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[AllenDeneau]

I have a number of the AMDJ P64 LED cans and for the most part like them BUT I'd like to focus the beam a bit more... Anyone have any ideas on how to create a good barrel extension that'll also serve as a reflector unit like the old Par cans had?

My thought is to create 5"+ long barrel extensions out of rolled aluminum and see if I can polish the inside to a bright finish and tighten my beams. So far I just tried a redneck engineered version of that with a 4" cardboard ring lined with actual silver duct tape. Can't get the tape smooth enough as to not get weird light infractions which creates a "patterned" look on the projected surface.

The 4" extension seemed to narrow it a bit, but very little, may need more like 6".

Anybody ever try this or have any input to offer?

Thanks.

[Nate Armstrong]

I have only done this with uplighting for wall washes.
I made 6 in x 14 inch box from mdf  painted them white.

Hides the fixture and narrows the beam.
I am interested in how this turns out. keep me posted

[Tim Weaver]

I have a number of the AMDJ P64 LED cans and for the most part like them BUT I'd like to focus the beam a bit more... Anyone have any ideas on how to create a good barrel extension that'll also serve as a reflector unit like the old Par cans had?

My thought is to create 5"+ long barrel extensions out of rolled aluminum and see if I can polish the inside to a bright finish and tighten my beams. So far I just tried a redneck engineered version of that with a 4" cardboard ring lined with actual silver duct tape. Can't get the tape smooth enough as to not get weird light infractions which creates a "patterned" look on the projected surface.

The 4" extension seemed to narrow it a bit, but very little, may need more like 6".

Anybody ever try this or have any input to offer?

Thanks.

A reflective surface inside the tube will not narrow the beam. It will just get more scattered. You need a top hat, which is non reflective on the inside. The longer the top hat, the narrower the beam, but it's not that great really.

The real answer is new fixtures that cost a lot of money....

[James Feenstra]

i'd look into some of the led zoom pars available...there's some quality units under $500 that throw a 10-60 degree beam

we own ~100 of the microh ones and they're out constantly....great little 5 channel units. I put them on large gigs frequently and have zero complaints as they compete pretty well with traditional 1k pars, plus are full RGB color mixing.

[AllenDeneau]

Thanks all, so far I've not had much more time to work on this BUT I have found what Tim says, reflective surface on the inside is very counter productive.

Tim, the top hat is essentially what I'm trying to make but one that slips inside the barrel and doesn't clip in the gel clamps since my par cans have a slight gap between the barrel end and the clips, causing light to leak a bit...

What made me think it needed to be reflective is the old par can reflector units inside the cans. I'm now thinking I can make a reflector ring for the actual barrel length then the extension in black??? Would that cause a bit less of the color shadowing and help intensify the output a bit?

Unfortunately, I can't spend the $$$ on new LED's although I'd love to, just not in the funds... Lots of new cool lights out for sure.

[Tim Weaver]

Thanks all, so far I've not had much more time to work on this BUT I have found what Tim says, reflective surface on the inside is very counter productive.

Tim, the top hat is essentially what I'm trying to make but one that slips inside the barrel and doesn't clip in the gel clamps since my par cans have a slight gap between the barrel end and the clips, causing light to leak a bit...

What made me think it needed to be reflective is the old par can reflector units inside the cans. I'm now thinking I can make a reflector ring for the actual barrel length then the extension in black??? Would that cause a bit less of the color shadowing and help intensify the output a bit?

Unfortunately, I can't spend the $$$ on new LED's although I'd love to, just not in the funds... Lots of new cool lights out for sure.

Are your pars long nose, or stubby?

The easiest mod I can think of is buy some cheap par 64's on craigslist and cut the nose off of them. Rivet this to your current cans. Then you have a barrel extension that still has a gel holder on the end of it.

Somebody here a few years ago fixed some source 4 lenses into his par cans to get rid of colored shadows. That was a cool idea, but personally I just put a light frost on them.

[AllenDeneau]

hey Tim, they're the stubby P64 LEDs from American DJ, first Gen LEDs.

That's not a bad idea to frankenstein them with the barrels from other cans, may look into it. I've only got a dozen so I may just live with it until such time that I can update. I am more sound than lighting anyway but it's nice to have both.

Which frost filter are you using? I was playing with a diffusion filter the other day at a retail store and liked it, still perplexed how it narrows the beam without losing any output...

[Tim Weaver]

hey Tim, they're the stubby P64 LEDs from American DJ, first Gen LEDs.

That's not a bad idea to frankenstein them with the barrels from other cans, may look into it. I've only got a dozen so I may just live with it until such time that I can update. I am more sound than lighting anyway but it's nice to have both.

Which frost filter are you using? I was playing with a diffusion filter the other day at a retail store and liked it, still perplexed how it narrows the beam without losing any output...

Anything you put in front of the emitters will absorb some of the output. That's just physics.  Also frost or diffusion or silks will not narrow a beam. They will diffuse the the beam in different ways.

I think the last batch of frost I bought was Rosco 101. All you are doing is "defocusing" the individual RGB beams a little so that they blend better. It hurts the output of the fixture ( a tiny amount really) but gives you a much better quality of light. I was using them for wall washes to avoid the multicolored bit on the wall that is close to the light. Worked well for me.

[AllenDeneau]

Yeah I assumed that but the guys at the store were saying it doesn't, it just redirects it. Although physics will state that even enough clear thin layers of anything will reduce output, even if it is only a little bit..

I saw these filters even have different degrees of refocus youc an buy, is that correct?

Is the Rosco 101 as thin as a standard gel?

[Tim Weaver]

Yeah I assumed that but the guys at the store were saying it doesn't, it just redirects it. Although physics will state that even enough clear thin layers of anything will reduce output, even if it is only a little bit..

I saw these filters even have different degrees of refocus youc an buy, is that correct?

Is the Rosco 101 as thin as a standard gel?

Yes they are standard gel stock. Rosco's are very thin and light. I actually prefer Lee filters, because they "handle" a bit better because they are thicker.

I would suggest buying a few different levels of the lighter end of diffusion just to see what you like best. The full sheets are cheap enough.

You can always get a rosco sample book too and go sick with the gel selection....

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