[SML] Scrollers

[Dale Farmer]

On 10/4/2015 3:51 PM, Andrew Vance via Stagecraft wrote:
> What are people using for scrollers these days?  What's on the market
> that's good?  I've been looking at the Apollo Smart Color and MXRs,
> but I'd like other people's opinions.  Are there any scrollers out
> there that are compatible with our current Coloram II scrolls?
>
> Before the flood of "Why scrollers?  Why not LED/Seachangers/etc?", a
> little backstory.  Out current scrollers [Coloram IIs] have been
> dropping like flies over the last three weeks.  They're old [most
> pre-2005] and showing their age.  We've gone through 5 motors in the
> last week, which is about what we typically replace in a year.  I'd
> love to go with an LED solution, but the funds aren't there.
>

   For your situation, I'd go to your local rental shops and see if they 
have any used scrollers on offer.     Get ones that are compatible with 
your current power supplies/controllers.

If you have several motors that are dying all at once, and they are all 
about the same age and usage, then anticipate that many more are close 
to death.   Consider paying the money to have them all be overhauled 
with new motors, belts, fans and so on.  New fans for the power supplies 
too.  You will have units that will give you many more years of service 
for probably a lower cost than buying used units with unknown history. 
  As long as the things are kept clean and the fans replaced as soon as 
they fail, they will have a good long lifespan.

   That may be a better cost-benefit solution for your situation.

--Dale