Scrollers, I-Cues, and Auto Iris on SF

[hamlett22]

Hi

I am purchasing some Apollo color scrollers and Iques to load up on about 20 SF fixtures along with an auto iris.

Concerning auto irises... Which do you prefer? Apollo or Rosco? Why? Noise? Longevity? Ease of use?

Can I mount a Rosco Ique mirror in front of an Apollo color scroller? I am using Iques mounted directly on a SF and works wonderfully but I want to get a color scroller behind it.

My goal is to automate 20 of our S.F. instruments in those hard to access hanging points of our theatre (Iris, color scroller, mirror).

I'm expecting to pay about 2000 on each instrument to do this.

Thanks all

hamlett22

 

[gaffmaster]

I haven't had enough experience with either company of auto irises to say.

But for the other part of your question, you can not mount an i-cue in front of a scroller, or at least our dealer has always told us. If you want to spend 2k and have both movement and gel scrolling, look into the Apollo Right Arm for your movement. It isn't quite as fast, but it moves the whole instrument and will fill all of the needs you listed.

Apollo Design Technology AC RIGHT ARM Right Arm | Full Compass

 

[gaffmaster]

If you don't have the space for the Right Arms (you mentioned these are going into awkward places), then you could consider the Seachanger. That is pretty much your entire 2k right there, but if you can't have the Right Arms, this could give you something.

SeaChanger

 

[soundlight]

Given my negative experiences with the build quality of the Rosco irises (mainly the DMX connectors - not even on cheap DJ fixtures have I had DMX connectors fail that bad, on all units we have - but in general I was dissatisfied), I would have to say that the Apollo irises are the ones to go with. Also, if you're using an I-Cue mirror, you'll need accessory lines for the mirror, and the Rosco unit takes straight DMX and an IEC Type 1 cable, not accessory cable (4pin/scroller cable from a PSU) - so you'll have a better time of it with the Apollo irises, I think.

As far as color goes, you can physically mount an I-Cue on the front of a scroller with the right bracket, but because the I-Cue is so much further out in front of the unit, the beam often has spread too far to make it usable - too much of the light spills around the mirror since it has had more time to spread out.

Seachangers are an excellent option if you have the money, we use them with DMX irises and I-Cues for a complete automated solution that works in a standard S4 and matches the color temp of the rest of our inventory and also requires next to no maintenance compared to a real moving light.

 

[derekleffew]

... Can I mount a Rosco Ique mirror in front of an Apollo color scroller?

You need a special extension bracket for the I-Cue. See page 15 of the I-Cue Operation Manual.pdf.
Note also that by moving the mirror even farther away from the lens, a 36° unit (and possibly a 26°) will overshoot the mirror.
Just to complicate matters, City Theatrical also offers a DMX iris.

 

[Kelite]

Hamlett,

As Derek mentioned, the I-Cue moving mirror works best with 19* degree and tighter beamspreads. Attaching the mirror outside the scroller will undoubtedly cause a portion of the light beam to miss the mirror altogether. If you would like to use your preferred selection of gel colors rather than dichroic color, moving the scroller/ fixture with a Right Arm is an answer, though other solutions may exist as well.

To be satisfied with a DMX iris, you may want to demo a unit of each brand in your venue. The units previously mentioned each have their strengths- so it would be good to see them in use.

Please let us know how this journey progresses for you!

 

[jmac]

Recently got two Apollo DMX irises to go with S4/I-Q's (I preferred because they are 24V and use same power supply and 4-wire power/data cable as the I-Q's and Smart Color scrollers). Worked fine so far..

 

[xander]

Something to think about, as briefly touched upon by Soundlight, see if you can get scrollers and irises that use the same pin-out and power as the I-Cues. This will save money on not having to buy many different power supplies, as well as make cabling easier/tidier because you can daisy them all in a row.

-Tim

 

[Kelite]

...see if you can scrollers and irises that use the same pin-out and power as the I-Cues.

The scrollers and irises mentioned are all compatible with each other, thus pin-out and power is not an issue.

 

[calkew5]

I've never used an I-cue with a scroller but I have done this with the very similar, but not quite as reliable Elipscan moving mirror. Yes, there is some spill, but it's not a complete deal-breaker for me, considering that for very little money, you now have a light that changes color and moves. In the wrong application, this can look trashy, but that can be said about a lot of theatre technology. The big concern in doing this is making sure everything is safetied off so that the relatively flimsy accessory frame on the front of the scroller doesn't get broken by the front-heavy mirror.

 

[chris325]

An I-Cue, scroller, and extension bracket would be significantly less than $2,000. The Seachanger CTEs are $1792 MSRP, and allow for an I-Cue right in front of the light. This would put you a few hundred dollars per fixture over budget unless Seachanger and/or Rosco gives you a lower quote, not including a DMX Iris (offered by Rosco, City Theatrical.) That's another $495, and it may not work with the Seachanger.

If you go with a scroller and an I-Cue, there probably won't be a way to avoid the potentially large amount of spill light that would occur. Seachanger, DMX iris, and I-Cue seemed to work really well for soundlight, so I don't see how it wouldn't work for you. Actually, that combination is potentially cheaper than a Source 4 Revolution, with the same basic functions...