What is the moving head light？
Moving head light is kind of illumination fixture with Pan and Tilt Movement, usually for those lighting equipment apply to the stage event , concert , outdoor alive show , cruise ship , TV station , theatre, wedding etc . Let’s introduce in following aspect
Light source type and power
Moving head light source consist of five different type in current market : discharge lamp , LED module , LED chip , Laser and COB. Among these 5 types light source ,discharge lamp is the most classic one and with longest history , so,here we share more details about discharge lamp . in the earlier period of discharge lamp -Halogen lamp was the main stream, the classic power have 250W, 575W and 1200W , and 1200W usually for the professional show . But around 2010, Clay Paky launched 189W moving beam — Sharpy ,which settle a milestone for the HID light source ,which is small power ,but super bright ,then, slowly Halogen lamp have been walking off the stage , HID become the shining star in the market . HID lamp ‘s classic power in the market have :230W , 330W , 471W ,1000W etc , which are made by Osram company .
by the way , in the overseas market , sharpy is a super star for the moving head beam light, which also created a super great market for other China moving head manufacture, so, in 2011, Light Sky launched their own 230W moving beam –BUMBLEBEE , which is one of the excellent beam in the market , via bumblebee Light Sky got a lot of market recognition and starts its moving head light focus strategy on product development , which laid a strong foundation for their innovation of Aquabeam –which is the first moving head lamp beam in the world .
Optical lens design
The main consideration in optical system design is the utilization rate of light source flux,the specific performance indicator includes brightness , uniform , saturation , spot size etc. Two main factors influence above indicators , one is light source , another is optical lens system structure . because of the inevitable shadow effect of the light source , during the optical lens design should try the best to cover the shadow to generate a uniform spot .Parabolic reflectors can be used. To collect divergent or narrow light beams, reflectors with scale processing or surface texture should be selected. A reflector system made of mirror reflective materials is better than a refracting system. When several beams of light need to be obtained from a single light source, a prism or lens combination refractive system can be used.
Maybe above content is could not be well understood , but at least a idea put into your mind : Optical lens design can facilitate the brightness and performance of the moving head light.
Mechanical design
Mechanical design includes many parts : material , structure , thermal dissipation system , movement degree. Usually for moving head light , Pan : 540 degree, Tilt : 270 degree , but with more creation in the lighting effect , infinite movement become a new tendency . so, once the moving head’s function is confirmed during the new product proposal meeting , the mechanical designer would comprehensive consider all the factors to realize the performance . In recent years due to the labor cost becoming more and more expensive ,the market has more high request on the mechanical design : small size , light weight , multi-function and waterproof .
Electronic Design
Light source ‘s on and off , stability , reset all rely on the electronic components. Usually for the moving head light it includes three main PCB board : driver board , pan/tilt board , and display board . and the lamp’s starting usually via : E-ballast . and stability of the PCB would affect the moving head’s performance, and the drive chip’s quality would deeply decide’s moving head light’s pan/tilt speed , dimmer smoothness , zoom speed etc .
Software or firmware
Software and firmware’s control mode must follow DMX512, and option have RDM ,ARTNET etc. And Bit consist of 8 bit and 16 bit . software must be hommization and follow the standard stage lighting standard , a smart software design would make more end-user love the product . software closely related with electronic and mechanical design , with reliable design on the above part , which would facilitate software and firmware , at same time , if there is a any inevitable bad part on mechanical and electronic ,firmware must help to avoid these . so, they rely on each other .
Moving head lighting is a professional lighting equipment , there are a lot knowledge deserve to learn , above just a small sharing , help could help you understand stage lighting better.
