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Author Topic: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?  (Read 5340 times)

Josh Billings

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Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« on: August 21, 2017, 06:40:43 PM »

2 Part Question

1. What's a good budget solution for setting up an ETC Source Four to point at a wall to project a logo. Has to be portable and easy to setup / tear down every night. I've seen lighting trees and whatnot, but not sure if that's the best solution. Just need it to be about 6-8 feet off the ground.

2. I'm getting fuzzy edges with the 50 degree barrel, wondering if the enhanced definition lens tube would solve that problem? I can focus the inside of the logo but the outside gets fuzzy.

Josh Billings
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John Fruits

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Re: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« Reply #1 on: August 21, 2017, 07:28:38 PM »

Instead of a tripod lighting tree, go old school with a boom base, some pipe and a sidearm. Heavy tho, but easy and cheap to rent. Altman does make a smaller version, up to 9 foot high with mount for one light, 25 pound, 18 inch base.
https://www.stagelightingstore.com/home/1138-altman-524-18-stand

Have you tried a donut?
http://www.citytheatrical.com/Products/donuts
« Last Edit: August 21, 2017, 07:31:43 PM by John Fruits »
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Mark Cadwallader

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Re: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« Reply #2 on: August 21, 2017, 07:56:37 PM »

Boom bases are pretty cheap to have fabricated locally. 3/8" to 1/2" steel plate, approx. 24"x30". Have a 1.5" pipe threaded collar welded to the plate, centered on the 24" axis, and about 8" from the end. Then you can use whatever length of 1.5" pipe (1.9" o.d.) you need for the height. Easy to strike using a hand truck. Make at least two boom bases - you will use them more often than you think.

+1 on the donut to sharpen the gobo focus.
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Josh Billings

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Re: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« Reply #3 on: August 21, 2017, 08:40:29 PM »

Boom bases are pretty cheap to have fabricated locally. 3/8" to 1/2" steel plate, approx. 24"x30". Have a 1.5" pipe threaded collar welded to the plate, centered on the 24" axis, and about 8" from the end. Then you can use whatever length of 1.5" pipe (1.9" o.d.) you need for the height. Easy to strike using a hand truck. Make at least two boom bases - you will use them more often than you think.

+1 on the donut to sharpen the gobo focus.

I made a wonky donut out of a piece of aluminum foil to test and dang you guys are right. That works really well!

I'll look into having a base fabricated, but wouldn't one of these tripod stands be cheaper / easier?

Josh
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Mark Cadwallader

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Re: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« Reply #4 on: August 21, 2017, 09:32:08 PM »

I made a wonky donut out of a piece of aluminum foil to test and dang you guys are right. That works really well!

I'll look into having a base fabricated, but wouldn't one of these tripod stands be cheaper / easier?

Josh

The advantage (IMO) to steel boom bases is that they are very low profile and have enough mass not to be bumped and moved much.  Tripod legs present a much greater tripping hazard; flat plates not so much.  An 80 lb base, with offset, is not going to tip over. 1.5" pipe is pretty steady with a light hanging off it at 7'.  We use them with 10' pipe for dance booms (shins, mids, and heads) for almost every dance production.

We have made a bunch of our own donuts too. They don't have to be perfect to work.
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Josh Billings

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Re: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« Reply #5 on: August 21, 2017, 10:02:37 PM »

The advantage (IMO) to steel boom bases is that they are very low profile and have enough mass not to be bumped and moved much.  Tripod legs present a much greater tripping hazard; flat plates not so much.  An 80 lb base, with offset, is not going to tip over. 1.5" pipe is pretty steady with a light hanging off it at 7'.  We use them with 10' pipe for dance booms (shins, mids, and heads) for almost every dance production.

We have made a bunch of our own donuts too. They don't have to be perfect to work.

I'm thinking that Altman pipe & base unit might be the best solution. $126 was just a bit more than I wanted to spend.

