Unknown Beamlights

Reggie

Member
Picked up some Beamlights from an A/V dealer. He didn't know anything about them, much less what they were. My problems, two different syles of fixtures, both 1K, neither have a makers name anywhere on them that I can find. Very possible that they were repainted during their service life. Don't have my digital camera handy, or pictures would follow. So I'll give all the visual clues I can, in hopes that someone can id them. Fixture one is round, 15 inches in diameter, concentric spill rings in front. Fixture two is 16 inches square in front, spill rings in front, case tapering towards the back like a truncated, four sided pyramid. The globes are half silvered, leeds attached, marked Radium, 578K, made in Germany, 24V, 1000W. They are cabled with 6/3 SO or #6 wire, terminating with either a camloks, 60a stagepin, or a twistloc. The camloks are colored Red, Black and Green, indicating to me that they were part of a DC power system.
They don't look like anything in the Strand Archive and I didn't see a match in Altman. My other issue is neither fixture has an onboard step down transformer. These appear to have been pipe hung. Would a theater (in the US) have had two power systems, 110v, the other 24V? Suggestions on how best to power these up?
 
Last edited:
just a guess based on other things i've read here is that they were done in series so as to add the voltage up (i hope im remebering this right) and then they had several on a batton and a single drop on the end to a power source...
ship care to lend a hand....
 
That would work, five in series. But the red and black camloks, DC? Or just the only color boots they had(not very likely).
 
Most likely they had a remote transformer and are beam projectors. ("concentric spill rings in front.") The lamp from description is possibly a 1M-G40SB (as I call it) #578K from Radium. It's a low voltage sealed beam lamp in a G-40 size with a unique base. Decent lamp, amazingly powerful. Not all that expensive or rare either. Note the below website is incorrect in lamp base type. It's also the only source to that brand I can find. Need a better link.

I have the NS250/T where I work and have extensive experience with the lamps and fixtures. Basicially both the used ones we got way back when from BASH than later 4th Phase simply had metal fatique on their transformer mounts, than a later show wanted scrollers mounted on them and the fixtures converted into follow spots. This required me adding extension handles to them and counter balance by way of steel plates to the bottoms of the fixtures - plus more reinforcing. Interesting project from a few years ago.

Fairly common lamp if it's what I'm thinking for Euro beam projectors which is what I think you describe and you might just find your model in the photos. I know where I work has four NS250/T but they look more like 5K Fresnels than cone shaped PAR's.

1M-G40SB #578K Radium(Osram/Sylvania) G-40 Silver Bowl (Doctor Fisher) 1Kw/24v PK 30d Lamp Base Lcl 4.1/4"/MOL 7.1/2"

Possible they are versions from:
Reiche & Vogul Revolux/Bright Beam R&V Beamlights (Beam Light/Fixture Mfgr.) http://www.revolux.com/Englisch/NV_Parabol/NV_Parabol.html

Radium Die Lichtmarke (Lamp Mfr.) http://www.radium.de/e/index.html

"They are cabled with 6/3 SO or #6 wire, terminating with either a camloks, 60a stagepin, or a twistloc. The camloks are colored Red, Black and Green, indicating to me that they were part of a DC power system." The 6/3 cable for me very likely could be because of a remote transformer - low voltage lamps at that wattage need huge cables to feed them. This especially if DC.

Could be that it's DC - a filament lamp (at least most filament lamps) don't care AC or DC though some lamps will be better for one or the other at times by way of design. Filament notching on a low voltage lamp most likely wouldn't be good and is often warned about so more likely it would be a AC fixture. This lamp from the beam projectors I know very well, run on AC. At least I'm about 90% certain that the transformers in the fixtures I deal with are just transformers and not also rectifying transformers in making them DC. Have not updated my notes on this lamp recently - the lamp specs are in a bottomless stack I'm yet to get to. Above is what I do know about it so far.

I expect that your CamLoc's are mini-CamLoc's often called Tweko's such as the 15 series ECT from Leviton?

Interesting assortment of plug types, 90% of them especially the 60A plug would be really bad to use with this system given there is no transformers with the fixtures. Plugging into a 120v outlet by mistake would make that lamp go super nova really fast thus not using such plugs and idiot proofing the system. Check the fixtures also to see if perhaps the transformers were removed. This to make them remote or if say the tranformer went bad, or perhaps was too heavy for the hanging position. Again, this gauge of wire would most likely be for a low voltage lamp with a remote transformer, but it's possible that these were later additions and there is room in the fixtures to re-mount the transformers thus only use a normal power cord and plug.

You are looking for fixtures that have factory parts verses something that often is a hack way of doing it which was after market making it fit in deciding if it should be remote transformer or fixture mounted transformer. You are also looking for stray un-explained mounting holes and or brackets in the frame where something is missing.

With the Euro website, transformers for these fixtures are available. Believe 4th Phase is the exclusive distributer of this brand of fixture, though TMB might have connections also.

Get them up and running and they will be some really powerful beam projectors. Concert tours still use them, and they do punch thru moving light output.
 
Last edited:
Bingo! You nailed the identity of one of the fixtures exactly, it is a Reiche & Vogul NS1000. The camloks on the other fixtures are the small 15 series as you said.
 
While it is recommended to get the proper thing, if not feasible or qualified in a realistic way, a 24v transformer remote power supply is not difficult to do.


Attached is some ballasts which would be similar in way to do it to some dual lamp 90w low pressure sodium vapor wash lights with DMX douser fixtures I created last year for a tour One week notice and like seven or more to get done (forget how many I had to make - long week, lots of production photos, I'll keep it to the ballast). As often with custom gear, yet it got cut as soon as it hit the rehearsal stage. Way too intense in draining all the life out of the stage.


Photo I'm looking for is still at work, have to re-post the ballast photo if not also end product tomarrow. Feasible as long as done well to make your own remote transformer.
 

Attachments

  • IM000402.jpg
    IM000402.jpg
    173.4 KB · Views: 176
  • lps construction.JPG
    lps construction.JPG
    309.2 KB · Views: 231
Last edited:
Found the photos I was looking for. Concept being a transformer mounted in a vented box which is rigged. Or better yet a transformer that's encased with mounting flanges you don't really have to do anything to.


Note the 1/2 cheseboroughs mounted on the rear of the NEMA 3R box.
 

Attachments

  • lps 2.JPG
    lps 2.JPG
    179.7 KB · Views: 194
  • lps 6.JPG
    lps 6.JPG
    162.6 KB · Views: 194
  • lps 9.JPG
    lps 9.JPG
    184.7 KB · Views: 183
  • lps 22.JPG
    lps 22.JPG
    163.4 KB · Views: 172

Users who are viewing this thread

Back