LED Par 56

[OllieJames]

Hey!

I've found some LED Par 56's for a really good price from Thomann. I'd want to use these for discos and some gigs i do sound & lighting at for teenage bands around Northampton. Would two of these be sufficient for a wash effect to compliment my scanners and gobo flowers?

CLICK (http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_led_par_56_alu_poliert.htm)

Thanks!

Ollie

[Danno13]

Yep, I use two and they're plenty enough for most rooms. I point them across the ceiling above people's heads as their a bit sharp on the eyes to look at.

[wensleydale]

i was tempted by those too- look like a good price
they seem to be able to stand alone too.

[OllieJames]

Yep, I use two and they're plenty enough for most rooms. I point them across the ceiling above people's heads as their a bit sharp on the eyes to look at.

Fantastic! I'll see if i can persuade the parents for a hand :p


i was tempted by those too- look like a good price
they seem to be able to stand alone too.

Yes, i may buy a dmx controller for them aswell, after time though, don'thave enough money at the minute!

[Danno13]

Do you mean stand-alone physically or stand-alone in terms of control/patterns?

[wensleydale]

stand alone in terms of patterns

[Tom]

I have 4 of those lights but in black. I like them for the price and they are rather bright aswell.

Here are a few pics of them in use

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb129/tommyboy6996/DSC_9471.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb129/tommyboy6996/DSC_9042.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb129/tommyboy6996/23082008117.jpg

[OllieJames]

Wow! They look great, thanks for the pictures Tom :)

If i get some, i'll start off with two because of money, then buy another two..

Do you controll them with DMX controller?

[Tom]

Ollie, Yes. Best bet to use them fully. You can set the dips so they run in cycles but not as good as a controller.


In some song where all the music cuts out you can turn all the par cans off, then fade them in for example. Good effect. :)

[Danno13]

stand alone in terms of patterns

Ahh, yes the slow colour fade is particularly useful.

If you have a DMX controller anyway, I'd use it as its so simple to control LED pars and knock up a few good patterns. And its handy to be able to set all to pink for slow/first dances.

[OllieJames]

Ollie, Yes. Best bet to use them fully. You can set the dips so they run in cycles but not as good as a controller.


In some song where all the music cuts out you can turn all the par cans off, then fade them in for example. Good effect. :)

Cool :)

Here's a question for you... I'm useless with DMX, i want to get into it properly however... is it possible to run a series of scenes for led par cans, at the same time as running a series of scenes for scanners?

Thanks

[Tom]

You can.....but it will just look mush. If you plan to use the built in microphone in the dmx controller then the lights will just strobe. Not a good thing for aunti mable 70th.

I usually get my roadie to press the scene buttons in time to te music. Might sound weird but he knows what colour is on each scene and can mix about with the colours ect.

Scanners and par cans can be linked up but I woudnt advise it. I would say maby go pc based with that one. I tryed my scanner on the dmx controller and the they would just flash and move all over the place, not in time to the music at all. :(

[OllieJames]

CA-8 for the scanners it is then ;)

Mum likes the idea of them, so we'll see! :p

[wensleydale]

ok- one more question on this- my dmx controller is 4 channel, and these are 5 channel- anyone know if you can tell what you will "lose" if I try and use my current controller?

[OllieJames]

ok- one more question on this- my dmx controller is 4 channel, and these are 5 channel- anyone know if you can tell what you will "lose" if I try and use my current controller?

Don't you have a 'page' button, so it enables you to use the first fader as the 5th one?

[Dillmiester]

Be warned that they cant slave.
As in you cant connect them together and tell them to do the same thing without using a controller.
If you just let them run sound to light they look crap as mine have different sensitivity, so one will go mad and the other change slowely giving a rubbish effect. You cant adjust sensitivity either, just the speed which didnt make enough difference.
I now use two of them with a DMX controller and think they are a great addition to the set up. Great for providing general light washes when needed and I have programs which let them match the colours of what the scanners are doing with a strobe effect. Great value, light weight and good effects.

