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Thread: Modernising the Retro Roadshow

  1. #1
    Imagine's Avatar
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    Default Modernising the Retro Roadshow

    OK - bear with me on this one because it's a labour of love.

    I know this one's been discussed before (but differently)

    As most of you know - I have this beast known as the Retro Roadshow (just to cheer Peter up....picture below). In it's full format, it's 16 feet in length and looks majestic when it's in full flow.

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    It's going out on hire more and more at the moment (including a wedding of all things later this year), and I absolutely LOVE this setup because to my mind....it's how a disco should look (cue rose tinted glasses and teary eyes).

    However - it's becoming a right royal pain in the bum.

    The first problem is the heat. All told, it's around 2kw for the full 16ft show....which is hotter than the place Peter wants to sit his dieticians at times, especially in the summer. I know - it's how we used to roll but I'm getting old and heat doesn't agree with me.

    The second is the lack of reliable controllers out there now (especially those that do any sort of meaningful S2L functionality)....plus the reluctance of my PAT testing Chappy to perform the fat finger test to verify that they're safe. He'll test the controller - he won't certify the leads or the boxes though. Not because they're not safe (he's had them to bits and checked the physical wiring in them)....he's just not comfortable with 7 pins of 240v potentially being easily exposed to liquids (i.e. unused daisy-chains on the backs of the boxes and beer for instance....). Fair play to him....I understand that completely.

    The third - related to heat again, is that I keep blowing lamps left right and centre. With the insistence of venues wanting you out of the door quicker than a DJ getting to the buffet, the lamps aren't getting the chance to cool properly....and they don't like that. In establishments with RCDs on the fuse box....they've also been known to trip the power as the filaments short out.

    So - I'm looking to finally upgrade to LED. It's a complete strip down, removal of the old wiring and bulbs, and in a way sacrilege....but should also help to preserve the effect (for that's all I offer - I don't do vinyl and valve amps these days), for a long time to come.

    It's not going to be cheap either at around £50-£60 per box. Long term, it'll save money on lamps alone (yes...even they're becoming expensive)

    But - need input to make sure I'm going the right direction (probably more from Nakatomi than anyone since he's the sage of all things electronical)

    My idea?

    I've found these online

    Now, they're not the ones I intend to buy because I want 3 pin DMX, not RJ45....I'll keep looking. The point is that they're 12 channel DMX.
    All of my boxes contain 4 different colours (RGB and White)...so to my mind, these bad boy decoders can control 4 different channels of RGB LED strips (bear in mind the LED strips can be cut and joined so can "span" across the sections of the boxes they need to be in).

    I'm thinking of back-lining the boxes with reflective material (possibly something as simple as tin-foil), gluing LED strips around the edge of each segment angled towards the reflective material/tin-foil, and also adding DiFi boards to the decoder as I have with my LOVE letters (the 3 pin DMX in the previous paragraph by the way is for back up should the DiFi fail....as it does occasionally).

    To my own simple little mind, this would mean literally plugging in a 24v supply for each box and having full DMX control over the entire show (so more than just the current RGB...I could make all segments the same or different).

    I think in my own mind that this solution will actually work and be quite effective.

    The two outer boxes have already been "sort of" modernised as a test. They actually contain cheap Chinese UFO style lights which in real life behind the pearl perspex are quite effective.

    It's also a chance to make my own "patterns" - if you look, none of the boxes have any sort of logic to them and the two either side of the centre screen are actually FAIRY LIGHTS! I'm thinking of possibly reconfiguring the compartments to different shapes, which with LED I can do using cardboard if I want rather than trying to maniplulate and bend the hardboard that's currently in them. I also plan to re-glaze them all (either with the prismatic stuff in the bottom half of the centre box or the pearl in the top half....just need to find a supplier for those though).

    Am I barking up the wrong tree and thinking of doing the wrong thing here?

  2. #2

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    I think your idea is a really good one. You certainly wouldn't get any mileage out of replacing conventional filament lamps with LED bulbs if you're switching the mains on & off at them.

    I've been tempted to have a good bash at making a really modern LED screen (had thoughts about edge lit panels & all sorts) & since becoming something of a whizz with DMX I now feel equipped to do it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nakatomi View Post
    I think your idea is a really good one. You certainly wouldn't get any mileage out of replacing conventional filament lamps with LED bulbs if you're switching the mains on & off at them.

