# Colortran parts



## reggie98 (Jan 10, 2007)

Any sources for Colortran Parts? I tries the Levitton/Colortran website, but little information was available there. I have some 6" 1k fresnel fixtures that get used on location and need new switches. They have an in-line switch on the cord, part #142-900. A parts search at Levitton turns up, zilch.


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## SHARYNF (Jan 10, 2007)

send a email to William Carlton WCarlton at leviton dot com, he is the tech support guy there. Some of the older stuff has been turned over to other companies be he can help you out

Sharyn


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## reggie98 (Jan 11, 2007)

Sent him him an email, but I must have been speaking in some foreign tongue. His repy didn't even address my question. Tried again. Second reply claimed that they never sold a 1k Fresnel with an inline switch. I'd like to know what this inline switch with the Colortran name came from, because it sure looks factory installed to me.
Can anyone else help? I'm looking for part: 142-900.


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## avkid (Jan 11, 2007)

Do you have the ability to snap some pictures of the fixtures and switches?


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## SHARYNF (Jan 11, 2007)

sorry about Colortran's response, I only had the contact info 
Sharyn


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## digitaltec (Jan 11, 2007)

http://lightparts.com/

If they dont have it then I dont know where you will find it. The seem to be able to track down parts for anything.


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## reggie98 (Jan 12, 2007)

Sharyn, hardly your fault. You tried. I had a Colortran part number, couldn't he have at least said "Obsolete"?


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## ship (Jan 15, 2007)

Not familar with many in-line switches from Colortran products. Suppose I could open up my really old Colortran binder but for a start, can you locate me as to the fixture type - Leko/Fresnel or other that you are talking about?

Next in ordering Colortran type parts, Colortran doesn't really exist any longer, it's just a bad attempt by way of NSI for a while than a mistake on the part of Leviton to further support what was once. Keep that in mind. Nice to know that there is a specialist in the product but it's corporate. 

In-line switch for the fixture... such a thing is not that unusual, heck I cut off at least a dozen a year from Altman and Omni Light fixtures. What type of cable is it in gauge and cable type that you are using? Perhaps a standard and stock Leviton if not Altman or Omni product would be an adiquate replacement. Otherwise if we are talking about a in the cord switch, that's bad karma in something that gets switched off. If that's all that is wrong, cut the cable and install a plug there perhaps. It's rare you need a switch on a cord or fixture for a theater application - really causes more trouble than it's worth in fact. Cut the thing and install a plug.


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## reggie98 (Jan 15, 2007)

Ship,
It was a studio fixture at one time, a 1k Fresnel, model #100-205. It has a 16ga. high temp "rubber" whip, the inline switch, then a 15' of 16/3 SO line cord termminating in an Edison. Yes, I could splice a Levitton, Eagle or similar switch into suitable cordage. Most of the "off the shelf" switches don't have much room inside for connections, none of the above have any kind of guard to prevent the fixture from being unintentionallt switched on or off. I would like to equip a few of these 1k's with switches as sometimes, I use them on location, for video shoots. I could buy a switch assembly from Mole-Richardson or Arri ($30), but I was hoping for a slightly lower cost solution.


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## ship (Jan 18, 2007)

By the way, if the parts are still in existance you still can get the Colortran parts by way of theatrical supply or even your local electrical supply house. I have thru both types of source in the past gotten discontinued colortran parts. Takes leg work and not letting the sales person forget. Not simple but can be done. Since it's an in-line switch however, and won't be a very unique and important part to be the same, I would just get one from another brand and save the leg work for needing a reflector or something similar.

IF you need the heavy duty walled/protected aluminum or plastic (depending upon which they still make - think it's the aluminum,) Altman has the same switches for their studio Fresnel series. Decent priced, bought some recently. Strand would also. Lowel on the other hand has a more light duty in-line switch in use, it's a normal Leviton or Eagle cable rocker switch. Such switches if rated for a 1Kw load might be sufficient even if not protected with shields. 1Kw fixtures I consider on the boarderline of needing a heavy duty switch as compared to the from 650 to 10Kw Studio Fresnel range I normally deal with.

Could be some on E-Bay also as a theory... but that would take some searching to find "switch" verses this specific "in-line cord switch" as further scrolled thru for a protected high amperage type - that is if anyone has them for sale. Often like in my case, production / rental places for 2Kw and less Studio Fresnels will get the in-line switch with the fixture and promptly remove it so as not to take the chance of such a switch being switched off by accident when hung as if any other fixture in the rig. IN other words, one tends to get bins full of them thus as a theory on listing them for sale - I don't but others might have the extra ones on E-Bay. Small part and market for them so such a thing probably is not listed on E-Bay but if you have time... Perhaps. 

Otherwise places like www.gear-source.com, www.lightbroker.com, www.lightmonger.com, www.solarisnetwork.com, www.usedintelligentlighting.com, www.usedlighting.com, might by way of contacting the webmaster for any or each of the sites might have some about or a contact for some.

Are they missing from the fixtures or have the normal commercial grade switches inside gone bad?

Could also try around to some video/movie houses. An in-line switch for anything under 2Kw is going to be about a standard 20A switch, or perhaps a 20A shell with a 15A in it. None the less, as gear goes bad or what ever, a stock pile of this still servicable part might be around. Barbizon also might be a good source for either the part or for movie production houses that might have a surplus.

Technilux also as a theater supplier (or just about any theater supplier that has a distributer account with them) would potentially be able to get a similar cord switch thru their house studio Fresnel brand Dexel http://www.dexel.com/.

This assuming that ARRI and Mole Richardson parts were too expensive. Lowel/Omni Lite, Altman, Strand/Bambino, amongst other brands of studio fixture are on the market and all will have some form of 1Kw rated cord switch available.

My recommendations on solving the problem:
First, it's less the accidential switch off by way of switch touching something, and more the accidential stage hand touching something and forgetting about it. Most Leviton/Eagle switches have a spring to the switch which makes them not that easy to switch off unless intended. While heavy duty switches are better, this is something to consider.

What I have started doing for the occasional show or photo shoot that requires a switched piece of gear is to make switch adaptor jumpers. Instead of re-wiring a fixture so it has a switch, (any in-line switch is a major pain in the rear to wire) I just have short jumpers made up that can "taped connection" plug into the whip of a fixture and now have that switch installed. The adaptors/jumpers are what has the switch, the fixture is left alone so most shows not needing a switch don't have their crew chiefs hacking up the switch in attempting to gaff it to the open position.

For such a need I just stock the heavy duty 2K switch on a cable, plug it in and tape the plugged connection into the cord.


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