techieman33
Well-Known Member
I was having the same thoughts as I was reading this. Something like this flexible led tape could probably be made to work if your creative enough.
I bet you could make this with some LED kit.
@Jeff Lelko I believe I suggested a neon shop 'way back in post seven.Thanks Jay, that's what I plan on doing. I had totally forgotten about the neon light industry, so thanks for bringing that to mind! I'll post back if/when I have a result. !
I believe I suggested a neon shop 'way back in post seven.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
@Jeff Lelko Be aware differing diameters and lengths of neon will require differing voltages to initially conduct and remain lit. Purists will advise of better operation with real inductive transformer / ballasts versus the smaller, lighter, less costly electronic versions. In the early to mid 1990's our shop built several Broadway and international sets with a substantial amount of neon, three of the longer tubes were approximately 30 feet each and required sizable, heavy ballasts for instant and reliable operation. They looked great but added substantially to the weight of the flown pieces.I still don't think it'd work correctly (or at least not as well), not to mention that it'd take away from the nostalgic ambiance of the halogen light source. Pursuing an LED replacement is definitely the Plan B though!
Edit: As an example of what I'm talking about, have a look at some of the modern LED effect lights. The Chauvet Rotosphere Q3 perfectly illustrates the concept of one beam per lens per source. As the sphere rotates, you can see the individual diodes come and go as the lenses pass in and out of plane. At high speed it's less noticeable, but at slow speeds a discerning eye will catch the artifact. While the added functionality is cool, this is yet another case where I'll take my halogen originals any day.
@BillConnerFASTC and @Jeff Lelko @venuetech and @Les While you're "throwing science" consider a larger diameter tube filled with argon rather than neon and look in to a variety of different internal coatings as well.Also glass tubing for neon bends around 1000 degrees F. Quartz glass around 3500 F.
In LED, you'd need something like 1 1/2 to 2 S4WRDs for lumen output. Like 250-300 watts of efficient LED.
Sorry to throw science into this but I am not optimistic you'll ever see this work as original. Best guess is to cruise eBay and such and hope to find a used one - and never run fir long above 50%.
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