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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => Lighting Forum => Topic started by: Debbie Dunkley on April 30, 2018, 11:38:16 AM

Title: Suggestions to replace Blizzard Q12 now discontinued.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on April 30, 2018, 11:38:16 AM
Although I own quite a few of the inexpensive generic 7x10w  pars that have been discussed here a few times, I also own 8 x Blizzard Q12's. I use them when I need a bit more light (12 x10w each) or when I only need one tree- as this gives plenty of light in a small bar.

One of the blizzards has been a bit flickery since new but was never an issue so it didn't bother me. However, it has become worse and I have removed it from the lighting tree. It is the DMX function that is unstable - auto programs are fine.
Anyway....these have been discontinued for  a while now - I have found couple of resources online but they are charging what I paid 3 -1/2 years ago and of course this is old stock so I won't be replacing with same.
So, I don't see any lamps brighter than the 7x10w generics out there with similar function unless I want to pay a lot of money.
I have replaced the bad fixture with one of my 7x10w generics and it's not the worse thing in the world to keep it that way - looks a little odd but so would anything that isn't a Q12 I suppose but I'd prefer to replace it with one of the same brightness.
So has anyone come across a well priced fixture that would compare to the Blizzards ?
Title: Re: Suggestions to replace Blizzard Q12 now discontinued.
Post by: Steve Garris on April 30, 2018, 12:48:12 PM
Although I own quite a few of the inexpensive generic 7x10w  pars that have been discussed here a few times, I also own 8 x Blizzard Q12's. I use them when I need a bit more light (12 x10w each) or when I only need one tree- as this gives plenty of light in a small bar.

One of the blizzards has been a bit flickery since new but was never an issue so it didn't bother me. However, it has become worse and I have removed it from the lighting tree. It is the DMX function that is unstable - auto programs are fine.
Anyway....these have been discontinued for  a while now - I have found couple of resources online but they are charging what I paid 3 -1/2 years ago and of course this is old stock so I won't be replacing with same.
So, I don't see any lamps brighter than the 7x10w generics out there with similar function unless I want to pay a lot of money.
I have replaced the bad fixture with one of my 7x10w generics and it's not the worse thing in the world to keep it that way - looks a little odd but so would anything that isn't a Q12 I suppose but I'd prefer to replace it with one of the same brightness.
So has anyone come across a well priced fixture that would compare to the Blizzards ?

That is a big light with a very specific led arrangement. Are yours W or A? Here's a similar looking Chinese light with RBGW:http://www.pssl.com/ColorKey-WaferPar-QUAD-W-12-Mk2-12x-RGBW-LED-Wash-1
Title: Re: Suggestions to replace Blizzard Q12 now discontinued.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on April 30, 2018, 01:43:18 PM
That is a big light with a very specific led arrangement. Are yours W or A? Here's a similar looking Chinese light with RBGW:http://www.pssl.com/ColorKey-WaferPar-QUAD-W-12-Mk2-12x-RGBW-LED-Wash-1

I was looking at that one too this morning. Decent pricing - might be worth a shot. The weight is up there due to the metal casing - about the same as the Blizzards. Mine are RGBW so I could get a couple of these to try.
Title: Re: Suggestions to replace Blizzard Q12 now discontinued.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on April 30, 2018, 05:30:42 PM
So I ordered a couple of the  Color Keys and I'll report back on them.
My main concern is smooth dimming. One thing I have never liked about the Blizzards is that they are very jerky on dimming - yet my cheap Chinese 7x10w fixtures are quite smooth compared.  So it would be nice if these do the same. Other than that as long as they respond to DMX the way they should, and seem well made, I'll be happy....And if I really like them, I'll grab some more as money allows.
The only reason I haven't replaced the Blizzards is because I paid so much for them. They are quite heavy duty and much more suitable for road use than the plastic Chinese ones but I don't think I'd spend a lot of money on lights going forward now there are so many inexpensive fixtures available. I am so careful with my gear so I can afford to risk cheaper build quality on these - and if one goes down, the replacement cost is so much less than the more expensive brands.

Anyway - I'll let you know what I think when they arrive.
Title: Re: Suggestions to replace Blizzard Q12 now discontinued.
Post by: Mike Pyle on May 01, 2018, 12:08:59 PM
I still have some Q12W on the shelf if anybody needs a few.
Title: Re: Suggestions to replace Blizzard Q12 now discontinued.
Post by: Steve Garris on May 01, 2018, 07:04:10 PM
So I ordered a couple of the  Color Keys and I'll report back on them.
My main concern is smooth dimming. One thing I have never liked about the Blizzards is that they are very jerky on dimming - yet my cheap Chinese 7x10w fixtures are quite smooth compared.  So it would be nice if these do the same. Other than that as long as they respond to DMX the way they should, and seem well made, I'll be happy....And if I really like them, I'll grab some more as money allows.
The only reason I haven't replaced the Blizzards is because I paid so much for them. They are quite heavy duty and much more suitable for road use than the plastic Chinese ones but I don't think I'd spend a lot of money on lights going forward now there are so many inexpensive fixtures available. I am so careful with my gear so I can afford to risk cheaper build quality on these - and if one goes down, the replacement cost is so much less than the more expensive brands.

Anyway - I'll let you know what I think when they arrive.

Have any of those $35 Chinese lights quit working? I've yet to have a failure. They are an incredible buy - very happy with mine, and we're still building our light show around them. We just got some of the newer ones that have RBGAUV, and they're impressive. The diodes are larger, but overall output is about the same.
Title: Re: Suggestions to replace Blizzard Q12 now discontinued.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on May 01, 2018, 08:41:06 PM
Have any of those $35 Chinese lights quit working? I've yet to have a failure. They are an incredible buy - very happy with mine, and we're still building our light show around them. We just got some of the newer ones that have RBGAUV, and they're impressive. The diodes are larger, but overall output is about the same.

