Lighting Talk - ROBOCOLOR??

Print Page | Close Window

ROBOCOLOR??

Printed From: Speakerplans.com
Category: Other Chat
Forum Name: Lighting Talk
Forum Description: All your lampy, laser and 'other' special FX needs....
URL: https://forum.speakerplans.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=22899
Printed Date: 27 March 2026 at 12:52am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.08 - https://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: ROBOCOLOR??

Posted By: Stray-Sounds
Subject: ROBOCOLOR??
Date Posted: 14 January 2009 at 5:06pm

Hello.

We have 12 robocolours. 8 x III and 4 x II.

We aint got bulbs for the IIIs yet.

I tried getting the IIs working with the controller box thing in stand alond mode.

2 of the lights have new bulbs so should be working fine. the other 2 are a bit beaten.

I tried all the different combinations for stand alone modes.

The colour wheels were turning, but the bulbs werent lighting up.

Sorry if i havnt written this very well but i didnt manage to get any sleep last night so feeling a bit rough!

Anyone know anything about these lights??

Thanks, Gethin.

-------------

<a href="http://www.soundhirewales.co.uk/">PA & Lighting - Sound Hire Wales</a>

Replies:

Posted By: mk2_ginger_biscuit69
Date Posted: 14 January 2009 at 5:12pm

yeah, i used to have a set of four mk2 with controller.

complete bitch to make work - i sold them for this precise problem. theres 4outs from the control box, 1+2 and 3+4 are linked in some kind of manor, so both in each pair must have a working lamp or they wont illuminate at all, probably share something and need the parallel current to drive the lamps. Very annoying if one lamp goes, and you loose two at a time, and have to check both. my advice is stick the controller on the dipswitch setting for test which should just be an open white light, and swap them around until you get them working. if that fails check the 5pin lines, you maybe have damage somewhere. The soldering on mine were shocking, had to resolder them all to get them remotely reliable.

in short, mk2 are sh*te, and mk3 addressed these issues hence there was the mk3.

hope that was remotely usefull for you, ta, Pat

Posted By: imageoven
Date Posted: 14 January 2009 at 5:16pm

These are msd 250 lamped I think? I know there's quite a difference between versions. If so (or any other discharge lamp) you should hear the ignitor making a clicking noise as it trys to strike the lamp, if not try swapping the ignitor with one from a working unit.

If its a filament bulb check corrosion on lamp holder/lamp contacts and if theres voltage at the lampholder. If no volts check the lamp switching relay, I've seen these go faulty in a few martin units.

and get some sleep, you may be doing something daft!

edit; the ignitor looks like a big capacitor but with three terminals and will be wired directly to the lamp. could be round or square. beware - high voltage.

Posted By: csg
Date Posted: 14 January 2009 at 5:19pm

The reason you need all the lamps to be good is that they use 120v 250w enh lamps which are wired as 2 series pairs, to avoid needing trannys

Ive installed many robocolor 2's over the years without any probs, but the 2 mobile is much better for portable use, if you can live with all the heads in the same flightcase

the 3's are much better

Posted By: Stray-Sounds
Date Posted: 14 January 2009 at 5:23pm

They are filament bulbs. all seems quite clean inside.

I'm looking through the manual now and can't find anything about a test setting.

am i missing part of the controller or something? is it just this 1 useless box??

Cheers, Gethin.

-------------

<a href="http://www.soundhirewales.co.uk/">PA & Lighting - Sound Hire Wales</a>

Posted By: imageoven
Date Posted: 14 January 2009 at 5:24pm

ah ok, must be the mkIII that uses the msd250.

Posted By: Stray-Sounds
Date Posted: 14 January 2009 at 5:30pm

I did notice that the mkIII buls are much more expensive!

but there seems to be a few different versions.

i tried the 2 i think should work in different combinations and still nothing.

i think im just gonna give up!

Cheers for the info guys! Geth

-------------

<a href="http://www.soundhirewales.co.uk/">PA & Lighting - Sound Hire Wales</a>

Posted By: mk2_ginger_biscuit69
Date Posted: 14 January 2009 at 5:48pm

havnt had any for say 2-3years now so cant remember. Its just the one box with four outs, and dmx.

lamps are indeed 120v 250w enh, not discharge so no ignitor issues.

i dont really like these lights, made quite a nice little 'pub stage lighting' system, take out the lense and they have quite a wide beam pattern! four of them on a single tbar easily lit a stage quite nicely.

Posted By: super-hero
Date Posted: 18 January 2009 at 3:15pm

Check to make sure the lamps are working or you will be wasting your time. As csg says they are wired in pairs, and you will need at least 2 working before anything happens.

-------------
I'm not an animal, I'm a human being.

Posted By: Stray-Sounds
Date Posted: 18 January 2009 at 8:31pm

so if i have 2 working ones, should the be plugged into outputs 1 + 2 or does it not matter?

-------------

<a href="http://www.soundhirewales.co.uk/">PA & Lighting - Sound Hire Wales</a>

Posted By: mk2_ginger_biscuit69
Date Posted: 19 January 2009 at 4:18pm

2 working should be in 1+2 or 3+4

Posted By: VinceC
Date Posted: 25 February 2009 at 10:41pm

I did a bit of checking - the Mk III used an HTI150 discharge lamp, and the Robocolor Pro 400 uses the MSD200 lamp (that last forever!!)

I've got a few 400s, and they are great workhorses. They don't need any controller type box and just hook straight into your DMX network.

You've still got the usual Martin problem of needing to cross over the DMX cable hot & cold, but other than that they get my vote!

Cheers, Vince