[SML] Really bright red LED light source

[Steve Boone]

Hi Sean!
I thought I had a great idea and was going to say LED semi-trailer brake lights would be 12v, very red, and bright enough to see in daylight, so several of them would probably look quite bright on stage.  
Seems like you could put a bunch of them in that space and get a really good result.  -Maybe even some up with an egg-crate or louvered accessory to limit the way off-angle light that maybe you don’t want?  BUT THEN I started thinking about “dimmable.”  I know there are pulse width modulation dimmer modules for 12v automotive circuits, but since they post date the invention of fire (yes, I am that old), I have no experience with them, and can’t tell you a thing about which ones are good and which ones will disappoint you.

I’ve always been a fan of putting a 45 degree mirror under the opening and putting a kick-ass bright LED ellipsoidal under the stage somewhere, lying on its side pointed at the mirror for things like this.   For a long time I thought this was how they did the footlights for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, but I read an article in PLSN where Fred Bock said he used iWhites from Color Kinetics, which would be a lot more money, but would give you some color choice flexibility if the red is too pink or too orange or too purple…

Just an idea…
Steve Boone

> Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2024 12:18:53 -0400
> From: Sean McCarthy <seanrmccarthy at gmail.com>
> To: Stagecraft <stagecraft at theatrical.net>
> Subject: [SML] Really bright red LED light source
> Message-ID:
> 	<CAPnxH6Fo3=A3jf6htqiMH02jF=N+cQz1Xkqb52ukzoLoxETbGQ at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> Spitball with me:  I need a low-profile, red only light source for an
> effect.  It's a floor grating with red light shoot up.
> 
> Limitations:  ~6"-8" total available height.  Must be LED.  Grating is ~24"
> square.
> 
> Prior (less successful) version of the effect used 4 Colorblast TRX's.
> 
> Ideally 12-24v, so it can be run from some sort of PWM driver, or line
> dimmable.
> 
> What sort of ideas have you???
> 
> Thank you very much!
> 
> --Sean