I had one DOA which I was sent a replacement board for and one go down on me a few months back after 6 months use that I took out of service Steve.
BUT considering I paid $35 - $50 for mine over the last 3 years, they have been fantastic. For most bar shows they are enough but for larger stages when I only want to use 2 trees - 4 fixtures per side - then I like the brighter fixtures and the 120w lamps are noticeably brighter. I grab whichever are appropriate to the venue. So the Blizzards were 5/6/7 times the price of the cheapies.

The only thing is I find that when I am in the market for the cheapie type, there is no guarantee what channel configuration I am going to get - case in point I ordered a couple last year that even though the Amazon website stated they were the exact ones I had ordered before, when they arrived they had different channel programming. They might all look alike but that does vary. I have 12 or 13 in total I believe but 4 or 5 different channel set-ups which means I have to burn addresses.
Title: Re: Suggestions to replace Blizzard Q12 now discontinued.
Post by: David Buckley on May 01, 2018, 11:28:33 PM
It is the DMX function that is unstable - auto programs are fine.

That sounds like it might be a fixable problem.
Title: Re: Suggestions to replace Blizzard Q12 now discontinued.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on May 02, 2018, 12:08:53 AM
That sounds like it might be a fixable problem.

I'd give it a go if I had any idea what I was doing.... Just for the record - it is absolutely not cables. I was hoping it was of course for the easy fix - but no.

The actual symptoms are as follows: Lamp will work perfectly well and respond to DMX control for maybe 30 minutes- then suddenly it will flash once. Then it will be fine again for a while till it flashes again.  This will happen maybe 7 or 8 times  till finally I get the random flashing on all fixtures attached to the faulty one. Pull the power plug - plug back in and process starts all over again.
Title: Re: Suggestions to replace Blizzard Q12 now discontinued.
Post by: Scott Holtzman on May 02, 2018, 03:42:14 PM
I'd give it a go if I had any idea what I was doing.... Just for the record - it is absolutely not cables. I was hoping it was of course for the easy fix - but no.

The actual symptoms are as follows: Lamp will work perfectly well and respond to DMX control for maybe 30 minutes- then suddenly it will flash once. Then it will be fine again for a while till it flashes again.  This will happen maybe 7 or 8 times  till finally I get the random flashing on all fixtures attached to the faulty one. Pull the power plug - plug back in and process starts all over again.

I meant to mention to you about the Blizzard with the course dim.  Make sure you have the fixture in "fine" mode or you will have the experience you describe.
Title: Re: Suggestions to replace Blizzard Q12 now discontinued.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on May 04, 2018, 03:28:03 PM
I meant to mention to you about the Blizzard with the course dim.  Make sure you have the fixture in "fine" mode or you will have the experience you describe.

I can't find this feature on the Q12 Puck Scott. Are you sure the Q12 has this setting?

The good news is :- the 2 Color Keys fixtures came a short while ago. What are the odds that the DMX addressing would match up with the Blizzards??... Well......
They do - exactly!!! - total fluke.
I was all prepared to sit down and program the software to match the new fixtures DMX addressing (which takes some time plus I then have to share to my other devices etc) but  now I don't need to.
The build quality is very good - weight is similar to the Blizzards. Program selection buttons feel quite solid and programming make sense.
Only thing is the fixture body sits very close to the bar due to the shortish arms on the hanging bracket. In one way this is quite nice as it doesn't hang down very far BUT when tilting the body of the fixture to position it, the bolt holding it to the bar actually catches the edge of the fixture - I had to remove the washer to make room (yes-it made that much difference). Not a biggie by any means at this price point though. I must say the bracket material is nice and heavy duty - some are flimsy and can bend easily.

So all in all we are looking good ......now I just need to check them out at tomorrow's show.
Title: Re: Suggestions to replace Blizzard Q12 now discontinued.
Post by: Steve Garris on May 06, 2018, 03:26:52 PM
I can't find this feature on the Q12 Puck Scott. Are you sure the Q12 has this setting?

The good news is :- the 2 Color Keys fixtures came a short while ago. What are the odds that the DMX addressing would match up with the Blizzards??... Well......
They do - exactly!!! - total fluke.
I was all prepared to sit down and program the software to match the new fixtures DMX addressing (which takes some time plus I then have to share to my other devices etc) but  now I don't need to.
The build quality is very good - weight is similar to the Blizzards. Program selection buttons feel quite solid and programming make sense.
Only thing is the fixture body sits very close to the bar due to the shortish arms on the hanging bracket. In one way this is quite nice as it doesn't hang down very far BUT when tilting the body of the fixture to position it, the bolt holding it to the bar actually catches the edge of the fixture - I had to remove the washer to make room (yes-it made that much difference). Not a biggie by any means at this price point though. I must say the bracket material is nice and heavy duty - some are flimsy and can bend easily.

So all in all we are looking good ......now I just need to check them out at tomorrow's show.

Glad to hear they worked out!
Title: Re: Suggestions to replace Blizzard Q12 now discontinued.
Post by: Debbie Dunkley on May 06, 2018, 10:22:47 PM
Yeah Steve - they are great fixtures!.. I used them last night and they worked with the Blizzards really well.
They have 10 degree wider beam but not enough to really notice any difference the way I have them set up and use them.
I got 2 so I could replace one of the blizzards per side to keep each bar the same.