TomPearceGeek Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Hey Guys and Gals. I am ordering some Moving LED Washes. That's not the problem... I am trying to decide, how many lights I should put per flight case. The cases are bespoke as the lights not by one of the main manufacturers and the manufacturer does not produce a case. I have prices from flight case suppliers for cases with 4, 6 and 8 slots for heads and a 'storage section' for cables and such. I Have heard arguments for 4,6 and 8 between friends but trying to make the decision is the tricky thing. YES I could have batches of 4 units out in smaller cases which is great, but sometimes people need 8 units which would be great in a 8 way case. But what if I have an 8 way case, but the client only want's 4 units... I am sure you can see my predicament. What are people's thoughts on cases? The units are fairly small so the cases with 8 units are only W:1m, H:0.5m, D:0.5m so not exactly huge! Any advise or additional thoughts to think about would be great! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 The question is, how many fixtures do you want to invest in in the first place?The standard for medium sized wash lights is 4 to a case, and so I would probably go with that.It also comes down to the size venues they would be used at, if a venue is more likely to want 4 than 8, then the smaller is going to make more sense. Edward Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niclights Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 I think this is something only you can answer really as it probably depends on how you or your clients typically use them. But the in terms of additional thoughts I would say weight - does this matter? For example is this a factor for your transport? Would a larger case require more persons to load/unload and is that relevant? Similarly, does the size of the case matter for transport (ie. are vehicles typically small where smaller cases might be better or, if large trailers are more common is it better to have sizes that fit nicely across the trailer width etc.) And which size is best for storage, both during events and when not in use (and is no. of persons required to move in storage important)? Perhaps the one thing I would check is whether clamps/hooks can be left on while in the cases. If they are to be hung it can save time during rig/derig to pre-attach clamps and leave attached at the end of the event, especially if they are not omega type. (Are those measurement correct? 8 in 1m x 0.5m seems very small!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImagineerTom Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Weight A box that size looks like a 1 person lift so make sure the total weight (including the case & cables) isn't more than 25kg so that one person can pick it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Pearce Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Look at sizes and weights of each option. Can it be handled (and tipped?) by one in the back of a sprinter?Will it fit through a single door to get into venues with awkward load ins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Weight and size. You don't want anything larger than the dimensions of a bog-standard GP case ... and you don't want anything that, when loaded, is not easily moveable/tipable by a single person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPearceGeek Posted January 29, 2017 Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 The question is, how many fixtures do you want to invest in in the first place?4 Units to begin with, in groups of 4. I think this is something only you can answer really as it probably depends on how you or your clients typically use them. (Are those measurement correct? 8 in 1m x 0.5m seems very small!)Personally, If I am using them on a gig with me, 4 wouldn't be enough. I would probably use 6-8 at a time. Exact measurements found below :) Look at sizes and weights of each option. Can it be handled (and tipped?) by one in the back of a sprinter?Will it fit through a single door to get into venues with awkward load ins?Because of the size of the units, and the proposed size of the case, it should be very manageable on it's wheels by a single person. Equally, for tipping purposes it shouldn't be too bad. Each light is about 5KG x (4, 6 or 8) plus the weight of the case (your guess is as good as mine?!) All very good arguments and points which I do respect. To clarify, here are the measurements I have from one of my suppliers 4 Units Per Case + Storage (including clamp staying on unit)Length (mm) Depth (mm) Height (mm)686 422 592 6 Units Per Case + Storage (including clamp staying on unit)Length (mm) Depth (mm) Height (mm)686 628 592 8 Units Per Case + Storage (including clamp staying on unit)Length (mm) Depth (mm) Height (mm)998 527 592 Each light is the following dimensions H:300mm W:198mm D:149mm Each Unit is about 5kg with Clamp on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.elsbury Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Be aware that you will probably not ever get the same Chinese fixtures twice when buying in lots of 4, spaced out. The manufacturer will "improve " the model, - different binned LED chips mean slightly different colours. Different DMX personalities. Different stepper motors that move at a different speed. I appreciate it's not always easy for you to front the cash. But probably not recommended. Paulears has plenty experience of this exact thing ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPearceGeek Posted January 29, 2017 Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 Be aware that you will probably not ever get the same Chinese fixtures twice when buying in lots of 4, spaced out. The manufacturer will "improve " the model, - different binned LED chips mean slightly different colours. Different DMX personalities. Different stepper motors that move at a different speed. I appreciate it's not always easy for you to front the cash. But probably not recommended. Paulears has plenty experience of this exact thing ? I appreciate your advice. Units are from UK supplier / manufacturer. These units are just to add to my existing stock which consists of higher end equipment, for the lower end market and for quick and dirty jobs. Still need to protect the investment though :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImagineerTom Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 5kg each means a case of 4 is going to max out your 1 person lift. A case that size is going to weight 6-10kg depending on the material/spec, allow another 1kg for cables & bits and a box of 4 will be pushing 30kg which is just about manageable as a one man lift but still pushing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJones Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 I'd get a couple of singles, or doubles so that you can send spare fixtures out aswell, or easily send a replacement fixture out of the door, with out putting it in a cardboard box. Maybe look at buying a standard GP case and use inserts and cable dividers so that you can be flexible about what goes in the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 The word 'tip' made me shudder. One thing I have discovered is that Chinese case plastic is quite weak and unless your cases have the inserts really well designed tipping will crack them very easily. This might make the 4 in a box easier to manage as bigger cases get tipped far more often than stacking smaller ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPearceGeek Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Thanks for the replies guys. I am going to go with 4 per Case :) All feedback and further feedback is fully apreciated :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beware Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Case for 4 with wheel holes on the top to stack a second case. Then easy to wheel 8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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