# Carbon Arc Followspots



## DaveySimps (Jul 20, 2013)

I have a local vendor who is nice guy and I've known for years. We get into repeated conversation about his carbon arc followspots, that he cannot get anyone to rent. Most of his equipment is old and out of date. Because of this his business has really taken a dive the last decade or so. He argues that most people would know how to run a carbon arc followspot (of which he has 6). I contend that it is becoming an antiquated skill nowadays, and most techs at road houses and amphitheaters do not (unless their venue owns them), and that is why he gets no rental of them. So, how many of you would be able to walk up to an old carbon-arc Super Trouper (or similar) and be efficient enough on it to be able to serve as a spot op for a performance at a road house?

~Dave


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## techieman33 (Jul 20, 2013)

Not I. I've run several different models of spotlight and wouldn't be worried about not being able to figure out how to run a different one as long as I had a couple of minutes to figure out that specific models features before the show started. I would want someone to give me a little training on a carbon arc though. We had one at my high school but it hadn't been used in several years so all I got to do was look at it, and heard little bits and pieces about running one 4th of 5th hand. I'm 27 and I doubt there are many people my age who have run one either.


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## JLNorthGA (Jul 20, 2013)

I could do it after a few minutes to check it over again (it has been MANY years). But why? Carbon arc follow spots are cantankerous, hot, noisy and smelly. Ideally you have a vent above the follow spot position - and how many venues have that nowadays? Give me a Xenon or metal halide lamped follow spot any day. The Super Trooper was a great instrument for its time - but that time is not now.


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## RonHebbard (Jul 20, 2013)

DaveySimps said:


> How many of you would be able to walk up to an old carbon-arc Super Trouper (or similar) and be efficient enough on it to be able to serve as a spot op for a performance at a road house?
> 
> ~Dave



Hello Dave;

Let me boldly be the first to say I think I'd make the cut. For me it'd be a lot like riding a bike.

I won't disagree with the previous posters as far as carbon arcs being outdated technology.
I have far fewer hours on Troupers than Super Troupers but I'll concur with "cantankerous" and state they all had their own 'personalities'. 
Back in the 60's we had a couple of the little A.C. carbon Troupers in town but when our largest roadhouse opened in '73 I met two brand new carbon Supers and never looked back.
A number of years later two 1600 watt xenon Supers were added to the spot booth. 
The newbs, and touring lead spot ops, always grabbed the xenons. Nasty little person that I am, I always enjoyed blowing away the xenons with a clean and well tuned carbon. As I said, each carbon Super had its own personality, my favourite would reliably run an hour and twenty, 80 minutes, on a fresh trim but there'd be less than two minutes left to toss in the bucket.
All four spots were fitted with flexible vent tubes directly into an exhaust system tossing the foul air out a rooftop vent. Probably no longer permitted in today's green era.

I haven't been back to that booth in a while but I believe they retired the carbons and replaced them with a pair of, new at the time, 2K xenon Supers.

What do I miss in my rose colored memories?
- The round arcs were easier on my left wrist than the square cornered xenons
- The color changer was much closer to the pivot, easier to keep steady on fast color changes while still on stage
- The UV filter in its separate boomerang
- The optional lobsterscope

Thanks Dave for the trip down memory lane and I never even touched on carbon Gladiators!

Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard


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## dramatech (Jul 20, 2013)

I have operated carbon Troupers, Supers and Gladiators, all at different times in my life. The last was a year ago on a supertrouper sitting along side a Xenon Super. I neither hated or loved them. They were just another spot experience. Changing the arcs on a long show was not the funnest thing in the world. I operated my first one in 1956. Oops just gave away my age.


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## Scarrgo (Jul 20, 2013)

Sign me up, I miss running Carbon Arcs, like running a living breathing machine...never a dull moment

When I started running arcs, I had to stand on an apple crate, and who needed an exhaust tubes, when you could taste the metal from the carbons you know the show is almost over. I also remember changing carbons with a dry wash cloth, it was a bad game to see who could get burned last(the joys of being young and indestructible).

I agree that not to many people know how to run one anymore...

Sean...


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## DaveySimps (Jul 20, 2013)

You have an unfair advantage Sean. You likely know who it is I speak of. In fact, you were probably his last spot rental. 

~Dave


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## DaveySimps (Jul 20, 2013)

Any one in the 35 and under age bracket know how to run one?