    I've been tempted to have a good bash at making a really modern LED screen (had thoughts about edge lit panels & all sorts) & since becoming something of a whizz with DMX I now feel equipped to do it.
    Phew - I'm in the right ballpark then...that's a relief

    I've ordered a 24 channel decoder and a strip of 5050 LED with various connectors to try on a spare screen I don't take out on the road just to see what it looks like. Total cost for the one box is £70 so the entire show isn't going to be cheap but if it works.......


    It feels sacrilegious to my mind to take the old girl from filaments to LED - but times change and it's the overall "effect" I'm looking for as opposed to being a purist.

    The bits will be here by the weekend. I'll post photos/videos of the effect on the test screen once in place

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    Just want to say thanks for the offers of controllers that are coming through on emails and PM's - really appreciated

    It's not just about the controllers though. Getting any sort of safety cert done on the leads and screens is getting harder, it's taking a lot of work to keep it going with lamp replacements and the like, and I'm now doing a lot of summer work with it (not pleasant with the heat it generates).

    I've got a LED DMX kit turning up over the next couple of days which I'm going to trial in a spare screen which doesn't go out on the road. I think I can pull the effect off without making a difference to the whole look of the setup, and if it works, there are a lot more positives than negatives in this one.

    It could be a whole new look and something completely different from anyone else at the moment.

    Of course I might just build an entirely new setup with new screens and leave the Retro one as-is to give me more options...that's a choice as well.

    Remember - I have a wedding that wants this look.....how cool would it be to magically make a retro looking setup (and it's only the look that I sell) glow in the bride's colour scheme of pink and blue for the first dance without having to go and buy pink bulbs and have dead segments because the bulbs in those ones are green and yellow?

    And the patterns I could achieve if the modification works via DMX could potentially be awesome.

    It's sort of like Steampunking the old girl

    Although it'll be a shame to move away from lamps - I think the Retro boxes could be in for a much longer lifespan yet with LED

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    Ezekiel 25:17 funkymook's Avatar
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    Looking at ti from a totally different angle, how about empty boxes (with the perspex fronts) and some short throw projectors? You could have so many different light effects, videos, photos etc as well as traditional lightbox patterns. Or TV’s of various sizes housed in the boxes if you didn’t mind the weight.

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    Quote Originally Posted by funkymook View Post
    Looking at ti from a totally different angle, how about empty boxes (with the perspex fronts) and some short throw projectors? You could have so many different light effects, videos, photos etc as well as traditional lightbox patterns. Or TV’s of various sizes housed in the boxes if you didn’t mind the weight.
    I looked at that idea about a year ago when I converted the two outer ones to UFO lights (I too liked the idea of complete control of effects and the possibility of photos/videos).

    It may have just been the projector I tested it with but it didn't really look that good in my eyes.

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    Love the retro lights.....always have and always will

    It is a shame that no one makes screens like that (but LED versions).

    Could be a new business idea for anyone who is woodworky minded.....

    Being from an 'old school dj background', I really miss the way we used to do business back then.

    Just my little two pence worth!!

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    Quote Originally Posted by mbp View Post
    Love the retro lights.....always have and always will

    It is a shame that no one makes screens like that (but LED versions).

    Could be a new business idea for anyone who is woodworky minded.....

    Being from an 'old school dj background', I really miss the way we used to do business back then.

    Just my little two pence worth!!
    Same here - and I'm not about to get rid of them any time soon. They go out on a lot of gigs that want that particular look and feel and I wouldn't change that for the world.

    Alas, it's becoming harder to maintain though.

    The only thing I'm effectively going to test is replacing the lamps with LED modules to make them more robust, cooler and ultimately more controllable. I haven't totally decided yet (the kit to test a screen with doesn't arrive until tomorrow afternoon), but it may be a case that I dual wire them so that they've got the best of both worlds (i.e. I can use either lamps OR LEDs).

    If all goes to plan, the customer shouldn't see any difference on the "normal" show because if I go LED only it'll be programmed to run the same as if it was just coloured bulbs (but obviously without the Bulgin plugs which is the main issue of contention at the moment).

    Whatever way I go, they'll still be segmented boxes like they should be.

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    Quote Originally Posted by mbp View Post
    Love the retro lights.....always have and always will

    It is a shame that no one makes screens like that (but LED versions).

    Could be a new business idea for anyone who is woodworky minded.....

    Being from an 'old school dj background', I really miss the way we used to do business back then.

    Just my little two pence worth!!
    I loved the infinity mirror screens. They would look excellent led stylee!

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    Quote Originally Posted by musicology View Post
    I loved the infinity mirror screens. They would look excellent led stylee!
    if you could scale this up a bit...............




    BTW , I love the look
    darylldj.co.uk , serving hampshire , Surrey and sussex

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