Fun
FAQs & Helpful Hints
Firecracker,
Firecracker!
I
try to be impartial when writing these articles. I try to focus
more on how a general category of product can be used than on the
benefits of any one particular product. I've tried to do that this
week, and failed. Simply put, I love the Firecracker!
The Firecracker is a party/disco light that uses two lamps, a rotating
dichroic color wheel, and an array of 36 lenses to create multiple,
multicolored beams of light. Because the wheel rotates, the beams
of light seem to dance and change color. With the sound-active option,
the effect seems to move in time with whatever music is playing.
So far, the Firecracker seems similar to many other disco lights
that are currently available. So why am I so attracted to this one?
I think the answer lies in the fact that I discovered the Firecracker
while searching for a low-cost effects light for a small club. This
club had a stage that badly needed some additional lighting. The
problem was that, while the stage was approximately 30' long, the
club didn't have enough space to get a longer throw distance, nor
did they have the budget for more than one or two lights. [Note
Normally, to get wider coverage you either pull your lights back
further, or use several lights in a row.]
The Firecracker proved ideal for this situation. Because of the
way the lenses are arranged, the fixture has quite a wide beam angle,
which means it covers a wider area from a short distance than many
similar lights. The moving beams and changing colors, along with
the sound active feature, pack a big effect into a small fixture.
The result was that we were able to cover the width of the stage
with two Firecrackers without breaking the club's budget.
Some ideas for getting the most out of your Firecracker, or most
other club lights Remember that the closer the fixture is to the
area it's lighting, the brighter the effect will be. However, be
careful to place the fixture far enough away to cover the entire
area, or use more than one fixture. Having one brightly lit area
on a stage or dance floor doesn't do any good if it's only two feet
wide!
Sound active fixtures like the Firecracker will react differently
depending on the sensitivity of their internal microphones; most
fixtures have adjustable mic sensitivity. In general, the higher
you set this sensitivity, the more the fixture will react. Experiment
with different settings to see what look you like best. Be sure
to position the fixture so that the internal microphone is not covered.
Most club lights can only be operated for 15 minutes at a time.
More than that can cause problems such as frequent lamp burn-out.
This is due to the high operating temperatures inside the fixture.
The best way to keep your fixtures running smoothly is to install
a timer (such as our Dual Cycle Timer) that will switch the unit
off after 15 minutes and back on after 10 minutes. The Dual Cycle
Timer allows you to switch between two effects, so that one is running
while the other cools down.
In future articles, I will try to curb my enthusiasm for any one
particular product and get back to offering general hints and weird
facts from the world of special effects. For now, however, you'll
just have to bear with me while I sing the praises of this great
little light one more time. Firecracker! Firecracker! Sis-boom-bah!
*********************************************
Theatre Effects Customer Service Department
service@theatrefx.com
www.theatrefx.com
Theatre
Effects, 11707 Chesterdale Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45246
Phone: 1-800-791-7646 or 513-772-7646 Fax: 513-772-3579
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