LED Birdie

I am in the search for a DMX controlled and affordable LED Birdie. Preferably RGB or something of that color changing capacity.

I found the Chauver Professional COLORado M-SOLO -- but couldn't find many reviews on it.

Anyone want to share what they use?

Thanks Friends
 
Use or what they have R&D'd would be more appropriate. Lots of small even garden lighting like fixtures have been made and also versions long gone - but the main version of such lights.

Starting out in definition, a Birdie should be a 12v MR-16 PAR can low voltage fixture.
It should not be considered a PAR 20 or MR/PAR16 line voltage fixture - definition wise.

I don't think there are any MR-16/.20 LED Birdies on the market at the moment. Possibly a skip in generations of LED node technology which probably is a good thing. Believe sources like SuperbriteLED's have discs of LED nodes which would fit in a concept of a Birdie shell, but I would wait. In looking at other things, ETC I might have seen a LED birdie from them also, but only might. Recently bought some small RGB lights of about the size from USLED supply of approximate size, you get punch but they were limited in stock/versions and seemingly development of its concept - still developing doing it. Requires a special decoder for such a thing.

I would wait if you can for technology to come to date, and also check all websites for lights you can think of for if someone else has it. Than wait a year for a better and more powerful/cheaper light fixture for what you are now wanting.
 
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I have a whole list of questions. Let's start with these:
1) Why are you requesting a Birdie specifically (in the incandescent world, this was a PAR16 form factor with a ~2" diameter lamp). Do you just need a small footprint?
2) What throw, and expected level of illumination you're trying to achieve?
3) How many are you willing/interested in using to achieve your lighting goal?
4) When you say affordable, what price range are you looking at: $30, $300, $3000, etc. per instrument?
5) Finally, are you looking for a complete, ready to go light with AC power and DMX control built-in, or are you interested in a DIY project that you might need to assemble a power supply, DMX controller, etc. separate from the LEDs?
 
Is that true? I've always heard "birdie" for a line-voltage PAR16.

I agree. It was my (very limited) understanding is that a "birdie" was smaller than the very standard PAR38 (hence "sub-par" or "birdie"), implying a PAR16. Maybe I've been mistaken.

As a side note, Wikipedia says "Note: PAR16 cans are also known as "birdies" in theatre, as it is "below par", an oblique reference to a term used in the game of golf."
[Of course, if we don't like it (and especially since there's no citation), we can always update Wikipedia to say whatever we want, right? :shifty:]​
 
Still not cheap, but maybe something like the Chauvet colordash accent quads? We use a lot of those for pin spotting.
 
If you're only looking for a birdie's worth of output, the COLORdash Accent Quad is definitely worth checking out. Gantom makes some super compact fixtures but I think the wattage may be too low for what you're looking for. You can also check out some of the DJ (Chauvet/ADJ) lines, but the dimming won't be as good. They do have RGBA/RGBW fixtures for relatively cheap though.

ETA: The ADJ PAR Z4 looks like a cool little unit, you might want RGBA mixing for theatrical applications though and this is RGBW. Also has bubble lenses so probably a fairly sharp edge compared to TIR lens fixtures, but you could easily remedy that with some R119 or holo film.
 
My definition I believed comes from the industry as at least I remember it in specific definition of a PAR16 as a "Birdie" which as a term probably comes from the movie industry - though I am not sure of that. Note that any line voltage PAR 16 lamps or fixtures using line voltage lamps in PAR 16 size are way pre-dated by this term. Talking like 20 years pre-dating a line voltage PAR 16 for invention for a guess.
 
There is a good amount of AC/DC & AC 12v LED MR-16 lamps on the market.
Output to match would start with beam spread of the intended incandescent/halogen output.
LED's can now do up to at best 75 Watts power in my quick search.
Dimmable - but might need special dimmers or a dummy load?
You can also fool the eye with higher color temperature, or indeed use a higher color temp..

Believe Birdies were rated for the 75w EYC lamp. 36-40 degree, around 2,000 candlepower.

Search out Ushio/Osram/GE/Philips/Sorra/Bulbrite/Feit - many others. Make sure dimmable and beam spread verses output.

Example: https://products.bulbrite.com/777049

Of note in installing Sorra or any LED MR-16 lamps into any incandescent fixture - (this includes PAR 36 LED's), they might not fit correctly. ETC Incandescent Micro LED fixtures... sort of fit a Sorra LED lamp. Have no worked with Birdies in a few years. Abco/Halco another interesting brand to look at. I have a 5-lite Mole Richardson work light PAR 36 over my work table with Halco PAR 36 lamps.
 
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Sorra makes some amazing MR-16s. That's really what's spurring this. I have a box of them left over from a previous install and wanted to rig up a few birdies to a smart home plug at home.

I bought a Source Four Mini on eBay for way too much money. It came with a halogen MR16 and I put in one of my Soraas. It was the model with the magnet in the center that allows for beam forming lenses and stuff so the S4mini had a dark spot since the focal point is so close. Bought one that you linked to and it works great. But for how much I spent on the little source four, I wanted to just put it back on ebay and buy a few birdies for $15
 
I specifically find that the Sorra lamp (also used in the past before the LED version) does not fit correctly in a S-4 JR. Good, close to proper fit but probably not optimized for best possible efficiency. Don't remember why - been a few years.
 

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