Abrazor tool for LeMaitre Neutron XS

[Radiant]

Wednesday night the Neutron failed during our second service. The output dropped way down for a while, then it totally shut down and gave an error code. I was expecting this would happen soon. I got a substitute abrazor tool from Tulsa Scenic this morning, a spiral tooth scroll saw blade. Keith at TS said that's what he uses every time their Neutron comes back from a rental, and they've not had a problem with it in three years. I ended up using a dental pick to start the cleaning, as the saw blade would not start into the hole. After twenty minutes of scraping, sawing, and a smidgen of buffing with sand paper, the Neutron is back in service!

So, lesson learned. I'll begin regular cleaning of the machine, not just waiting until it's hours away from failure.

(Also picked up a roll of Apollo Foil, a half dozen sheets of Roscolux, and a sheet of Apollo "Fatherless Amber". I think. It didn't have a number on it. Meh, it's for an amber front wash - I'm not picky. One sheet of Roscolux is "Congo Blue", my first time with this color. I like shopping!)

[Van]

Originally Posted by Radiant

... I got a substitute abrazor tool from Tulsa Scenic this morning,

Is there still a company in Tulsa called "Ford.... " something or other ? Seems to me I remember going there to pick up gelsand such whenI lived there. 'course that was in the dark ages.

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by Van

... Seems to me I remember going there to pick up gelsand...

You actually used gelsand? Wow, you ARE old. I've only used sand having a crystalline structure, never of a colloidal suspension nature. Is this it?

[Van]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

You actually used gelsand? Wow, you ARE old. I've only used sand having a crystalline structure, never of a colloidal suspension nature. Is this it?

Derek, forgive me if I don't spell this exactly right as there are several variations , pbbbbbbbblpblbplbbbpbpppbpbpbpbpbpb! < raspberries to you my friend>

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by Van

Derek, forgive me...

Gosh, if only there we're some place we could chat, and not waste the precious resources of, or clog with this drivel, CB.

[Radiant]

Originally Posted by Van

Is there still a company in Tulsa called "Ford.... " something or other ? Seems to me I remember going there to pick up gelsand such whenI lived there. 'course that was in the dark ages.

Yup, Ford Audio/Video. I've been there a couple of times, quite a few years ago before I was involved in lighting. My parents' church had their sound system installed by them, and might still use them as a vendor for gear. I wasn't aware they offered stage lighting products, but that makes sense to me. To Ford, offering stage lighting products makes cents.

'course that was in the dark ages.

When exactly were the dark ages? Before the HPL lamp? Before Century-Strand? Before limelights? Or are you speaking more broadly - the dark ages before a techie is born, when he can to to the theater and enjoy the entertainment, without looking up to note gel colors and beam angles. The dark ages for some might be the silent ages for others, the years they spent innocently enjoying a play, and didn't note mic positioning and stray reflections.

[OnWithTheShow]

I love my Neutron...Been running strong for 5 yrs. ( i did have to replace a failed pump recently). It runs pretty durn quiet.

[pmgpriebe]

We have, for the most part, sold the 6 Neutron's that we have had in our rental department over the past 3 years and replaced them all with Radiances. One of the biggest pet peeves that people had with the Nuetron, was the auto-cleaning mode when you start it and that they had to let it auto-clean before they turned it off. The only problems I have ever seen personally over the years with the Neutron was that the element is real touchy and the pump occasionally goes out. Neutrons are not bad hazers for your average, run of the mill theatre. By all means an outdoor production it might take a few of them to get the results that you want, but I HIGHLY recommend the Radiance. As mentioned prior, it does have on-board DMX as well as you can set your on-board dmx wheels to run by itself while adjusting the output and the fan speed. The Radiance is very quiet if you want it to be while producing still a great amount of nice, even haze.

We have a few DF-50's as well, and by all means those units do just fine, but they are pretty loud for a few of the smaller venues that we do. I remember how amusing I found it the first time I took the reservoir cap off the top and haze started pumping out of it.

Also, the Unique 2 Hazer is also pretty good. The first time we got to see it was last year at LDI and then we quickly applied for our dealership. I would recommend either the Unique 2, or the Radiance, they are about the same price. (I defiantly lead more towards the Radiance).

The great thing about the Radiance is that about 75% of them serviced at our location is for the cleaning of the aluminum middle plate with ports that get clogged over time which is as easy as soaking it in hot water for half a day and simply wiping clean the ports. No need to replace it. The other 25% is the element that is in the bottom plate but we honestly don't get that problem to much even with units we have had sold for 2 1/2 years that use it at least 3-4 a week for about 3-4 hours a day. I by any means am not saying that it will never happen, lol. We have just had great experiences with the Radiance and have turned a huge number of our clients and touring bands onto them after letting them demo the units for a few weeks.

If you need more detailed information about these units, just let me know and I can post up the major differences in the units, videos we have made for customers and reviews we have had over the units.

[pmgpriebe]

Also, there are 2 Blue IIRC Wheels on the circuit board that you can adjust on the Neutron to increase or decrease the output. This is not in the manual, and this is not widely known to my knowledge. If you increase the wheel (I believe by turning it clockwise) it will pump out a noticeably more visual amount of haze, but it will cause it to 'spit' a little more than it use to. We did this for a few of the clubs we have done installs in to help them get the most bang for their buck. You don't have to adjust it much, as if you go to far, it almost puts it at zero.

I don't know if its recommended by Le Maitre, as I have never asked Jim if it damages the unit, but they have no problems that I have seen other than your average element and/or pump replacement over time.

[Radiant]

A while back I found a service manual for the Neutron. It comes in pretty handy. It lists the adjustment you mentioned, which I did turn up slightly. It also gives the meanings for the LED fault indicator, details how to clean the air pump (which is a $10 fish tank aerator, by the way), lists pin voltages, etc. Very handy manual to have. I'll try and upload it.