I love my Intimidator 305s...but

[Imagine]

OK - I'm not replacing the 305's.....no way on earth....they're just too good. But they're black.

And this leads me into a dilemma.

I have an "all white" wedding rig as an option for customers and it's doing rather well. Trouble is, they don't make Intimidator 305 rollers in white and they stick out like a sore thumb on the all white rig :( (or they do to me at least).

So.....what are the options?

1. Purchase a second pair of 305's and spray them white. Tempting, but it's a hell of a lot of money to turn around and get the Wilko spray paint onto and invalidate the warranty (even DJKit's Black Friday deal brings them in at £339 apiece)
2. Find some sort of thermo-plastic vacuum moulding company that can make white push on covers. Is this possible? (I'm genuinely interested if somebody can make a plastic cover that "snaps" over the front of them at a price less than a pair of fixtures)

Which leads me onto the third and most likely option....

Is there anything else on the market which is similar, cheaper (bear in mind they're going to need to be sprayed white so in effect need to be "disposable" as the moment I spray them...the warranty's dead!), as bright (the 305s are like looking into the sun at 60w!), and most important....have the ability to change Gobos (I need to be able to fit heart Gobos for the obvious reason).

Or is there something which has a heart Gobo as standard? (I haven't found anything yet).

I'd obviously prefer barrels, although I'm open to ideas.

I splashed out (stupidly in hindsight) on a Dynamic 25 barrel a while ago - looks nice in white and as bright as the 305's but you can't change the Gobos (unless someone's found a hack for that), so they're out of the question. I need the heart gobo for the cake cutting and the first dance (it's what I do!).

What I will say....the only two gobos I tend to use for a wedding are the heart and open....both in white. Colours for the scanners aren't important as the other fixtures take care of that side of things.

Budget-wise...hmmmm...... I don't want to spend a fortune as I'm going to paint them. They definitely need to be less than a brace of 305's though....

So ladies and gentlemen....as ever the floor is yours.

[Benny Smyth]

I can only approach this as a man who is a) currently rather drunk and b) who really can't grasp the concept of a whole white setup, but have you had any feedback from anyone about them? Might not be worth worring about.

Short of that, keep them behind the booth until it turns dark (Which, at this time of year, is rerelatively early) and bring them out when needed.

Short of first dances happening at lunch time, that'll buy you at least six months before you'll have to worry about it.

[rth_discos]

It's £100 cheaper, but not a barrel - but comes in white already, and already has a heart gobo inside...

https://www.djanddiscostuff.com/lighting-c1/moving-heads-c11/fusion-100-spot-white-housing-p3623/s3803

I'm guessing when they pay extra for an all white set up, look is very important to them - probably more so than the light show - so I'm guessing any lighting needs to be very tidy. These can be placed in the corners of the booth facing towards the ceiling, so might reduce the number of lights that need to go in the air?

In fact, I wonder if ground place lighting, washing the ceiling would bounce enough on to the floor to remove the need for any lighting in the air? Now that would be very tidy looking!

I can see you're as fussy as I am about how things go - if you're going to do something, you'll be doing it properly!

[Imagine]

It's £100 cheaper, but not a barrel - but comes in white already, and already has a heart gobo inside...

https://www.djanddiscostuff.com/lighting-c1/moving-heads-c11/fusion-100-spot-white-housing-p3623/s3803

Yes I'd looked at those. The BIG downside for me on those is that you can make them point downwards unless they're mounted on an overhead bar (i.e. you couldn't plonk them on a plinth and angle them at the floor). I would assume mounting them on their sides is a big no-no as well.

Doesn't really help for things like nice hearts either side of the cake when it's cut or during the first dance.

[Steven]

OK - I'm not replacing the 305's.....no way on earth....they're just too good. But they're black.


Racist.



I'm the same, i'm in a strange position we have 3 of them and i'm tempted to get another and spray a pair of them.

I also have been thinking if there was anyone that vacuum forms locally that i could take a load of lights to and it would solve a lot of problems.

[Imagine]

Racist.
I was waiting for that one :)




I'm the same, i'm in a strange position we have 3 of them and i'm tempted to get another and spray a pair of them.

I also have been thinking if there was anyone that vacuum forms locally that i could take a load of lights to and it would solve a lot of problems.


The only thing that really puts me off spraying it that they'll chip (my MegaTriPars on the t-bar I made up already have).
However....I may have a cunning plan involving some sheets of thermoplastic I've just purchased from Amazon and a hot-air gun to make removable covers which sit over the front of them.....watch this space :)

[yourdj]

Use wireless DMX and put them in a different part of the room, e.g. on the other side in the corners. :)

[rth_discos]

The new gravity stands are excellent for this. Not a tripod in sight.

