[SML] How to gauge the age of a Source Four?

[Dale Farmer]

On 5/1/2020 12:09 PM, Jon Ares via Stagecraft wrote:
> Howdy all... are there any cast markings/numbers or other notations to 
> determine an age of an ETC Source Four ellipsoidal body?
> 
> Lens tubes have "Rev.[letter]"  - does anyone know the years different 
> Revs were?  Anything like that on the bodies/barrels?
> 
>   How about the S4Par?
> 
> -- 
> Jon Ares
> www.arescreative.com <http://www.arescreative.com>
> 
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The source 4 middle bodies are, afaik, unchanged from the early days. 
Single and double yoke bolt versions were the only distinctions, I can 
recall.
  Reflector housings went through a couple of changes early on.  Main 
one was adding baffles to the air vents facing back to reduce light 
leaks.

The lens tube revs only matter when you have a broken one needing to be 
replaced or your are changing the glass out of an existing lens tube. 
ETC doesn't keep old revisions in stock, so you have to purchase a 
matching pair of the newest revision, and the unbroken half of the old 
lens tube goes into the bin of misfit parts, in hopes that it will be 
useful for a future broken other half of the same revision lens tube.

trying to mate different revs of the left and right lens tube castings 
is an exercise in futility.  they designed the mating lips of the two 
castings so they only fit together properly with the same rev.   You can 
force them to go together, but now the lens tube is out of round, 
leading to glass falling out when it's bumped, and it won't fit into the 
rest of the fixture easily.

The lamp caps are the old 575 watt or below only, 575/750s, and the 
dimmer doubler ones.   There are lots of the old 575 caps around that 
people drilled out to allow 750 lamps to fit, but they need that extra 
heat sink and light blocking casting to handle the heat long term.  When 
you don't have that extra heat sink, the heat messes up the dichroic 
coating on the reflector, giving it a case of dandruff. (flakes falling 
off)  At that point you have to replace the reflector, which is a bit 
spendy.


Dale