[Dillmiester]

ok- one more question on this- my dmx controller is 4 channel, and these are 5 channel- anyone know if you can tell what you will "lose" if I try and use my current controller?

I thought they were 4 channel?
Red
Green
Blue
Fade

Ill have another look.

[wensleydale]

I thought they were 4 channel?
Red
Green
Blue
Fade

Ill have another look.

it says 5 but i am happy to be corrected.

[wensleydale]

ok- one more question on this- my dmx controller is 4 channel, and these are 5 channel- anyone know if you can tell what you will "lose" if I try and use my current controller?

bit of a bump to see if any lampies know the answer to this question.....

[Tom]

bit of a bump to see if any lampies know the answer to this question.....

When I use my controller I have to use channels 2,3 and 4 to change the RBG

Not quite sure what channel 1 is for but still working that out. When you slide it up my par cans go red but when I play with channels 5,6,7 and 8 they go weird and strobe and all that.

I think your 4 channel controller will be fine as you will only need channels 2,3 and 4.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Freaky!!!
I was only looking at these last night. I want a set of 4 and am looking to get some around christmas time. There are a number of venues and pubs around my way that put on live music but don't have lighting and if they do, they are disco lights (Scanners etc that don't really look the part or do the job). I thought I might invest in some not just to colour wash the walls at functions (I have some Source Abyss lights that can do that) but more for bands. It's something else I can offer is the way I look at it.

[wensleydale]

Freaky!!!
I was only looking at these last night. I want a set of 4 and am looking to get some around christmas time. There are a number of venues and pubs around my way that put on live music but don't have lighting and if they do, they are disco lights (Scanners etc that don't really look the part or do the job). I thought I might invest in some not just to colour wash the walls at functions (I have some Source Abyss lights that can do that) but more for bands. It's something else I can offer is the way I look at it.

they seem like as good a deal as you can get at the moment- just need to decide if i chance it with my existing controller or go for the 4 head package that they do....

[groovy-nights]

I am guessing but the channels could be
channel 1 or all dimmer and strobe
channel 2 red
Channel 3 green
Channel 4 blue
Channel 5 Pre programmed chases
This controller will be great for them
http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_ddc6_dmx_controller.htm

[501damian501]

if these par cans have no slave, how do you link them together ?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

DMX I would have thought....

[super-hero]

I bought the set of 4 and controller and they are great. What I have found so far is that, as Dillmiester says, they don't link in stand alone mode, and the speed control on the back is a bit rubbish. The first time I used them without the controller and I had to set them to chase mode, as music mode just made them go mental.
The controller does not come with any programs or chases built in, so you have to do them all yourself. This is a bit of a pain if you are lazy like me. But it does make you learn how to program the controller, which is a good thing.

What I have done with my lights is run the par cans off the first 5 channels of the controller and then used the spare channels to run some moonflowers and scanners. You can then adjust the colour of your par cans to match your other lights to create some nice effects.

I have also added a power out cable to the par cans so you can link them together. So that each par can has 2 iec cables, one in and one out.
I have also added frosted gels to them to diffuse the led's a bit.

I will try to add some pictures to show what I mean.

All in all they are good lights and well worth the money. And if you can afford to get the package of 4 and the controller then that's the one to go for.

p.s I got the par 64's as they seemed the better option for me.

[BrightLights]

I've got quite a few of these *ahem*

They're great for the money, and very versatile. Personally I almost always use them on DMX, but the standalone modes are usable too.

2 or 4 work well for lighting a dancefloor, and they're very effective for uplighting walls.

[JAMdisco]

When I use my controller I have to use channels 2,3 and 4 to change the RBG

Not quite sure what channel 1 is for but still working that out. When you slide it up my par cans go red but when I play with channels 5,6,7 and 8 they go weird and strobe and all that.

I think your 4 channel controller will be fine as you will only need channels 2,3 and 4.

