[SML] ETC Color Source SPOT & PAR unit repair

[Bruce Bennett]

It sounds like power supplies in the affected luminaires have failed entirely.

With this failure rate it makes sense to considered integrity of sinusoidal wave forms in the AC supply. 

Industrial refrigeration units, AC units, generate AC waveform distortions that can impact longevity of LED drivers and power supplies. A transformer for lighting supply and another for sound supply (with isolated-ground) are always preferable.

"A society grows great when old people plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." - Greek proverb

> On Jul 9, 2021, at 09:18, Steven Mclean via Stagecraft <stagecraft at theatrical.net> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> Hello to the wisdom of the list:
> The startup theatre that I am working with bought an inventory of ETC Color Source SPOT Deep Blue &  Color Source PAR Deep Blue units about a year and a half ago.  Just as we were beginning to get some use out of them, the theatre was shut down due to Covid.  The producer pivoted last December & opened as a sort of nightclub with limited seating & we began using the lights again.  All seemed to be going well, but one-by one some of the units became unresponsive.  About a month ago, I did an entire survey of the rig (I did not buy the units & have very limited experience with these type of LED units).  Anyway, I discovered that roughly 1/3 of the SPOT & 1 of the 20 PAR units were malfunctioning.  
> 
> The nature of the failure is that when power is applied, the units fail to power up.  Fans do not come on & the small screen fails to illuminate.  All units DO pass along power & DMX to units downstream in the daisy-chain.
> 
> There seems to be no commonality concerning the placement in the digital or power daisy-chain.  Some were at the end of one or the other; some were mid-chain; some were at or towards the beginning.
> 
> Apparently these units are no longer under warranty and ETC/Barbizon has issued me an RMA for the repair.  This will require shipping all 13 units to & from Wisconsin (from SW Florida) at an undisclosed cost & a repair of an estimated $500 or more each.
> 
> The producer is understandably concerned.
> 
> My question to the list is:  Are there any alternatives, or is the theatre destined to pay roughly 1/2 or more of the replacement cost of the units in order to get them repaired?
> 
> 
> -- 
> Steven J McLean
> 515-480-8461
> stevenjmclean at gmail.com
> designandtechtheatre.wordpress.com
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