Novatech Creative Event Technology recently purchased 101 ShowPRO LED Blinder II IP, a nifty fixture that reproduces the look and feel of the classic incandescent effect in an IP65 housing.
The crew at Novatech decided to conduct a shootout of multiple different LED Blinders, as well as some conventional models, discovering that the ShowPRO Blinders were the most comparable to a standard DWE blinder in terms of red-shift, colour and output.
“Many of the other LED Blinders would either go too red while dimming or not even emulate red-shift at all,” explained Johnathon Edwards, Lighting Tech Lead, of NCET. “The ShowPRO Blinders were pretty much bang on.
“The other LED Blinders also struggled a lot with the dimming curve. Many had issues where they would be quite choppy while dimming at the low end, whereas the ShowPRO ones were quite smooth.”
Jonathan states that another important factor for moving to an LED blinder was the power draw. The recent gigs at the Royal Exhibition Centre as part of Now or Never in Melbourne (pictured), designed and managed by the talented team at Gig Control, had a limited power draw and there was no way 96 conventional blinders could have run on the power supply at the venue. The ShowPRO Blinders only drawing 140w, as opposed to 1350w, meant that they could use a lot fewer circuits to power them while also gaining much more precise control and providing the required punch through the ROE Vanish LED screen in front.
“Finally, the fixtures being IP-rated is fantastic as we often end up rigging Blinders on delay towers and areas where we can’t cover them so easily,” added Jonathan. “This means that we can trust them to run reliably no matter what the conditions.”
The ShowPRO LED Blinder’s advanced optical system delivers a super high output of 31,320lm while its fan-free design and quiet operation make it suitable for studio use.
Individual control of each cell allows for the programming of sophisticated eye candy.
Photo credit – @will.hamiltoncoates
Photo credit – @leashleon