Yep mine is the same - I think channel 1 is used to power up the unit but for some reason mine also go red when I slide it up.

On a more important note, I was speaking to John from Twinspin who bought 4 of these LED PAR 56's from Thomann and he said that on one of them the blue LED's just stopped working.

The exact same thing happened to one of mine on Saturday night. Apparently Thomann are very good at replacing but the phone calls are very expensive (I think John said his was around £12 on a mobile).

I feel a lot of emails coming on.

Not sure if it's a common problem but thought I'd share it anyway :)

[501damian501]

cheers i,ll hold back untill they fix this problem.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I bought the more expensive Visio pars from this country and have had no problems at all. :thumbsup:

[blitz]

take a look at my uplighting video in thre gallery, I'm using the thomman led pars for uplighting etc

[JAMdisco]

I'm not saying it's a known problem, it just seems a little coincidental that one of mine has the same fault as one of Twinspins. Apparently they gave him a new one with no questions asked and, if this is true, it would seem that they know of this issue.

[JAMdisco]

Just a quick update on the blue LED failure on my PAR 56's.

I emailed Thomann and got a reply within 24 hours (quite good I think considering the time difference and all).

Basically, what they said is that each 'bank' of LED's has it's own fuse. i.e. one for red, one for green and one for blue. They are sending me a few replacment fuses and instructions on how/where to fit them. As soon as I receive the fuses and info I will post pics on how to do this on here.

I think John (twinspin) should've emailed them too rather than ringing, would have saved a small fortune.

[501damian501]

am gald to hear this, i was going to buy 4 earlyer on in the week, but i holded off because of this post, its abit rubbish how the fuses are going so quick, will this be an issue all the time ?

[JAMdisco]

am gald to hear this, i was going to buy 4 earlyer on in the week, but i holded off because of this post, its abit rubbish how the fuses are going so quick, will this be an issue all the time ?

Well, I've had mine since May (almost 6 months) and this is the first 'issue' I've had with them. They do get bumped around abit really and I've used them a lot, I haven't got a case for them yet and this could be part of the reason.

I think that replacing a fuse every now and again isn't a big deal, how many lamps would you go through on 250W effects and how much are they (last count I spent around a tenner for one :eek: )

[501damian501]

true, but i wonder what sort of fuses they going to be ?

[JAMdisco]

true, but i wonder what sort of fuses they going to be ?

As posted previously, when I find out I will let you know! :bang:

[501damian501]

when i was saying by that i ment, english ones or german ones, or which ever country the company is based.

[JAMdisco]

when i was saying by that i ment, english ones or german ones, or which ever country the company is based.

They are based in germany, but I'm sure the fuses will be source-able in this country.

[Excalibur]

Well, I've had mine since May (almost 6 months) and this is the first 'issue' I've had with them. They do get bumped around abit really and I've used them a lot, I haven't got a case for them yet and this could be part of the reason.

I think that replacing a fuse every now and again isn't a big deal, how many lamps would you go through on 250W effects and how much are they (last count I spent around a tenner for one :eek: )

Actually, I think last count I spent that tenner, not you. ;) :D :D


true, but i wonder what sort of fuses they going to be ?

Fast blow , at a guess.

when i was saying by that i ment, english ones or german ones, or which ever country the company is based.

Ah sorry, I misunderstood. What's the exchange rate of German amps to English amps at the moment? :confused:

[501damian501]

Fast blow , at a guess

yeah thats the rubbish, i dont want.

[yourdj]

They are Rubbish, i just bought 13 and half the blue bulbs are not working. they are only 3 month old! got some other ones aswell and they are good (ledj)

[501damian501]

do you think its worth me parting my cash with these ledj ones ?, other then these cheap nasty ones from germany, which sound a complete headache ?

13, are you mad lol

[Jiggles]

They are Rubbish, i just bought 13 and half the blue bulbs are not working. they are only 3 month old! got some other ones aswell and they are good (ledj)

Dry solders?

