LED spotlight for 600 seat Auditorium?

[theothercole]

Hey.

We are looking for an LED spotlight for our high school 600 seat auditorium. Our only requirement is that it needs to have a throw distance of more than 75ft and under $2,000.

I was looking at the followspot 1200... But I was wondering id anyone had any other suggestions... Link to followspot: Products » Followspot 1200 | CHAUVET® Lighting


Thanks!

 

[jglodeklights]

That is not an LED fixture. Most followspots are not LED fixtures because they have yet to attain the intensity of an arc source like the one in the that spotlight.

 

[TuckerD]

LED follow spots aren't very popular yet because they don't have a strong enough output for the throw distance.

For shorter throws LED fixtures are great (depending on the exact situation).

 

[JD]

Two other problems come to mind on that spot:
1) Colors are from a fixed filter set. (You can't select outside of that.)
2) Unconventional controls. In a teaching environment, you want equipment that provides training that can be used in the future in other settings.

A 1200 watt Metal Halide followspot may actually be a little overpowering for the size of the theater, but that has more to do with how the stage is lit. At 1800 watts (apparent VA), the power factor looks to be pretty low for a 1200 watt lamp.

 

[microstar]

Do you have either 208 volt or 230 volt service that followspot requires at the intended location? Might be hard to find at the rear of the house in a typical high school.

 

[theothercole]

Do you have either 208 volt or 230 volt service that followspot requires at the intended location? Might be hard to find at the rear of the house in a typical high school.

We can get a 230 volt plug down there but it is not ideal...

 

[theothercole]

Two other problems come to mind on that spot:
1) Colors are from a fixed filter set. (You can't select outside of that.)
2) Unconventional controls. In a teaching environment, you want equipment that provides training that can be used in the future in other settings.

A 1200 watt Metal Halide followspot may actually be a little overpowering for the size of the theater, but that has more to do with how the stage is lit. At 1800 watts (apparent VA), the power factor looks to be pretty low for a 1200 watt lamp.

We currently have an really old spot light (I forget the make) that uses a bulb that is crazy loud and burns though any color filter we put in... That's why an LED spot was an idea...
Great points though...

Does anyone have any suggestions for a spot that is relatively quite?

 

[josh88]

We currently have an really old spot light (I forget the make) that uses a bulb that is crazy loud and burns though any color filter we put in... That's why an LED spot was an idea...
Great points though...

Does anyone have any suggestions for a spot that is relatively quite?

its likely not the lamp that's loud, its the fan to cool it. Like jglodeklights mentioned, that particular spot isn't LED. I've got the smaller version of this and it runs almost silent (no gaurantees on the larger version) but it fits inside your budget.
FS400

 

[theothercole]

its likely not the lamp that's loud, its the fan to cool it. Like jglodeklights mentioned, that particular spot isn't LED. I've got the smaller version of this and it runs almost silent (no gaurantees on the larger version) but it fits inside your budget.
FS400

Ah. Okay. Great. I'll check that out! Thanks.

 

[FMEng]

If the fan is noisy, the bad bearing may slow it down. That would explain why the color is burning. Replace the fan and it will be quiet and cool again.

 

[Harley Morgan]

Many spots have a heat filter to direct the heat away from the gel. That could be missing or damaged.

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

 

[JD]

What is the make and model of your current spot? We have a pretty extensive list of people here that may be able to help you put it right.

 

[BillESC]

The number of seats really tells us nothing about your space. When selecting a followspot, throw distance is the most important factor followed by the quantity of lighting instruments for the stage along with trim height.

If it's an old fixture you have it might be a 1000w unit, these would typically give you around 72 fc at 75' of throw. Compare that to an Altman Comet for example which delivers 142 fc at 75' and is well within your budget.

 

[sk8rsdad]

The FS400 uses a lamp that's good for about 75 hours. The sweet spot for throw distance is 75 to 120 ft. Below 75 ft you can't do a full body spot; beyond 120 the intensity drops off. The Altman Comet may be a better choice, or the venerable Altman Q1000.

 

[BillESC]

The 1000w follow spot I referenced above was the 1000Q by Altman. The Comet is a much better choice for the throw.