorton]

As long as the battery hasn't leaked like the one in my lbx did it's /relatively/ easy to change them when they go

[Theatermeister]

LBX I have two that are also saved . LBX and GSX I like to prefer to work with .http://file1.npage.de/001672/92/bilder/gsx_batterie.jpg