Has Anyone Tried Converting Old Movers
- Thread starterlightman02
- Start date
Bubby4j
Active Member
I've considered it - some problems are that if you want RGB you'd have to redo the control board. If just white it'd be easier.
From what I've seen though, the highest power single LED is only on the order of about 6,000 lumens, and costs something like $60 each. It'd be pretty expensive to match the brightness of an arc lamp, and difficult to put many LED chips in a small enough space.
From what I've seen though, the highest power single LED is only on the order of about 6,000 lumens, and costs something like $60 each. It'd be pretty expensive to match the brightness of an arc lamp, and difficult to put many LED chips in a small enough space.
It could be theoretically possible, but it would take an enormous amount of work. You'd have to completely rework the optics. All fixtures are very finely tuned to make use of a point source of light, as well as the specific optical qualities of the lamp that it was designed around. Your optical efficiency would plummet, even if you could get it to operate.
If you have a bunch of old carcasses laying around, I would start with a wash. That should simplify things a bit, but you're basically using old parts to design a completely new fixture.
If you have a bunch of old carcasses laying around, I would start with a wash. That should simplify things a bit, but you're basically using old parts to design a completely new fixture.
Back to shop lately were a bunch (ton) of moving light fixtures that were turned into moving light reflector mirror fixtures. Just mirrors on state of the art moving light fixtures. The entire moving heads of the moving lights have to be reinstalled part by part in being glad I don't work on movers other than dealing with lamps for them.
Making a LED moving light, was probably a wash fixture back than. LED moving lights these days in quality, put a question of is it worth your time and effort? Different power supply, programming, reflector (probably), heat sink assembly, base as it were - in other words for the most part starting over other than for the effects features.
Good R&D / play time project if that's the goal but not worth the time or cost if wanting to use as per a fixture = will take more R&D also in not being dependable for a long time if attempting to save money for a dependable light needed for a coming show.
That said... go for it, heck I have made pendant light color changing LED balloon, and often Fresnels as prop lights, even some Leko's with different sources of light including now A-19 lamp Leko's. This in addition to MR-16 Leko's and box spots. Currently sitting on an early 70's Mole Fay 5-light that I was toying with the idea of making into LED for a work table light. That was the easy part, the harder part was in the rigging so I could use the switches. I prototype concepts in part for a living and one would not believe the volume or stuff I get to come up with. This on conventionals though in not getting into electronics types.
Fun and adventure part of knowing gear and figuring out how to do something else with it from converting Euro fixtures to US lamps that will work, to making 10K Fresnels into 2K Fresnels or LED source type of stuff. You learn a lot - though it is a lot simpilar if you stay on the conventional lighting part while learning.
That all said... books upon books read on my part and a lot of asking other's with lots of experience in the shop for advice. Make it safe is also valuable in starting on the easy side first and building up to a goal. Learned a lot over 20+ years in the field of wiring lights.
Making a LED moving light, was probably a wash fixture back than. LED moving lights these days in quality, put a question of is it worth your time and effort? Different power supply, programming, reflector (probably), heat sink assembly, base as it were - in other words for the most part starting over other than for the effects features.
Good R&D / play time project if that's the goal but not worth the time or cost if wanting to use as per a fixture = will take more R&D also in not being dependable for a long time if attempting to save money for a dependable light needed for a coming show.
That said... go for it, heck I have made pendant light color changing LED balloon, and often Fresnels as prop lights, even some Leko's with different sources of light including now A-19 lamp Leko's. This in addition to MR-16 Leko's and box spots. Currently sitting on an early 70's Mole Fay 5-light that I was toying with the idea of making into LED for a work table light. That was the easy part, the harder part was in the rigging so I could use the switches. I prototype concepts in part for a living and one would not believe the volume or stuff I get to come up with. This on conventionals though in not getting into electronics types.
Fun and adventure part of knowing gear and figuring out how to do something else with it from converting Euro fixtures to US lamps that will work, to making 10K Fresnels into 2K Fresnels or LED source type of stuff. You learn a lot - though it is a lot simpilar if you stay on the conventional lighting part while learning.
That all said... books upon books read on my part and a lot of asking other's with lots of experience in the shop for advice. Make it safe is also valuable in starting on the easy side first and building up to a goal. Learned a lot over 20+ years in the field of wiring lights.
I don't think it would be worth the effort as an individual. Some companies are creating LEDs that have the shame shape and light output pattern as a traditional lamp. Mole-Richardson, has a retrofit led lamp for some of their fixtures that works this way. Pretty cool, but requires a lot of engineering and custom made products. I doubt it would be easy with off the shelf LEDs. Replacing the lamp and reflector. Also with the price of new fixture coming down fast, I don't think all of the other problems that come along with old fixtures make it worth while.
lightman02
Active Member
Thanks, that was a very good read, I'm still messing with stuff but I have not had the time lately. So maybe in the near future I will figure out something.
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In case you're interested ... http://www.gearsource.com/catalog/listing/76205
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