Carbon Arc Troupers

[Oldschool]

I am a newbie and found this site while looking up info on Troupers. I am in the business of selling used AV and lighting gear online. We just received a pair of Strong Super Troupers (type 19601-8) and a few dozen boxes of Marble Production Carbons - both positive and negitive. Even though my handle on this site is Oldschool, I have never set up a Carbon spot. So here is the question......Is there still a market for these guys? They appear to have been dorment for some time - Are they safe to operate - will a venue still allow them on property? Is there anyone in the Atlanta area that is familiar with the set up and would drop me a note or a call? I guess that is enough questions for my first post. Thank you in advance for any help or information you may provide.

[JD]

The full instruction manual is still online at their website: Strong Entertainment Lighting » Home
The site will not let people direct link, so what you want to do is go there, click on Resource Center, Select the following:

Strong Followspots >
Trouper Family >
Super Trouper (Carbon Arc) >
Instruction Manual >

As for using them, I know indoors is a no-no due to ozone and other reasons. They contain Asbestos as well.

A real classic! I used to love them, and probably spent better than 500 hours running them as an op.

Makes me long for yesterday

[Oldschool]

John - Thanks for the reply and link info. I already had the manual and it talks about the "art" of striking the carbon and if you do it wrong it blows out the core material on the positive carbon. This definitely makes me not want to mess with them too much. I think the broader questions are really what you spoke to regarding indoor use and the fact that they contain Asbestos. Still wondering if there is an Atlanta connection out there.

[JD]

Welders know well about the "art" of striking an arc. Yea, a bad strike can mess up the tips a bit, but they usually straighten out in a minute or two. It's really simple:

1) Power off.
2) Rack out the holders and install the carbons.
3) Open the iris and douser and look in the mirror....
4) You will see a little white bead reflected in the reflector. (Light coming backwards from the lens.) Adjust the carbon tips so that they are about a 1/4 inch apart, with the bead in the center.
5) Close up the light, close the douser and power it up.
6) Using the forward handle (+ or Suprex holder), pull it back until the tips touch (you will hear the arc) and then let the spring action pull it forward like you are letting the clutch out on a car with a manual transmission.
7) Align the arc gap and forward/backward position using the projection card, or open the douser and adjust for the most even light field. Too tight an arc will make it yellow, too wide an arc will make it blue and it may sputter and drop out.

Your best market for these would be with collectors and museums. Most of us love the light due to growing up with it, and like a fireplace, it has a "romantic" charm! As for actual performance use, I don't think it is generally allowed.

Shame though, I still feel it has better spectral qualities then the newer xenons & HMIs.

[Van]

I wasn't aware that there were any reg's against thier use, just that they needed to be preperly vented etc. As far as Asbestos goes doesn't strong have an update kit for them? remember not all asbetos is bad. < silly but true> There are conversion kits as well that will allow you to update a carbon arc to an hmi, or is that something that has gone out of style as well?

[LightStud]

The conversion kits available in the 1980s were to convert the carbon-arc to a Xenon source, not HMI. Most localities' Clean Air Acts would prohibit the use of a device that emits massive amounts of carbon monoxide indoors. Even if the fixtures come with a 30-year supply of carbons, no one will want them.

The fixture was discontinued by Strong in 1982 for many valid reasons. Though many LDs lament their loss, today they would be considered unsafe and possibly illegal. Plus the fact that expert operators are becoming extinct daily.

[SteveB]

Originally Posted by LightStud

Plus the fact that expert operators are becoming extinct daily.

It's not quite that bad. many of us "Expert Operators" will (hopefully) be around another 30 years and having operated countless carbon Troupers, Supers and Gladiators in too many venues (my own included), I will NEVER forget how to run one.

Steve B.

[derekleffew]

For the youngsters who have no idea what is being discussed.

[JD]

Originally Posted by LightStud

Though many LDs lament their loss,

<lament>
....lament ... lament ... lament .....
</lament>

Yea, I did the Xenon upgrade on a few of mine. May still be available and would turn it into a valuable piece! The only problem I had was that the transformers were in the bases and if you removed them, the bases were too lightweight. So, you had a heavy base, and a new ballast box for the xenon lamp. Some of the last Supers build had the separate transformer box as pictured in Derek's post above. Those would be an easy swap-out. Not sure which models you have. Way back when, the kit was about $3,500 and would turn the antique boat anchor into something that would compete with a $10,000 spot these days. Food for thought...

Originally Posted by LightStud

Plus the fact that expert operators are becoming extinct daily.

Actually, there is a huge untapped pool of operators that never ran a trouper.... Projectionists! The changeover in the movie theater industry was pretty slow so most "non-young" projectionists have run carbon arc projectors. Whenever I was short a spot op back in the 80's, I would check with the projectionist's union.

[Dustincoc]

One of the small theaters in Buffalo still uses Carbon Arc movie projectors. They also have a Wurlitzer organ that is used regularly but looks like like frankenstein(they collect parts from Wulrlitzers in places that are being demo'ed and add them to theirs.

Edit:
It's the Riviera Theatre in Buffalo.

Thay also still use 25Hz power in parts of the Basement(It's too expensive to have the place rewired, It's mainly a volunteer run theatre). If I remember right from last time I was on the stage, they still have a resistance dimmer board SR