!980s Strand Lekolights

Scenemaster60

Well-Known Member
Hey there all!

I recently aquired a small inventory of late 1980s Strand Century Lekolights. I have worked with these instruments in the field on and off since about 1988. They were were always touchy from a bench focus perspective and, in my field experience, they were always lamped with either the 750 EHG or 1k FEL.

Since I had a lot of experience with relamping similar vintage instruments (Altman 360Q) with the GLA series of lamps I assumed that this would work with these just as well.

That would be a fail. The GLA lamps looked like hell in these instruments. Nothing that I could do in terms of focus or lamp alighnment was helpful. The light field was spotty and uneven.

My next "try" was to see what the FLK series of lamps looked like. These experiments went less badly, but it was still hard to get a truly flat field with that lamp.

Do these instruments simply NEED a coiled lamp filament that is at least 1" long to perform well? That is what my bench focus experiments have shown me in practice. I tried benching these instruments with the following lamps:
500 EHD
575 GLA
575 FLK
750 EHG
1K FEL

The results were as follows:
Best = 1 K FEL
Good = 500 EHD, 750 EHG
OK = 575 FLK
Poor = 575 GLA

I welcome your comments.
 
We have a ton of those fixtures and I've always stuck with FEL. I tried a GLD since we have some that we use in 360qs and I couldn't get it to look good. And I figure the optics are so terrible (especially in the zooms) that I might as well throw as much raw horsepower into them as I can.
 
Hey there all!

I recently aquired a small inventory of late 1980s Strand Century Lekolights. I have worked with these instruments in the field on and off since about 1988. They were were always touchy from a bench focus perspective and, in my field experience, they were always lamped with either the 750 EHG or 1k FEL.

Since I had a lot of experience with relamping similar vintage instruments (Altman 360Q) with the GLA series of lamps I assumed that this would work with these just as well.

That would be a fail. The GLA lamps looked like hell in these instruments. Nothing that I could do in terms of focus or lamp alighnment was helpful. The light field was spotty and uneven.

My next "try" was to see what the FLK series of lamps looked like. These experiments went less badly, but it was still hard to get a truly flat field with that lamp.

Do these instruments simply NEED a coiled lamp filament that is at least 1" long to perform well? That is what my bench focus experiments have shown me in practice. I tried benching these instruments with the following lamps:
500 EHD
575 GLA
575 FLK
750 EHG
1K FEL

The results were as follows:
Best = 1 K FEL
Good = 500 EHD, 750 EHG
OK = 575 FLK
Poor = 575 GLA

I welcome your comments.
@Scenemaster60 Can I assume your ellipsoidals were from Strand's black 2000 series; 2204, 2209, 2212, 2216 and 2112 inclusive?
In 1990 just before the Source Four exploded on the market, I opened a brand new theatre with over 200 of these in the inventory. Much has been posted on these, both here on Control Booth and on ProSound.
Strand obstinately decreed the correct lamps for the fixtures were the 1K FEL's but eventually tired of supplying new rear lenses under warranty for the 4.5 and 6x9's finally suggesting I should lamp those two down to the the 750 Watt EHG. A search should find much more about these here on Control Booth.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
Do these instruments simply NEED a coiled lamp filament that is at least 1" long to perform well? That is what my bench focus experiments have shown me in practice.
My hypothesis is that the "double-flatted" reflector is "tuned" to the FEL's filament geometry. I suspect the results would be equally as bad if one could put an FEL in a SourceFour.

Wasn't it you who found that the GLC-family gave exceptionally poor results in a Kliegl 1355?
 
interesting. I take it thes are radial fixtures now with a stacked compact approximating HPL like small filament lamp. Is it possible that the ellpse of the reflector was designed about a linear filament? We know Strand etc. version is well known for optics above other brands of the day. Perhaps slightly bent reflector the proper ellipse designed for the lamp so as to for the length of the filament? Might explain how I can get a perfect bench focus from a dual ended lamp 1964 3.5" Leko's . - first generation Leko designed for a halogen lamp. Believe what we are discussing is the Strand later Radial but halogen Leko. Don't know but very curious if the reflector is perhaps not a proper ellipse. Reflectors designed for known to the times longer filaments, and smaller length filaments don't work with them now? No idea but possible - sure for the age. Before this, it assumes bench focus (no offense) has been done right, and lenses are properly seated. Again no offense meant but stuff to cross of the list in why. Perhaps the ellipsoidal reflector in such gear is engineered to compensate for longer filaments? Modern lamps perhaps cannot be optimized in them as well? Should work but perhaps not?
 

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