~Dave


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## len (Jul 20, 2013)

There were 2 in my high school when I was there. I might be able to figure it out, but how many rods would I go through beforehand?

Are the rods still available?


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## derekleffew (Jul 20, 2013)

DaveySimps said:


> Any one in the 35 and under age bracket know how to run one?


I would guess 0.01% of those in that category have run a carbon-arc. The last time I ran one (1993) I would have fit the criteria. I don't believe there are any still in use in Las Vegas.
See also the threads:
Strong Trouper Followspot
Carbon Arc Troupers
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting-electrics/19638-1948-spotlight-deathtrap.html


len said:


> ... Are the rods still available?


As of 04/30/13, yes: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting-electrics/32084-carbon-arc-carbons.html .


DaveySimps said:


> ... We get into repeated conversation about his carbon arc followspots, that he cannot get anyone to rent. Most of his equipment is old and out of date. Because of this his business has really taken a dive the last decade or so. ...


I would not want to be the one to have to justify the use of these beasts to an AHJ in indoor venues. Consider them museum artifacts.


Les said:


> Yeah... I might be seeing if they have a surplus website or any auctions I can go to
> 
> Here's a quick picture I took of them. Didn't mean for it to be such a closeup. They're huge!
> 
> ...



1976 article about Strong Electric in the Toledo _Blade_: http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...RBPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=agIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6713,1419670 .

> Mr. [Nelson] Alexander said there are more spotlights for each square mile in Las Vegas than perhaps anywhere else in the world, and most of them are Super Troupers. The new MGM Grand Hotel [today Bally's], for example, utilizes 14 of them, he said.


.


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## DaveySimps (Jul 20, 2013)

derekleffew said:


> I would not want to be the one to have to justify the use of these beasts to an AHJ in indoor venues. Consider them museum artifacts.
> 
> .



This is what I have been trying to convince him of for years.

~Dave


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## RonHebbard (Jul 20, 2013)

Scarrgo said:


> Sign me up, I miss running Carbon Arcs, like running a living breathing machine...never a dull moment
> 
> When I started running arcs, I had to stand on an apple crate, and who needed an exhaust tubes, when you could taste the metal from the carbons you know the show is almost over. I also remember changing carbons with a dry wash cloth, it was a bad game to see who could get burned last(the joys of being young and indestructible).
> 
> ...



Hello Sean!

You're bringing back the memories, mostly warm 'n fuzzy.

"running Carbon Arcs, like running a living breathing machine...never a dull moment"
Exactly!! A 'lost arc' as it were.

"When I started running arcs, I had to stand on an apple crate,"
Understood, I've been short all my life too. ;^)

"changing carbons with a dry wash cloth, it was a bad game to see who could get burned last (the joys of being young and indestructible)."

Dry cloth? Wimp!! Bare hands Sean, bare hands!
Pliers to pull 'em and toss in the bucket, bare hands to put 'em in.

Changing sticks on the fly was where 'real men' proved their muster!!
Faster! Faster!! Always striving to be the fastest in your local!!!
Oh the memories! Oh the bragging rights!! 
To be fast and blemish free, no scars, no burns, oh yeah!

Seriously;
Keeping your next pair inside with one pointed each direction, right where you need 'em, dry and moisture free.
Your next next pair were on top against the hinge being warmed and dried.

When you noticed a slight vertical rod misalignment, or reflector alignment issue, you didn't wait 'til you were down or try to correct on a booth wall between cues, no, this needs to be done when everything's up to temperature and somewhere near your normal throw distance. 
You couldn't take a coin to the rear of the lamphouse while still following people but you could learn to reach back, open the door just enough to slide your left hand in and turn the correct adjustment from behind the reflector where things weren’t near as hot as in front.
Not for the faint of heart, definitely not to be executed while wearing a metal watchband on your left wrist. Executed, Freudian choice of word.

For no explicable reason, I've survived "the joys of being young and indestructible" and matured to old and silly; silly, no not senile!

Thanks Sean for the memories.

Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard


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## jstandfast (Jul 20, 2013)

It's useful, I think, to bear in mind that now days in many jurisdictions if you wanted to run a carbon arc the AHJ would make you install a dedicated(and very expensive) exhaust system so the operators of today wouldn't be sucking that foul stuff that we did........


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## JLNorthGA (Jul 20, 2013)

What I remember the most - having to change the rods in the middle of Ian Anderson singing "Thick as a Brick" - that song went on forever....

