Members gruvjack Posted August 2, 2005 Members Share Posted August 2, 2005 http://www.martin.com/product/product.asp?product=maniascx500 I'm just curious and inquisitive at this point. I'm thinking of incorporating some budget intelligent lighting into my upcoming rental business. The nearest dealer is nowhere near me so I can't go in and demo them on a whim. Are these out yet? Has anyone used them in the field? How reliable are they? Are the stepper motors similar to the ones in the 812s or MX1 scanners? I was wondering about it's light output.... is it somewhat comparable to a 250 watt ELC lamp? Any constructive input is appreciated. Thanks in advance. V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted August 2, 2005 Members Share Posted August 2, 2005 The Martin SCX 500 is an excellent entry level DMX scanner, we've got one running in our showroom as I type. It has very smooth stepper motors, tons of colors and gobos and an output equal or better than the scanners using the 250w ELC bulbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gruvjack Posted August 2, 2005 Author Members Share Posted August 2, 2005 Originally posted by BillESC It has very smooth stepper motors, tons of colors and gobos and an output equal or better than the scanners using the 250w ELC bulbs. Hi, Bill. Thanks for the reply. You helped me out with some questions about Tapco gear a while back. Thanks for that too. If I were in the States now, I would pick up the phone with plastic in hand I downloaded the manual and took a closer look at the SCX 500. It looks like a great starter unit for a guy like me. I suppose lamp and balast technology have improved over the years to yield a 150 watt lamp that can match or even outdo a 250 watt ELC. Outstanding! I have a few more questions: 1. About the stepper motors, you say they are very smooth. I take it they can do slow sweeps elegantly without jitter? I see from the manual that the pan/tilt motors are capable of 1.3 rotations per second and the color/gobo motors are 1.0 RPS. Does it movel fast smoothly as well with no jitters? 2. Also, is the mirror buffered mechanically (as in a rubber housing somewhere in the mirror motor assembly)? This was implemented in the 812 as I recall. It really buffered those low hits coming from the PA system. 3. How hot do they get after long use (say 6 hours)? Are they best left on the lighting truss to cool off or can they be taken down without any concern? 4. Have you had any returns due to malfunction or failure? Any issues worthy of mention at all? Thanks. V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted August 2, 2005 Members Share Posted August 2, 2005 1. About the stepper motors, you say they are very smooth. I take it they can do slow sweeps elegantly without jitter? I see from the manual that the pan/tilt motors are capable of 1.3 rotations per second and the color/gobo motors are 1.0 RPS. Does it movel fast smoothly as well with no jitters? All movement seems to be smooth as butter...fast or slow. 2. Also, is the mirror buffered mechanically (as in a rubber housing somewhere in the mirror motor assembly)? This was implemented in the 812 as I recall. It really buffered those low hits coming from the PA system. I haven't noticed any sub jitter...and our showroom gets loud. 3. How hot do they get after long use (say 6 hours)? Are they best left on the lighting truss to cool off or can they be taken down without any concern? It is always advisable to allow halogen bulbs to cool before moving. Simply prolongs lamp life. 4. Have you had any returns due to malfunction or failure? Any issues worthy of mention at all? They've only been out a couple of months...no returns so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SeeU 22 Posted August 2, 2005 Members Share Posted August 2, 2005 How do they compare to the VEI NovaScan in terms of output. What about some higher quality older scanners like the Trackspots. A friend of mine is using 6 trackspots in his show and they seem to work well and have sufficient light out put. Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted August 3, 2005 Members Share Posted August 3, 2005 I would say the light output is equal. A nice thing about the SCX 500 is that it draws only 1.57 amps... really next to nothing. We just got a pallet of them into the shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fuji2001 Posted August 26, 2005 Members Share Posted August 26, 2005 in my show room, we have two moving head scanners in stock, the Martins SCX500 and the American DJ DJScan 250. i've always had the DJ Scans get returned to me because of the reasons i tell people when they are going to get them. not very smooth, not user friendly, cheaply made, no control of gobo and gels. the Martins have been flying off the shelves so much that i have to redo my light show in the show room. everything that bill said is true about the lights. i'm trying to figure out how to set them up in the house to freak out my roommate when he walks into his room. but that's all part of a bigger prank... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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