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Tips For Choosing And Care Of Automated Lights
How to maintain automated lights, choose fixtures wisely, & handle repairs when needed in the most cost-effective manner
We read the March 2008 issue of Church Production with greater than normal interest, as it contained a very comprehensive article regarding automated lighting considerations for the worship environment. If you haven’t read the article, go back and have a look. We noticed that almost all the experts quoted in the article pointed out the importance of regular maintenance, availability of spare parts and repairs – and couldn’t agree more. Automated lighting fixtures and lighting control consoles can easily become the place where the largest part of your media ministry’s lighting budget is spent every year. This article addresses how to maximize the impact of your automated lights via proper maintenance and repair, thereby significantly extending the useful life of the church’s investment in this dramatic, high impact technology.
The first and best way to insure reliability in automated and conventional lighting systems is choose the products you purchase carefully - thoroughly evaluate the manufacturer's reputation for reliability, warranty and ease of service. It seems like there’s always some new fixture that’s better, stronger and faster. That’s not a bad thing - sometimes they really are cheaper and better. An important point that distinguishes professional lighting distributors is their commitment to stocking parts for imported fixtures, for example. You can read reviews in entertainment lighting trade magazines, on the LightNetwork (www.lightnetwork.com) Internet discussion forum, and also ask competent lighting technicians questions such as "what fixtures break the least?" and "what products are the easiest to service and get parts for around here?". If your church occasionally has big productions, the ability to rent additional like fixtures in your area might influence your choice. Also, PLEASE consider how your staff will access your automated lighting fixtures for maintenance – a catwalk or other investment in rigging that allows the fixtures to be lowered to the floor for service will pay for itself for years, no matter what fixtures you hang on it now (or in the future). Avoid hanging fixtures where you can’t access them. Most importantly, dedicate a minimum of 5% of your fixture purchase toward spare parts - items such as fuses, motor drive chips, a spare power supply and logic board, belts, etc. - even if your fixtures are still in warranty. Automated lights are sophisticated electromechanical devices full of motors and electronics, surrounding an intense radiation source. Though modern automated lights are pretty reliable, the Boy Scouts have a good motto –“be prepared”.
How do you effectively prepare for the unforeseen? The importance of regular cleaning cannot be overemphasized, as the majority of fixtures in use today utilize cooling fans to accommodate their high power light sources. Simply put, heat is the enemy of lighting fixtures. Repeated heating and cooling is the primary cause of failure (and ultimately normal end of life) of lighting fixtures and electronics. Dirty vents, filters and fans will obstruct airflow quickly, which can lead to premature lamp and motor failures, cracked glass reflectors and lenses, and burned fans and PCB’s. Keeping fixtures clean is not rocket science, and does not require expensive diagnostic/test equipment or highly trained technicians. All that is required is a consistent schedule of routine cleaning by the responsible person(s), and the discipline to see it carried out. A log chart for cleanings is a great idea for the lighting booth, accompanied by great shame and scorn from the pastor(s) and congregation for not cleaning the lights on schedule! OK, perhaps that’s a bit extreme, but a thorough cleaning every 6 months will ensure extended operation - and you’ll also discover small problems before they turn into bigger ones. If you work in extremely dusty conditions, or around lots of fog and/or dust, you may need to clean more frequently. This is where that catwalk or moving truss comes in really handy (hint, hint). Another thing to keep in mind is fog fluid coats optics, but we have to use fog. So use as little as necessary (don’t just let the fog machine run) and keep foggers as far as possible from fixtures with fans running.
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Don Pugh is a 20+ year veteran of the entertainment lighting industry and co-owner of LightParts Inc., located in Austin, Texas.
Robert Mokry is a 20+ year veteran of the entertainment lighting industry and co-owner of LightParts Inc., located in Austin, Texas.
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