Josh
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Erik Jerde

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Re: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« Reply #6 on: August 22, 2017, 12:16:57 AM »

The advantage (IMO) to steel boom bases is that they are very low profile and have enough mass not to be bumped and moved much.  Tripod legs present a much greater tripping hazard; flat plates not so much.  An 80 lb base, with offset, is not going to tip over. 1.5" pipe is pretty steady with a light hanging off it at 7'.  We use them with 10' pipe for dance booms (shins, mids, and heads) for almost every dance production.

We have made a bunch of our own donuts too. They don't have to be perfect to work.

In addition to what Mark said, they also don't have all the parts that tripods have and that seem break at in opportune times.  No friction clutches (and their plastic knobs), rivets on leg spreader bars, pins (to loose) or all those plastic bits that get tired and crack.
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John Fruits

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Re: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« Reply #7 on: August 22, 2017, 06:09:30 AM »

Another rather common pipe base is to go to an auto salvage yard and pick up a wheel rim, weld on a heavy steel plate in the center, weld on a pipe collar and you're done.  These are often also used for portable volleyball net supports. Another source for round, cast boom bases is industrial supply houses, they are used as bases for large fans.  Another item of interest is a tank trap.  Not much used in the US but a few rental houses have them.  Doughty US doesn't list them but Doughty UK does.
http://www.doughty-engineering.co.uk/shop/147/index.htm
One other thing, when 1.5 inch pipe is mentioned, that is Schedule 40 pipe, which has an outer diameter of 1.9 inches.  There have been instances where catwalks have been provided with 1.25 inch sch 40.  That's OK for using c-clamps, but won't work with many moving light clamps. 
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TJ (Tom) Cornish

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Re: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« Reply #8 on: August 22, 2017, 10:32:15 AM »

I made a wonky donut out of a piece of aluminum foil to test and dang you guys are right. That works really well!

I'll look into having a base fabricated, but wouldn't one of these tripod stands be cheaper / easier?

Josh
I have found that a custom donut makes a difference.  Mess around with different hole sizes and even off-center positioning for best effect.

Yes, the EDLT tubes will help significantly.  50° tends to be a greater optical problem; the narrower tubes tend to work better.
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John Fruits

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Re: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« Reply #9 on: August 22, 2017, 10:39:28 AM »

Topic swerve ahead:
TJ, I wonder if anyone has compared the two different 50 degree EDLT lens tubes, the original one and the LED only version. 
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"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.  There's also a negative side."-Hunter S. Thompson

Bill McKelvey

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Re: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« Reply #10 on: August 22, 2017, 12:08:26 PM »

2 Part Question

2. I'm getting fuzzy edges with the 50 degree barrel, wondering if the enhanced definition lens tube would solve that problem? I can focus the inside of the logo but the outside gets fuzzy.

Josh Billings
In a pinch Rosco 181 Congo Blue can be used to make a quick donut. Start with a small hole, adjust slowly to proper size.
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John Fruits

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Re: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« Reply #11 on: August 22, 2017, 12:16:58 PM »

In addition to donuts, another gobo trick with incandescent ERS is the use of split colors in the color frame.  Tom Skelton sometimes used a full cut of one color with a circle cut out and replaced with a second color.  It's also great with rotating breakup gobos. 
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"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.  There's also a negative side."-Hunter S. Thompson

Ron Hebbard

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Re: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« Reply #12 on: August 22, 2017, 10:18:58 PM »

I made a wonky donut out of a piece of aluminum foil to test and dang you guys are right. That works really well!

I'll look into having a base fabricated, but wouldn't one of these tripod stands be cheaper / easier?

Josh
Making your hasty donut out of black wrap foil in a matte black frame for support or slipped in your gel frame behind your gel and / or painting your shiny donut with flat black chimney paint will lessen reflection back into the lens and result in a minute improvement.  When donuts are cut from reflective metals, the beam reflects back into the lens, often all the way back to the source's reflector where it reflects back out the lens effectively broadening the desired point source.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.
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Re: Mounting a single ETC Source Four + fuzzy gobo edges?
« Reply #12 on: August 22, 2017, 10:18:58 PM »


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