Problems with Studio Spot 250s?

[marshmolly123]

Hello again, everyone! So today I was at the school hanging two of our four working Studio Spot 250s to try to get more acquainted with them and think of how to use them in our show.

It seems I have a problem. One of the lights is considerably dimmer than the other. I'm not sure what's causing this, and I'm afraid to take the light apart to check things out. Also, it was very out of focus, and changing the level of the focus channel did nothing whatsoever. Any ideas what's going on here?

Also, after about half an hour of using them, the same light suddenly started acting very strange. For example: I had the color wheel channel at 0, and it was still red, not white. And I had the two lights in a group, and had the gobos rotating on them both, but the messed up light's gobo was rotating at a completely different speed. I had to leave right as this problem occured, so I didn't have a chance to reset them. I assume this will fix itself when they're reset, but I'm worried they'll do this during a show... Any help?

Thanks so much in advance!

 

[DCATTechie]

Deffinitely reset them first and see if that fixes the problems. I'm sure others will chime in and give other advice if that doesn't work.

Couple Questions though:
What position was this fixture in in the DMX chain?
Was the chain terminated?
Was the addresses on the Studio Spots the same or different?
What console are you using to control these fixtures?
Has the profile for these fixtures been verified to work?

Good Luck!

 

[marshmolly123]

Yeah, I'll reset, but I can't imagine that would fix the focus and dimness -- that seems like a mechanical problem to me...?

To answer your questions:
It was fixture #2 in the chain.
Yes, it was terminated.
The addresses were different.
I'm using an ETC Express 48/96.
Yes, we've used it for years.

Thanks!

 

[derekleffew]

How many hours are on the lamp in the "dim" fixture? How many on the other one? Are both aligned in the reflector properly? See the manual, probably under "optimization."

It's unlikely that a hard- or soft-reset will fix the focus issue, if you never had control of the focus function. Quite possible that a lens inside has slipped. Since three out of the four have issues, isn't it about time they visit your friendly local lighting shop, or the manufacturer, or a factory-authorized service center such as LightParts?

 

[Esoteric]

The wheels not being in the correct position sounds like a motor going out.

The focus issue is either a motor or a lens slipped or not aligned.

The dimness sounds like more lamp hours on one than on the other.

This is based only on what you have told us and is where I would start with the unit. There are a myraid of problems that could cause any/all of your issues.

Mike

 

[marshmolly123]

Oh dear. Alright, I'll talk to our TA and see what he thinks.

 

[porkchop]

The belts and motors in our Studios died a lot, I will agree that the light likely needs to be looked at by a repair technician.

What I will say relative to the end of your post is that you need to plan for a problem with all of your lights but especially intelligent ones. This is why your board op should know how to reset the lights from the console and if you are using the lights for critical focuses know which lights can be used to cover lights that have problems that can't be fixed during the show.

 

[marshmolly123]

Just giving you guys the verdict -- we sent that moving light and another one that has been broken forever out to New Hampshire to the place where we got them. The one that I described above did indeed have problems with the shutter motor, as well as the focus one, too. Those were both replaced. As for the other moving light, the lighting designer before me thought there was a problem with the motherboard, so we didn't think it was fixable. It turned out that there were two loose wires in the Edison cap on the fixture, causing it to run and stop, run and stop, depending on the cable position. They also replaced the 75176 chip, because the previous LD had taken it out.

 

[Les]

...the lighting designer before me thought there was a problem with the motherboard, so we didn't think it was fixable....

...They also replaced the 75176 chip, because the previous LD had taken it out.

The reasoning behind some LD's finding it necessary to diagnose equipment they obviously know nothing about and modifying equipment that is not theirs will always elude me!

 

[lightman02]

Just giving you guys the verdict -- we sent that moving light and another one that has been broken forever out to New Hampshire to the place where we got them. The one that I described above did indeed have problems with the shutter motor, as well as the focus one, too. Those were both replaced. As for the other moving light, the lighting designer before me thought there was a problem with the motherboard, so we didn't think it was fixable. It turned out that there were two loose wires in the Edison cap on the fixture, causing it to run and stop, run and stop, depending on the cable position. They also replaced the 75176 chip, because the previous LD had taken it out.

As far as your brightness it can be caused from lamp hours but also shelf life. Discharge lamps have a shelf life, u can have ten hours on a lamp or none but if it sits for a couple of years it will fade. Also adjust your bench focus, alot of people seem to forget that automated lights need to be benched too.

 

[marshmolly123]

As far as your brightness it can be caused from lamp hours but also shelf life. Discharge lamps have a shelf life, u can have ten hours on a lamp or none but if it sits for a couple of years it will fade. Also adjust your bench focus, alot of people seem to forget that automated lights need to be benched too.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't a lamp hour problem, because when it came back from the repair shop, the brightness was completely fine -- It was the broken shutter that was blocking the beam and cutting the intensity way down.

Thanks though!

 

[TimMiller]

The circuit boards in moving lights can commonly be repaired. They are actually very simple electronics. Highend and Lightparts are the two I know of that do component level repair.

 

[Esoteric]

I do some component level repair, everything else I send to Lightparts.com.

Mike

 

[carlmnz]

Check the lamp, clean the optics, optimize lamp, check to see if the voltage is set correctly on the circuit board..The Factory setting is 230V, 50Hz Page 1-2 in the manual.
1.Electrically isolate the fixture.
2.Using a wide-tip, flat head screwdriver, remove the two panel cover retaining screws from each side of the fixture and remove the fixture’s two panel covers (see Figure 1-2).
3.Using a Phillips-head screwdriver, loosen (but do not remove) the two display panel retaining screws from each side of the fixture (see Figure 1-3).
4.Gently lower the display panel to access the voltage switch blocks on the circuit board (see Figure 1-4).
5.Locate the voltage select label (see Figure 1-4) and the three switch blocks labeled “SW1,” “SW2,” and “SW3” on the circuit board located on the inside of the display panel (see Figure 1-5).
6.Choose an input voltage/frequency for the fixture by setting the switches as shown on the voltage select label (see Figure 1-6).

 

[carlmnz]

If none of that works you have a ballast or power supply issue.