[501damian501]

Dry solders?

its just the germans selling us rubbish :D

like the other countrys trying to scam us.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

its just the germans selling us rubbish :D

like the other countrys trying to scam us.

Can you stop posting such complete nonsense please?

[Jiggles]

its just the germans selling us rubbish :D

like the other countrys trying to scam us.

They get the stuff from China like what we do!!!! :bang:

[501damian501]

am sorry darren, but come on, you buy german stuff it blows up, refuses to work, am sure thats why they took to building their cars on british soil.

please feel free to delete.

[Jiggles]

That post or your account?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

That post or your account?

Don't tempt me. :p


am sorry darren, but come on, you buy german stuff it blows up, refuses to work, am sure thats why they took to building their cars on british soil.

please feel free to delete.

I was talking about your 'other countries are out to scam us' comment. As far as I'm aware there are no facts to back that up with.

[Jiggles]

Don't tempt me. :p


:sj:

[Tom]

I have bought 4 LED par56 cans from thomann and they work 100%. I will be buying another 4, maby 8 at a later date.

[yourdj]

do you think its worth me parting my cash with these ledj ones ?, other then these cheap nasty ones from germany, which sound a complete headache ?

13, are you mad lol

No as i have not paid for them yet as they were from a club ceiling. The manager decided they were not for the club. now i know why. He can have the asking rate and £1 off for each bulb gone. im looking at £2 for a few of the lights :D

The others are great (ledj), totally worth the money! i use four at most gigs and they are great apart from every child wanting to pick them up though.

Whats the deal with dry solderson the others? do you think my amp/speaker man could fix them :confused:

[501damian501]

oh you talking about the ones off ebay, i saw the other day ? looked to be stored in his shed ?, he has a werid shape trussing thing on their aswell ?

[JAMdisco]

Well I've been very happy with mine for the last 6 months until this little mis-hap. Hopefully will be sorted very soon.

I suppose it's the same with all newish technology - time is the greatest test, something which cannot be found out until something goes wrong. :)

[JAMdisco]

Well, the fuses came (3 of them to be precise) in a jiffy bag. Also received a pigeon english email on how to disassemble the cans.

What a nightmare :bang: :bang: :bang:
They have 3 screws with a nut on the inside which once taken off (used a pair of scissors to stop the nut turning) will not go back! The gap down the inside is about 3mm. The instructions said to hold the nut with a spanner :confused:

Finally got the front off (after about 2 hours) and changed the fuse - it works ok now so that was the problem. Thing is, I'm going to have to find a different way to secure the front. It doesn't come off when held upside down but the fact is, it CAN.

If this happens again I will be tempted to ask for a replacement. What a messing about. :bang:

[501damian501]

why a pair of scissors, a nice small pair of long nose pilers would of done the job

[Excalibur]

Well, the fuses came (3 of them to be precise) in a jiffy bag. Also received a pigeon english email on how to disassemble the cans.

What a nightmare :bang: :bang: :bang:
They have 3 screws with a nut on the inside which once taken off (used a pair of scissors to stop the nut turning) will not go back! The gap down the inside is about 3mm. The instructions said to hold the nut with a spanner :confused:

Finally got the front off (after about 2 hours) and changed the fuse - it works ok now so that was the problem. Thing is, I'm going to have to find a different way to secure the front. It doesn't come off when held upside down but the fact is, it CAN.

If this happens again I will be tempted to ask for a replacement. What a messing about. :bang:

One word mate. ARALDITE. :D

[JAMdisco]

why a pair of scissors, a nice small pair of long nose pilers would of done the job

There's no way you would get long nose pliers down the side (3mm remember) and about 2" down.

Araldite might be a good (if not permanent) solution (pun not intended)

[Excalibur]

There's no way you would get long nose pliers down the side (3mm remember) and about 2" down.

Araldite might be a good (if not permanent) solution (pun not intended)

To clarify, you use the Araldite to make the nut captive, so that you can then unscrew it easily.

