Cyberlight CL questions.

[SHCP]

Hi all,
I just received a donation of 3 cyberlight CLs and a controller. We have a large pavilion that would really benefit from some additional lighting, and this kind of lighting would really be ideal, especially since it is free.

If they are operable, is it worth the expense of installing them, or is it smarter and more cost effective long term to purchase and install more modern instruments? These guys are almost 20 years old.

What should I be looking into in order to make a good assessment?

Any advice is appreciated.
Tim

 

[Les]

I believe the Cyberlight needs 240v power, so working off that assumption, it should be worth it as long as getting power to them is cheaper than buying new instruments. The lamps are expensive, but you only have three instruments so that won't be a huge set back. If in good condition, those old HES/Lightwave Research lights will last just about forever.

Some primary things is check for are overall cleanliness, and take a look at the power input board - specifically near any jumpers - for arcing. You'll want to meter the Power Factor capacitor (carefully) to make sure it is within spec. You can (and should) check this with the power off and the unit unplugged. Capacitors can store quite a bit of charge, so get help if you are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the process. With a bad PF cap, your fixtures will draw too much power which can trip breakers, overwork electronics and otherwise just be very inefficient. The PF capacitor is a large silver can - the ignitor will be similar but smaller. I'd stay away from the ignitor. If the lamp strikes, it works. Metering it could easily blow your DMM and anything else that happens to be in the way.

Then, just power on the fixtures and listen/watch the homing cycle very carefully. Make sure every action happens, and listen for squeaks, watch for binding wheels, etc. I'm not sure how noisy the irises on the Cyberlights are. On my old Intellabeams they were very noisy, and I was told that it was normal.

After that I'd just go through each channel on a DMX board to confirm that everything works as it should. I would start with a fresh lamp if possible.

If you need any parts, LightParts down in Austin should have anything you'd need.

You mention needing additional lighting -- what type of lighting are you needing? These are great at what they were designed for (moving concert type effects). If you're wanting them for "re-focusable specials" there are better options out there.

Make sure your rigging is up to the task as well. As you know, these guys are heavy.


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[coldnorth57]

http://www.highend.com/pdfs/products/cyberlightturbo/cyberCLSV.PDF

here is a place for parts for these old units

http://www.lightparts.com/highend/cyberlight_list.php

 

[SHCP]

Thanks for the helpful advice. They look pretty clean. My next step is to fire them up and see what I am dealing with. I do understand that they are very noisy, so I am not putting them in my theater. I will try and get some quotes on installation so that I can give the school information on whether we should install these at all in our our pavilion.