Looking for Prop ideas

[caniac]

Orville wrote:

caniac wrote:

Orville wrote:

Noelb wrote:

I was at Home Depot earlier this week. They now have "compact flourescent" blacklight bulbs. You know - the kind that are regular bulb base with the spiral flourescent bulb on top.

I have never tried them, but I think it was only $5 a bulb maybe? Not sure if the ballast in them would be any faster firing. Based on my other spiral compacts - the initial warm up is slow, but subsequent on/off is better if the "off" period is not too long.

Just throwing it out there in case you wanted to try them...

Nope, not reliable enough for off/on using short bursts. These do come on a little faster than the Florescent BL tubes, but still just don't cut it when it comes to anything other than ON or OFF. If you turn them on just before the music starts, then after the music ends, they work fine with LOR.

Personally, like with any type florescent bulb, you're better off with just having them always on illuminating the object. On/Off will work, but it can try your patience since each CFL or FL bulb and ballast may be slightly off in timing from start up to full on for each bulb/tube. This is why I don't bother to take up a LOR channel for using them and just let mine just stay on throughout the entire show. I may use a digital timer on them so they turn on with the show and off when the show is done for the night.

If Incandescent black lights would illuminate as well as the CFL's or FL types, that'd be excellent for use with LOR, but they just don't have the same illumination qualities as their florescent counterparts. Would be nice if you could use all the effects with the florescents that LOR offers, like shimmer, twinkle, fade up/down that wouldn't cause any issues with them. So far, I haven't seen any that are capable of this without usually shortening the ballast or FL's life span.

I have experimented with them using LOR and just found, better to plug them in directly to a live outlet and let them just light the object up at all times.

I am experimenting with LED blacklights this season, so far I like what I see but don't know how it will compete with the original black light tubes.

Are the ones you're experimenting with "dimmable"? Or are they like the BL CFL's/FL's, just On or Off?

I've seen some, but every one I've picked up and read the packaging always state "NOT FOR USE WITH DIMMERS", and basically that's what we do with a LOR channel is dim (fade up/down) or other effects.

So would be very interested in where you got your BL LED Bulbs from and how well they function with the LOR effects, if they are capable. Although I'm still not sold 100% on BL LED bulbs like this, just don't feel they would have the same oomph of either an incandescent or preferably a BL tube style florescent bulb.



So your tests interest me very much on how these BL LED bulbs work and illuminate an object from a distance.

haven't tried from a distance but in my office. seems to work better than a CFL, a flood, and a bulb but not as good as the old fashioned tube. As far as I know they are dimmable, will check packaging when i get to the office.

[vvolf27]

CKSedg wrote:

vvolf27 wrote:

Yeah I think I am just going to go with regular floods and get those 10 to 20 dollar ghouls for my show. Just don't have a lot of funds for everything this year. I have already spent more for halloween than I expected.

That overspending thing happens to me every year when it comes to LOR.  Sure is fun!

I know what you mean, already way over for christmas and if I don't slow down I'll be broke; eating out of dumpsters for halloween. But your right, it is fun and can't wait to see peoples faces.