Great idea Toby.

[Imagine]

Call me old fashioned....I'd still worry about punters pulling things over though with things away from the booth (it's bad enough when I put the LOVE letters away from where I'm working)

[Imagine]

Eeeee....just had a cracking idea on this one whilst taking the fixtures to bits to clean them and put in the snowflake gobos ready for silly season....

Does anyone know if Chauvet have a UK based parts centre? I'm thinking that if I could obtain a couple of the bottom front plates (the bits with the RC window in them), I could spray those white and leave the rest of the fixture as is. OK, it wouldn't be entirely white....but that particular plate is the majority of the visible casing and I'd more than likely get away with it being classed as a white fixture by most brides :)

[Imagine]

I've done it :) (well...I cheated).

Those who have followed this tale of woe for the past 6 months may recall I purchased an Acme Dynamic 25 roller a little while back and sprayed it white (and it looks good). I had a little idea this afternoon which has paid off.

"Officially" the gobos are non-replaceable.....or are they? :) :confused:

As it happens, with a lot of care, a miniature saw and a file, you CAN fit your own gobos to it. I've just fudged an acetate heart (not ideal because my printer won't go black enough), but the concept works.

Projected Image will be delivering the proper gobo in the next couple of days and I'll stick a couple of pics up for anyone who's interested.
Provided it works as I'm expecting it to - I just have to find another Dynamic 25 to make a happy pair :)

[Steven]

Damn! i was hoping you were going to try the plastic and heat gun so i could see if it worked or not ha!

i need to convert another pair of lights to white to compliment the white 255 heads but they don't do the ones i want in white!

[mattydj50]

Eeeee....just had a cracking idea on this one whilst taking the fixtures to bits to clean them and put in the snowflake gobos ready for silly season....

Does anyone know if Chauvet have a UK based parts centre? I'm thinking that if I could obtain a couple of the bottom front plates (the bits with the RC window in them), I could spray those white and leave the rest of the fixture as is. OK, it wouldn't be entirely white....but that particular plate is the majority of the visible casing and I'd more than likely get away with it being classed as a white fixture by most brides :)

www.chauvetlighting.co.uk

Unit 1C Brookhill Industrial Estate, Nottingham NG16 6NT 01773 511115

I've had a few bits from there in the past.

[Excalibur]

I just have to find another Dynamic 25 to make a happy pair :)

Not one, not two, not three, but four!! (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/acme-dynamic-25-roller-LED-Barrel-scanners-x4/332454917553?hash=item4d67db75b1:g:2ykAAOSw1cNaEVt 3)

Or have you got the moonflower?

[Imagine]

Not one, not two, not three, but four!! (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/acme-dynamic-25-roller-LED-Barrel-scanners-x4/332454917553?hash=item4d67db75b1:g:2ykAAOSw1cNaEVt 3)

Or have you got the moonflower?

Seen them - didn't want 4 of them so moved on.

[Excalibur]

Seen them - didn't want 4 of them so moved on.

Now here's a leftfield idea. Buy 'em all, and sell the surplus. :whistle:

( If they'd been on Ebay before I got the Fusions, I'd have done that ) :(:(


OK, Single. (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DYNAMIC-25-BARREL-Acme-Light-Effect-25W-Cree-LED-Barrel/141869247306?epid=1930075321&hash=item210810eb4a:g:LqsAAMXQNo5Ta4us)

Twice the unit price of the four, though.

[Nakatomi]

I've done it :) (well...I cheated).

Those who have followed this tale of woe for the past 6 months may recall I purchased an Acme Dynamic 25 roller a little while back and sprayed it white (and it looks good). I had a little idea this afternoon which has paid off.

"Officially" the gobos are non-replaceable.....or are they? :) :confused:

As it happens, with a lot of care, a miniature saw and a file, you CAN fit your own gobos to it. I've just fudged an acetate heart (not ideal because my printer won't go black enough), but the concept works.

Projected Image will be delivering the proper gobo in the next couple of days and I'll stick a couple of pics up for anyone who's interested.
Provided it works as I'm expecting it to - I just have to find another Dynamic 25 to make a happy pair :)

Well, I've had an idea about getting whole gobo wheels made to replace the UTTER :Censored: CRAP ones ALL movers seem to come with as standard, budget or not. Yes, that involves measuring the entire wheel, CAD'ing up a new wheel featuring useful designs which are actually applicable to us and yada yada yada. But being a massive tightwad I've been looking for a cheap laser cutting place to make a prototype. It's probably worth giving a proper gobo maker a call to see what they can do though isn't it.. My little movers' gobos are so :Censored: I just leave em on open all the time.