The most rods I ever went through in a single event - the concert started with a preshow at 7:00 pm and wasn't over until 1:30 am the following morning. The promoter was frugal and only wanted two spot operators. Changing fast and on the fly.


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## Scarrgo (Jul 20, 2013)

DaveySimps said:


> You have an unfair advantage Sean. You likely know who it is I speak of. In fact, you were probably his last spot rental.
> 
> ~Dave



Yes I do know who you are speaking about, and I agree, but to replace would cost him so much, with so little return...


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## DaveySimps (Jul 20, 2013)

Scarrgo said:


> and I agree, but to replace would cost him so much, with so little return...



I agree. I never suggested replacing, rather him considering scrapping / parting them out. He would reduce his overhead by having one less storage bay to pay for. As of now, they are costing him money, and have been for years.

~Dave


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## MPowers (Jul 20, 2013)

Run an Arc Light? Piece-O'-Cake! My first time was back in '63 and later while working for Disney, I became a certified Strong repair tech for the whole line. I also became skilled at running the big old Genarco units made by Metropolitan. They were already very old when I ran them. Huge units you sat under the front end with the snout over your shoulder. Throws were usually 300' to 400' so 3-4 inches swing of the snout was a 25' sweep on stage. The Genarco was a DC unit and the positive carbon was about 3/4" diameter and roughly 14" long, IIRC, and the back end was exposed and stuck out the rear of the lamp housing about 6" at the start.

On a side note, though the technology is now old hat, it had some neat off shoots. For example, years before high intensity programmable strobes were invented, it was easy to create a shop built Lightning machine to vividly simulate lightning bolts, using a pair of carbons, small portable welder and some ingenuity. I intentionally won't give the details here but it involved two or three shop made glass slide/gobos, spare reflector from a trouper, a strong spring and a sheet metal housing. The glass slides, about 4"x4", were painted with bar-B-Q black paint and then an exacto knife scratched out a lightning bolt. The slides were mounded on a sliding frame so you could shift between them in between lightning flashes. The housing had the reflector on one side and the opening for the slides on the back. That let you "project" the lightning on the cyc and if desired, open the side opposite the reflector and the light flashed across the stage in perfect sync with the visible bolt. The action was so fast, the dichotomy of the direction of the visible bolt and shadows cast by the flash being at 90 degrees to each other was never noticed by the audience, even other designers or technicians.


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## gafftapegreenia (Jul 20, 2013)

Never had the experience. Almost got trained on them a couple times at a few different places, but time never allowed for it.


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## WooferHound (Jul 20, 2013)

We had 12 of them in our theater/arena. They have all been replaced with xenon Lycians now. I think they are illegal here in Alabama because they cause Black Lung disease.


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## BillESC (Jul 20, 2013)

I'm sure I have a couple thousand hours on Troupers, Super Troupers and Genarco's. Like riding a bike to me.


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## SteveB (Jul 20, 2013)

It's possible that our theater was one of the last in the NYC area that used Super Trouper carbon arcs in 2000. I knew that the only place I could get certain parts was either the Marble Company in Knoxville, TN (carbons and reflectors) or the Met Opera, where the head of the follow spots had a stock of parts they had made (and purchased) for their 7 units, they had moved to Lycian xenons by then. Strong had zip on spare parts and none of the NYC area shops - 4 Star, Altman, etc... had any left. 

And that's the rub with the owner of the rental shop in the OP, is who exactly is going to A) Use these things and B) When one fails, who's going to fix it and with what parts. 

Long past due on being trashed, though I heard that Rick Lo, owner of Lycian collects old follow spots. 

And as BTW, having literally run ST's for 25 years or so, I could (and have) run one in my sleep. I also met my wife, who was a STCA FS operator at a theater we both worked in 35 years ago.

This photo is what's hanging on my kitchen cork board.


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## Les (Jul 21, 2013)

Anyone remember this song?



Best.Sweater. Ever. 

From Wikipedia:


> The name "Super Trouper" referred to the spotlights used in stadium concerts and such. ABBA were not always fond of performing onstage, preferring the confines of the studio to being on tour. This is reflected in the lyrics, which, in typical ABBA style, are presented as happy and upbeat, yet tinged with a hint of sadness.



I wonder who authorized _this_:

> The spotlight featured throughout the music video is, in fact, a CCT Silhouette follow spot, as opposed to a real Super Trouper.


