S4 Rev as followspot?

The main problem I see is that once the belts to the motors are disconnected the unit becomes very unmanageable. In other words, the balance becomes a bit odd and your ‘operator’ would really need to hold the unit in position with no sort of tension. (Think of a very small followspot with all the tension/locks removed.)

The next thing you might think of is to keep the belts attached to the motors and just disconnect the control line to the motor. This would give you tension in the pan and tilt movement. The problem is that there is a feedback from the motor to the MCC (Master Control Card) and I do not know how the unit will react without this as I have never had a reason to try it.

Are you crazy for wanting to try this? No. You work in theatre and have a need for something different so anything safe that you try is not crazy…its resourceful.

The ‘I work at ETC disclaimer’: A S4 Revelation contains 120V and moving components. It is designed, tested and UL approved to safely work in its ‘supplied’ condition. So any modifications by an end-user, unless directed by ETC Technical Services for the purpose of field repair, would void the warranty and the UL approval.

Sincerely,

Mike

mmeskill said:

The next thing you might think of is to keep the belts attached to the motors and just disconnect the control line to the motor. This would give you tension in the pan and tilt movement. The problem is that there is a feedback from the motor to the MCC (Master Control Card) and I do not know how the unit will react without this as I have never had a reason to try it.

 

 The rest of the fixture wil continue to function with the motors disconnected.  The Revolution is clever enough to use whatever bits are working and ignore the parts that aren't.  The error light will come on, of course, but it would do that with just the belts disconnected as well.  The power up sequence will also take longer than usual, since it won't be able to calibrate pan and tilt properly.  It will get there eventually though.  You'll definitely want a handle.  The back part of the fixture gets extremely hot during use, and there's not really a good place to hold on.

I'm a big fan of the conventional Source Four with accessories to turn it into a followspot.  If you get everything set up properly, it can be a very passable alternative to a real spot.  It's also a lot more compact and easy to operate (not to mention significantly cheaper).

mmeskill said:

The next thing you might think of is to keep the belts attached to the motors and just disconnect the control line to the motor. This would give you tension in the pan and tilt movement. The problem is that there is a feedback from the motor to the MCC (Master Control Card) and I do not know how the unit will react without this as I have never had a reason to try it.

 

 The rest of the fixture wil continue to function with the motors disconnected.  The Revolution is clever enough to use whatever bits are working and ignore the parts that aren't.  The error light will come on, of course, but it would do that with just the belts disconnected as well.  The power up sequence will also take longer than usual, since it won't be able to calibrate pan and tilt properly.  It will get there eventually though.  You'll definitely want a handle.  The back part of the fixture gets extremely hot during use, and there's not really a good place to hold on.

I'm a big fan of the conventional Source Four with accessories to turn it into a followspot.  If you get everything set up properly, it can be a very passable alternative to a real spot.  It's also a lot more compact and easy to operate (not to mention significantly cheaper).