What I'd love a lighting manufacturer to answer for me is this: WHO THE HELL EVER THOUGHT A BIOHAZARD SYMBOL WOULD BE A GREAT GOBO TO INCLUDE?!

[Imagine]

What I'd love a lighting manufacturer to answer for me is this: WHO THE HELL EVER THOUGHT A BIOHAZARD SYMBOL WOULD BE A GREAT GOBO TO INCLUDE?!

Funny enough....that's the one that's been cut out :)
The Projected Image gobo will be here by the end of the week and I've ordered a custom size to fit the hole I've created (it's a metal gobo so neatness of the hole isn't that important).


Now here's a leftfield idea. Buy 'em all, and sell the surplus. :whistle:
Too much hassle and too much other stuff going on at the moment. Plus there's always the chance of getting stuck with them and they're not that good.



Twice the unit price of the four, though.
Saw that one too...laughed at what the joker was expecting and moved on :)

[Nakatomi]

The funny thing: If I do manage to get my gobotracers retrofitted with some gobos that don't suck...

"Hello bride to be, would you like hearts and/or stars projected around you during your first dance? That'll be £££ extra please... <clickety in QLC+>". :rofl: No, I wouldn't really do that, would I?

[Steven]

The funny thing: If I do manage to get my gobotracers retrofitted with some gobos that don't suck...

"Hello bride to be, would you like hearts and/or stars projected around you during your first dance? That'll be £££ extra please... <clickety in QLC+>". :rofl: No, I wouldn't really do that, would I?

Now now Justin Play nice, its not as naff as some may think :wacko:

Anyway hearts and stars are yesterdays news, Spotlighting is back baby!

[ppentertainments]

Anyway hearts and stars are yesterdays news, Spotlighting is back baby!
I hope not - Hearts and Stars are great for my business :(

[Nakatomi]

Now now Justin Play nice, its not as naff as some may think :wacko:

Anyway hearts and stars are yesterdays news, Spotlighting is back baby!

Try front spotlighting :rofl:

[Steven]

Try front spotlighting :rofl:

Got some gravity stand uprights on base plates now so i might just do that ;-)

[Imagine]

Ta-daaaa!!!!!

Who said static gobo's weren't replaceable? :)
Just need to lay my hands on a second one of these at a very decent price and I'm laughing :)

18461

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[Benny Smyth]

Well done, Wayne - great work!

[Nakatomi]

Great stuff! But I was rather looking forward to seeing photos of the guts to see what you did :)

[yourdj]

Just read this but seems you have it sorted. This guy used to live down my road too.

18470

[Imagine]

Great stuff! But I was rather looking forward to seeing photos of the guts to see what you did :)

Sorry - forgot photos of that part :(

For reference though - it's actually fairly simple...

1. Remove the gobo wheel (that's the tricky bit...you need to remove ALL of the case screws from the bottom of the fixture to give you enough wriggle room to remove it from the motor shaft, and then there are two allan screws attaching it to said shaft to content with....you'll need a long allan key!)
2. Decide which of the current gobos to sacrifice. They're physically cut into the metal disc as opposed to being proper gobos. I used one which was fairly round and just "opened it up" with a file and a saw, although nothing to stop you drilling it out. You may also need to remove the dichloric glass as well, which is glued over each cutout.
3. Order new gobo. I went for metal gobos from Projected Image and a custom size of 22mm with 17mm viewable (that's just the size I ended up with once I'd finished butchering the wheel).
4. Superglue new gobo over the hole you've created and if needed, reattach the coloured glass panel (I left mine in white).
5. Reassemble - job's a good-un.

In all seriousness though...will get some photos of the process when I do the next one

[Nakatomi]

Ahh figured about as much. My cunning plan involves making an entire new wheel. If it works it could even be a nice aftermarket mod to sell... There's a pretty big potential market out there seen as so many builtin gobos are awful.

[Excalibur]

Ahh figured about as much. My cunning plan involves making an entire new wheel. If it works it could even be a nice aftermarket mod to sell... There's a pretty big potential market out there seen as so many builtin gobos are awful.

Funnily enough, my mind was working along those lines. It's often easier and quicker to fabricate a whole new item than butcher/modify/repair an existing, as I have demonstrated in the day job before.