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## JD (Jul 21, 2013)

BillESC said:


> I'm sure I have a couple thousand hours on Troupers, Super Troupers and Genarco's. Like riding a bike to me.




Yep! Like riding a bike! Carbon trim changes could be done very fast using the"chopsticks" method. (basically, you use the new trim to release the old carbons.)


WooferHound said:


> I think they are illegal here in Alabama because they cause Black Lung disease.



Black Lung? Never heard of such a thing related to arc lights, only from work in a coal mine and inhaling coal dust for years.


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## JohnD (Jul 21, 2013)

I was perusing the usedlighting.com ads and ran across this brokered item:Super Trouper 2k Long Throw (Package of 3) | Strong on Used Lighting - Used Stage and Theatrical Lighting Equipment, LED Lighting, Trussing
I noticed that these Xenon spots were also connected to a venting system, I was wondering if this was a hold-over from carbon arc days.
I have been in projection booths built in the 60's which were still built to the code required for nitrate film.


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## JD (Jul 21, 2013)

JohnD said:


> I was perusing the usedlighting.com ads and ran across this brokered item:Super Trouper 2k Long Throw (Package of 3) | Strong on Used Lighting - Used Stage and Theatrical Lighting Equipment, LED Lighting, Trussing
> I noticed that these Xenon spots were also connected to a venting system, I was wondering if this was a hold-over from carbon arc days.
> I have been in projection booths built in the 60's which were still built to the code required for nitrate film.



Great to know they come in a handy 3 pack! 

Actually, not a holdover. Although there are no particulate emissions, they can still produce some ozone. (Any discharge lamp can.) In an enclosed space, such as a projection booth, it's a good idea to vent them. Do most people vent them? Probably not. I don't >think< it is a regulation, but there may be local codes about enclosed spaces and permanent installs. (I'm sure if there are, someone will post!)


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## techieman33 (Jul 21, 2013)

JohnD said:


> I was perusing the usedlighting.com ads and ran across this brokered item:Super Trouper 2k Long Throw (Package of 3) | Strong on Used Lighting - Used Stage and Theatrical Lighting Equipment, LED Lighting, Trussing
> I noticed that these Xenon spots were also connected to a venting system, I was wondering if this was a hold-over from carbon arc days.
> I have been in projection booths built in the 60's which were still built to the code required for nitrate film.



I'm sure it helps suck some of the heat out of the room. I also laughed at the "compact size" feature.


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## Les (Jul 21, 2013)

techieman33 said:


> I also laughed at the "compact size" feature.



I'm working on a show in an arena that was built in the 50's where there are some old Super Troupers in a corner, which have been replaced by these newer xenon Troupers. They're just as enormous as the old ones. Maybe the seller meant "new, compact-car size" .


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## techieman33 (Jul 21, 2013)

Les said:


> I'm working on a show in an arena that was built in the 50's where there are some old Super Troupers in a corner, which have been replaced by these newer xenon Troupers. They're just as enormous as the old ones. Maybe the seller meant "new, compact-car size" .



It's the description straight from Strongs website, the newer models do seem to look smaller than the older ones that we have. And I'm sure they are compact when placed next to a gladiator.


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## BobHealey (Jul 21, 2013)

techieman33 said:


> I'm sure it helps suck some of the heat out of the room. I also laughed at the "compact size" feature.



Not followspots, but I know of a group that recently upgraded from a pair of 35mm projectors with 2K xenons, and the exhaust fan had only half the minimum CFM needed to run their new 2K xenon DLP projector. This is in addition to the inbuilt fans in the lamp housings of both the old and new.

On an related note, I'd love to learn/run once two reels of 35mm or run a carbon spot, just to say I've done it once.


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## Les (Jul 21, 2013)

techieman33 said:


> It's the description straight from Strongs website, the newer models do seem to look smaller than the older ones that we have. And I'm sure they are compact when placed next to a gladiator.



I'll have to take my tape measure up there tomorrow. I guess 'smaller' is a relative term .


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## kiwitechgirl (Jul 22, 2013)

Running a carbon arc spot is always something I wanted to try, but never had the opportunity - they were (and are) very few and far between in NZ. There was a pair of them bolted to the floor in the spot booth of the St James Theatre in Auckland - probably still there as the venue has been un-operational for five years now and it was not long before that I saw them there.


