Purchasing ACLs and Moles.. any suggestions?

[rosebudld]

Hi again, my employer is looking to for me to assemble a wish list of products that are frequently called for in a concert lighting scenario.. two of those being ACLs either on the ground or hung and molefays usually white.. I'm not having any luck finding suppliers and feel that perhaps I'm just searching in the wrong manner.. any suggestions on where to look on-line?

Thanks for your help!

[JD]

ACLs (Aircraft Landing Lights) are not a standard theater item. For instance, here is a page that covers ACL lamps:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...ndinglites.php

I did many concerts using PAR 64 cans loaded with GE 4559 lamps. NOTE THE VOLTAGE! They are 28 volt lamps with a 20 amp draw. These things kick, but you need to wire them up in sets of 4 that are in series. Although the total wattage load is 2400 watts (4 x 600), I found that running them of 2.4kw dimmers was problematic. A 3.6kw dimmer is the best way to go. Be careful! You need to equip these modified fixtures with an odd style connector so they don't get plugged in straight. Also, lamps should be age matched and run as a set, hopefully from the same manufacture batch as any imbalance can cause all 4 to blow. Also, you need to have your 64 cans modified. The ACL lamps are screw lug terminals. You should also block off the hole in the back of the can with some form of screen so that someone doesn't reach their hand in and touch the terminals. Remember, putting your hand in is SOP for regular 64's to aim the bulb. That is something you don't want to do! There is no UL rating for use of these lamps in a theater application, and I can not endorse their use or the modifications listed above for obvious reasons. In the world pf PARS, you have WFL, MFL, NSP, and VNSP. These would be considered VVVNSP !

All things said, the look is spectacular, but just watch your step on this project.

Oh, and shop around a bit on the price. The link above looked quite high.

[soundlight]

Thomas makes great blinders: http://www.jthomaseng.com/spotbank.htm

[icewolf08]

ACL Lamps can be purchased from most of the major lamp dealers like Bulbtronics, Bulbconnection, All Bulbs, etc. We have a couple ACL bars in stock, they get used a bunch even in theatre applications. The other thing that you have to bear in mind with ACLs is that the average lamp life is 25 hours. However they do create a very unique effect.

[len]

An ACL should be used infrequently, IMO. Too much use and they get boring.

I've never seen these live, but they really intrigue me. Next tour I design they're going. http://www.studiodue.com/products/cs2-4.html

[JD]

Originally Posted by len

An ACL should be used infrequently, IMO. Too much use and they get boring.
I've never seen these live, but they really intrigue me. Next tour I design they're going. http://www.studiodue.com/products/cs2-4.html

250 watt might be a tad weak. I like the 600's as they compete very well with 1000Q pars. There are also Q4559's that are quartz, but I have heard bad things about them. One kind of strange was I stabilized mine was to add auto-transformers. I had torn out an old transformer dimmer system and had the old 2500 watt cores. (Brushes, etc were trash.) I cut in the windings and installed taps, then mounted the whole thing in a pull-box. This way, the ACL's got their 28 volts no matter what! If they were all working fine, then the transformer did nothing. If one blew, it stopped the arc over by keeping the voltage constant, and the 3 remaining ones would work! (Ran on dimmers fine due to the % resistive load.)

Besides, can you think of any other use for old transformer board cores? Hated to throw them out. (They were only about 10 pounds once stripped from the frame.)
As usual, don't try this unless you know what you're doing! (Like you could really find old cores in this day and age )

[len]

Originally Posted by JD

250 watt might be a tad weak. I like the 600's as they compete very well with 1000Q pars. There are also Q4559's that are quartz, but I have heard bad things about them.

Well, these are dmx and I don't think I would want to be tweaking them, especially since they'd be leased.

Anyway, I've seen a video of them and they're a lot brighter than the wattage would indicate. Seems optics are making lamps more efficient all over, allthough I don't know how that is possible in this case.

[rosebudld]

In reply to you all.. thanks! My searches were just frustrating yesterday, and yeah ACLs are boring etc. Again, we're a roadhouse so we get lots of types through here and some of them want ACLs.. No problem there on the voltage and wiring them in sets of 4.. I'm even ok w/ the idea that they're 250W etc.

I was hoping someone actually manufactured them so I could check out the specs and quote the price to my powers that be.. otherwise I can get the bulbs and take some old P64 cans we have put them on a bar wire them up..

So, I'll check out all the links and find out some more info.. thanks again.

[Footer]

Check solaris and lightbroker, they usually have some mole-fays 8 lights and ACL bars that are pre-wired. Usually ACL's are put in the par64 "stubbys".

[sobenson]

I bought 4 Aluminum ACL bars from One Source in Charlotte, NC recently. They were about $215 each without lamps, clamps or safeties. In total it was about $275. PM me if you want the contact info.