Technobeam

Thanks Joshua for clarifying and elaborating on my post... It was a little past my bedtime when I wrote that ;)
You are correct about the power capacitor issue. I use cases which hold the fixtures on their side, and they ride in a 25' trailer. Also; I live and work in Northern Alberta, Canada where the roads are pretty treacherous in the winter. A large part of my problems could easily be attributed to temperature extremes. At load-out time the clubs are usually pretty hot (30-35 C) and they get loaded out to a trailer that might be as cold as -35 C. I always give the fixtures at least 30 minutes of lamp-off cooling time, but they are still a LOT warmer than the outside temperature. ...this may also explain my problems with the displays, maybe.
You also make a good and valuable point about the slide piece of the mounting hardware. I have used your trick on every fixture. I even went to a machine-shop 2 years ago and had 30 new slides made for me so I could replace them all. Unfortunately this piece has to be absolutely perfect to work. Out of 30 I had made only 12 were perfect enough to use, even though I couldn't tell the difference till I installed them. My problems here are also a result of my cases. They require the yoke to be slid all the way to the bottom of the fixture, but most of my venues are low-trim height situations that require the yokes slid as far up as they will go. So they are being moved at every show, leading to wear & tear.
As for the motors: I couldn't agree more. I have swapped out many stepper-motors. I buy my fixtures used, and this is usually the first repair they require. Although I've found that with the pan/tilt issue, resetting the fixture brings it back every time, and with the FX wheel I just open it up and manually adjust it before show. I know it's mickey-mouse, but I can get another year out of those motors that way.
One other note I should mention which may or may not be common knowledge: When the lamp is on, don't let it sit with the shutter closed for too long. They can warp slightly from the heat and jam up. This is a problem with many fixtures, mirrored or moving-head.
Really I think it comes down to cleaning & cooling. Keep your fixtures clean, don't let anything block airflow and you can expect a long life.

Thanks Joshua for clarifying and elaborating on my post... It was a little past my bedtime when I wrote that ;)
You are correct about the power capacitor issue. I use cases which hold the fixtures on their side, and they ride in a 25' trailer. Also; I live and work in Northern Alberta, Canada where the roads are pretty treacherous in the winter. A large part of my problems could easily be attributed to temperature extremes. At load-out time the clubs are usually pretty hot (30-35 C) and they get loaded out to a trailer that might be as cold as -35 C. I always give the fixtures at least 30 minutes of lamp-off cooling time, but they are still a LOT warmer than the outside temperature. ...this may also explain my problems with the displays, maybe.
You also make a good and valuable point about the slide piece of the mounting hardware. I have used your trick on every fixture. I even went to a machine-shop 2 years ago and had 30 new slides made for me so I could replace them all. Unfortunately this piece has to be absolutely perfect to work. Out of 30 I had made only 12 were perfect enough to use, even though I couldn't tell the difference till I installed them. My problems here are also a result of my cases. They require the yoke to be slid all the way to the bottom of the fixture, but most of my venues are low-trim height situations that require the yokes slid as far up as they will go. So they are being moved at every show, leading to wear & tear.
As for the motors: I couldn't agree more. I have swapped out many stepper-motors. I buy my fixtures used, and this is usually the first repair they require. Although I've found that with the pan/tilt issue, resetting the fixture brings it back every time, and with the FX wheel I just open it up and manually adjust it before show. I know it's mickey-mouse, but I can get another year out of those motors that way.
One other note I should mention which may or may not be common knowledge: When the lamp is on, don't let it sit with the shutter closed for too long. They can warp slightly from the heat and jam up. This is a problem with many fixtures, mirrored or moving-head.
Really I think it comes down to cleaning & cooling. Keep your fixtures clean, don't let anything block airflow and you can expect a long life.