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## David Ashton (Jul 22, 2013)

At my first theatre there where 2 homemade carbon arc follow spots, they were a simple mechanism in a box with an iris and no lens, the arc is a parabolic intense light source, they were very effective but the operators had to be very good. When we bought 2 of the fancy new Strand 765s it meant we could use anyone to operate them, but the drop in light output was significant, as a mater of interest in the early 19h century the only way to get strong light was carbon arcs and London theatres would have multiple spots in the roof, occasionally dropping hot rods onto the audience so a regulation was brought in mandating a metal tray under all lights, this regulation continued for decades after the carbon arcs had long disappeared, in the same vein Bio-boxes still have very onerous fire regulations even though safety film, not acetate has been used for decades.


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## jwolfkill (Jul 22, 2013)

techieman33 said:


> I'm sure it helps suck some of the heat out of the room. I also laughed at the "compact size" feature.


Yeah, they conveniently left out any photos of the 45-pound ballast. I used to have to lug those things up about 50 concrete steps to the spot positions in the arena where I worked. I always wanted to find the guy who thought it'd be funny to make the handles on the ballasts out of old steak knife blades. Even with a good pair of gloves on my hands and a bandanna wrapped around the handles, I had deep, sore red marks across my palms after I'd carried two or three.


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## jwolfkill (Jul 22, 2013)

JohnD said:


> I was perusing the usedlighting.com ads and ran across this brokered item:Super Trouper 2k Long Throw (Package of 3) | Strong on Used Lighting - Used Stage and Theatrical Lighting Equipment, LED Lighting, Trussing
> I noticed that these Xenon spots were also connected to a venting system, I was wondering if this was a hold-over from carbon arc days.
> I have been in projection booths built in the 60's which were still built to the code required for nitrate film.



Interestingly, I have both run carbon-arc followspots and worked in a booth that still had the fireproof shutters over the projection openings. Those shutters looked like they could decapitate anyone who had the misfortune to be leaning out of an opening when they deployed!

And I'm 42 (not quite the under-35 demographic) - like Les, the last time I ran a carbon-arc Super Trouper was in the early 1990s. It was for an outdoor gig, so no venting required.


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## mstaylor (Jul 22, 2013)

I did my years on carbons. I learned on a gladiator, then a trouper and finally supers. I was always the fastest at rod changes in my area. I also used the new set to pull the old set. No gloves, no pliers. It was always interesting to run one well. 

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2


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## JD (Jul 22, 2013)

All right, Super Trouper fans, Who is the first one who can ID this unofficial (but popular) third party Super Trouper part and it's never approved purpose?

(I can't believe it was still laying where I set it down 30 years ago!)


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## RonHebbard (Jul 22, 2013)

JohnD said:


> I was perusing the usedlighting.com ads and ran across this brokered item:Super Trouper 2k Long Throw (Package of 3) | Strong on Used Lighting - Used Stage and Theatrical Lighting Equipment, LED Lighting, Trussing
> I noticed that these Xenon spots were also connected to a venting system, I was wondering if this was a hold-over from carbon arc days.
> I have been in projection booths built in the 60's which were still built to the code required for nitrate film.



Hello John;

Many times I've thanked 'holdover architects' for the convenience of nearby washrooms.
At least those in my area aren't of the generation where sightlines to the projectors needed to be maintained even while 'seated'. 
We have a theatre that opened in 1973 with a suite of six connected rooms with a small washroom included within one of the six rooms. We also have a theatre that opened in 1991 in which, during planning, we had to inform the architect that in-booth washrooms were no longer mandated by code. Granted, a washroom is always convenient but we had more pressing issues for the in-booth space and a washroom in close proximity to the booth was already in the plans.
As posted below the quoted post, venting xenons for ozone in enclosed booths is a necessary thing.

Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard


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## techieman33 (Jul 22, 2013)

JD said:


> All right, Super Trouper fans, Who is the first one who can ID this unofficial (but popular) third party Super Trouper part and it's never approved purpose?
> 
> (I can't believe it was still laying where I set it down 30 years ago!)



It looks like a handle to hold the rods.