[JAMdisco]

To clarify, you use the Araldite to make the nut captive, so that you can then unscrew it easily.

Ah, yes! Old and wise master.
I must remember to be mindful of the force and to keep on the path of light. :D ;) :p

[Excalibur]

Ah, yes! Old and wise master.
I must remember to be mindful of the force and to keep on the path of light. :D ;) :p

And to get my website running. ;) :D

[JAMdisco]

And to get my website running. ;) :D

It's nearly done.;)
Should be round either late this week or early next week (actually, I'm at Cave Castle on Saturday morning meeting a couple to talk about their wedding) so could pop round around midday on Saturday if you're free?

[Excalibur]

It's nearly done.;)
Should be round either late this week or early next week (actually, I'm at Cave Castle on Saturday morning meeting a couple to talk about their wedding) so could pop round around midday on Saturday if you're free?

I'm at Cave Castle Friday night. If I just stay in the Car Park overnight, give us a tap on the window. :D

[blitz]

how about changing the nut/bolt with pop rivits, ok there pretty permanent but can easily drilled out if you need in the can again

[501damian501]

am sure you can put them back together agian.

[JAMdisco]

am sure you can put them back together agian.

Really? you go and buy one and try and disassemble and reassemble.
I think you'll find unless you've got specialist tools, it can't be done without some form of modification.

[Excalibur]

Really? you go and buy one and try and disassemble and reassemble.
I think you'll find unless you've got specialist tools, it can't be done without some form of modification.

Ah yes. Toys and Playtime. :D Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, nice. :D :D

[JAMdisco]

Ah yes. Toys and Playtime. :D Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, nice. :D :D

Weirdo! :p

[501damian501]

so whats the outcome then justin and how does this form of modification work aganist the warranty ?

did you get the staireville dmx controller for them aswell ?

[sp-entertainment]

i'm interested in getting some of these how long do they take to arrive

i'm not really bother about the blue light issue as I'm electronic savvy so stripping them to change the fuse isn't a problem as it sound's to me they haven't accounted for the blue LED's drawing more current then the other colours

[JAMdisco]

so whats the outcome then justin and how does this form of modification work aganist the warranty ?

did you get the staireville dmx controller for them aswell ?

The outcome - they now work! Still haven't got round to sorting the nut and bolt issue but the led panel doesn't fall out, in fact getting it out was a nightmare.

I got the stairville 6 channel controller with them - they're about £30 i think.
I got the lot for £160.


i'm interested in getting some of these how long do they take to arrive

i'm not really bother about the blue light issue as I'm electronic savvy so stripping them to change the fuse isn't a problem as it sound's to me they haven't accounted for the blue LED's drawing more current then the other colours

I think they took about a week to arrive - I'm still impressed with them.

[sp-entertainment]

great thanks that means they should come friday hopefully as i ordered them monday that give me a week to set them up for there first outing

[JAMdisco]

great thanks that means they should come friday hopefully as i ordered them monday that give me a week to set them up for there first outing

I think a week to set them up is a bit long :D
Took me about 10 mins :D :p ;)

I think you'll be pleased - and I hope they arrive soon for you.

[sp-entertainment]

thats including doing the lights shows with my scanners aswell :D

speak of the devils they arrived today now thats quick 4 days from purchasing :eek:

now just need to change the plugs and get them programmed ect

[501damian501]

i'm interested in getting some of these how long do they take to arrive

i'm not really bother about the blue light issue as I'm electronic savvy so stripping them to change the fuse isn't a problem as it sound's to me they haven't accounted for the blue LED's drawing more current then the other colours

maybe a higher rating fuse, would sort this issue ?

[Kernow]

maybe a higher rating fuse, would sort this issue ?


And turn a par-can into a flame effect !!! :eek:

[501damian501]

And turn a par-can into a flame effect !!! :eek:

cant be no better than being cooked to death by mackies :D

[soundtracker]

cant be no better than being cooked to death by mackies :D

What a wonderful double negative, please transcribe!