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## n1ist (Jul 22, 2013)

Never ran a carbon spot, but I do remember making an arc lamp as a kid out of a flowerpot and the carbon rods from #6 ignitor batteries...
/mike


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## WooferHound (Jul 22, 2013)

Way back a Zillion years ago in our arena, we had a Super Trouper that had a bad carbon feed motor. I can't remember why it was not getting repaired but it was used very frequently. I decided to claim it as my light on all the events that I was working. So I was giving the carbon feed knob a little twist every 30 seconds or so during the entire time the light was fired up. I'm sure that I did 20 or 30 shows (maybe more) with this spot before it was finally fixed. Whenever I ran a properly working spot I always felt like I was forgetting to do something.

JD
that part you are showing looks like it may be something to offset a Carbon in a bad lamp house, or maybe a crank for the focus knob on the front of the light, or even a handle to aim the spot


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## JD (Jul 22, 2013)

First time on a modern spot, I felt guilty, like I was only doing half my job!

Where as the Troupers used an AC clock motor for carbon feed, the Supers used a DC motor, with the "field" coil actually being a loop of the carbon-feed cable. No arc, no feed, which was pretty cool if one was flipped on and not struck. (no self-stike/meltdown.) The drawback was, it was a brush type motor, so if the commutator got dirty, you could end up with a dead spot and the motor wouldn't run. Easy to clean, but few knew about it! Also had motor speed wire-wound pot that would get dirty and have dead spots. 


WooferHound said:


> JD
> that part you are showing looks like it may be something to offset a Carbon in a bad lamp house, or maybe a crank for the focus knob on the front of the light



Hints:
1) First used in projectors for nefarious /cheapness reasons.
2) Engineers at Strong would have cringed!


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## RonHebbard (Jul 23, 2013)

JD said:


> First time on a modern spot, I felt guilty, like I was only doing half my job!
> 
> Where as the Troupers used an AC clock motor for carbon feed, the Supers used a DC motor, with the "field" coil actually being a loop of the carbon-feed cable. No arc, no feed, which was pretty cool if one was flipped on and not struck. (no self-stike/meltdown.) The drawback was, it was a brush type motor, so if the commutator got dirty, you could end up with a dead spot and the motor wouldn't run. Easy to clean, but few knew about it! Also had motor speed wire-wound pot that would get dirty and have dead spots.
> 
> ...



Hello John;

In my mind, Troupers were AC arcs with matching carbons, both the exact same type, length and burn rate.
As you said, AC clock motors, constant speed, always ran the same direction, always pushing the rods towards each other.

Supers were DC arcs; front and rear carbons were different diameters, lengths, composition and burn / feed rates.
Front rods had hard centers, and soft perimeters so the perimeters would burn away easier and the centers would not become deep, shadowed craters. 
The intensely bright end of the front rod was the light source at the reflector's focal point, you were projecting a well focused image of the business end of the front rod.
Rear rods had soft centers and hard perimeters so the center would burn away without extending into a long, thin, easily breakable point.
Without the differing compositions (if they were both manufactured with identical compositions) the front rod's crater would get ever deeper while the rear rod's conical point would grow ever longer. Were this allowed to continue, your intensely bright source would be deep within a cavern with the rear rod's point way down inside and shadowing the source from reaching the reflector. The difference in relative feed rates was accommodated by different thread pitches, threads per inch, on the common feed shaft driven by the DC motor as described in your post.

Whereas the AC Trouper's feed motor would operate when turned on, regardless of whether an arc was struck or not, the Super's DC motor would rotate the opposite direction upon turn-on, pulling the carbons apart, until an arc was struck when it would instantly reverse and begin pushing the rods together; one more reason for the spring loaded action required for igniting.

As to your comments on dirty spots on the speed adjustment and / or motor;
If your feed stopped, you only had so long to realize and correct before your arc was too long, blued and extinguished.
If your arc actually went out, the feed motor would begin happily pulling the rods even further apart.
Once you were a competent arc operator, keeping an eye on many things became second nature and life was easy.
Before you reached that plateau, every annoyance was rapidly a panic situation.

We’ve yet to get to the differences between silvered glass and polished metal reflectors nor have we touched upon drip shields and drip catchers within the lamp house.

Sorry for blathering on, for those who ran arcs this is all 'old hat' but I suspect it's pretty bizarre info for those who've never shared the 'joy'.

As to the odd little gizzy pictured; I'd love to see three rods in the same photo; an AC, a negative and a positive to compare OD's to the diameter of gizzy's solid end. I was beginning to think it was some sort of extension to permit burning short stubs from the butt pail but there’s no evidence of scorching / burning.

Geeeeze! I’m starting to write like Brian!!

Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard


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## derekleffew (Jul 23, 2013)

RonHebbard said:


> ... We’ve yet to get to the differences between silvered glass and polished metal reflectors ...


This and following posts.


RonHebbard said:


> ... Geeeeze! I’m starting to write like Brian!!


NO ONE can write like Brian, except Brian.


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## JD (Jul 23, 2013)

RonHebbard said:


> I was beginning to think it was some sort of extension to permit burning short stubs from the butt pail but there’s no evidence of scorching / burning.



*BINGO*

If you were good with them, you didn't burn them 
(Although the one pictured is a little scorched if you look close.)

Projectionists first started using them, but they made their way into the spotlights. I could usually toast a stub down to about 3/4 inch. The drawback is that if you are not watching you could roast/weld a pair! Nothing more frustrating then burning a new trim when it's only a 15 minute pre-show.


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## SteveB (Jul 23, 2013)

JD said:


> All right, Super Trouper fans, Who is the first one who can ID this unofficial (but popular) third party Super Trouper part and it's never approved purpose?
> 
> (I can't believe it was still laying where I set it down 30 years ago!)



Positive rod extender. if memory serves.

On the Supers, you used a 6mm x 9" negative carbon and a 7mm x 12" positive. The negative always burned slower and you would end up with maybe 4 inches of excess negative carbon in the rear holder. The positive would also end up as about 3-4 inches unused (stubs), but due to the worm gear mechanism, you could never burn all the carbon before running out of travel on the positive holder. You could move the negative carbon forward in it's holder to use up excess, but needed the extender on the positive to use up it's excess and to regain travel on the worm gear and rod holders.

We got around this by removing the stopper pin on the back of the positive rod holder (that limited you to a 12" carbon rod) and using instead a 7mm x 14" positive carbon. Thus you could extend the use of the carbons by 15-20 minutes by shutting the machine down, cranking back the rod holders, using a clothes pin to grasp the hot carbon rods and reset the carbons a couple of inches towards focus point and re-striking. Faster then changing carbons to a new set.

We also used to "store" the next set of to-be-used carbons on the top of the hinge to the access door. This pre-heated the carbons which (in theory) removed any moisture that would accumulate in the carbons that were stored. Useful in a damp environment.

I was fortunate here at Brooklyn to have learned some tricks about carbon operation from our projectionist. Frankie is a true master at this and knew that the Super Trouper "lamp" house was identical to those used on Eastman 16mm movie projectors. Not common knowledge in the theater business was the fact that Strong made a lot (if not most) of the lamp houses for cinema's, still do. I suspect that the film end of the business was more lucrative then the theater. 

One of the funny stories Frank told us was about taking the test to become a licensed film projectionist in New York City - yes you had to take a city test. The test giver had a set of dummy carbon rods made of wood and painted to look real. If the student didn't catch the error, the carbons would not strike. If you really knew what you were doing you could tell wood from copper/carbon by texture and weight alone. If you didn't.....


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## gordonmcleod (Jul 23, 2013)

That is a carbon saver used to burn the short butts up


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## RonHebbard (Jul 23, 2013)

JD said:


> * Nothing more frustrating then burning a new trim when it's only a 15 minute pre-show.



I used to save a few longer butts in matched pairs for when you needed an extra bit of time to interval or show's end.
Projectionists had the advantage of not having to follow, they had other things to do but their lamp house was always solidly in the same place.

Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard


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## Scenemaster60 (Jul 23, 2013)

I always enjoyed the challenge of running an arc spotlight. The only one I ever used was an AC arc Trouper in the late 1980s at my high school. I may have been one of only a handful of people that ever knew how to trim and tweak it properly for maxiumum brightness. I tried to teach my successors but I don;t think they really ever caught on. I remember going back to help a few years after I graduated to run that light for a show and all were amazed at how clean and bright it looked after I had spent about 15 minutes with it. One of the big issue that I remember with the Trouper was that the upper part of the reflector would collect soot like a son-of-a-gun. Every hot trim would include a quick swipe of the top half of the reflector with a heavy towel and every cold trim would start with actually cleaning it with a damp towel. While I don't miss hot trimming a CA light, there was something somewhat magical about the organic, living and breathing nature of the arc and how everything needed to come together to keep it "alive." I'm 41 and I'm betting that there aren't too many people under 40 who used these lights for very long. The transition from arcs to Xenon & HMI happened pretty quickly between 1985 and 1995 or so.


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