SHOWPRO COLLIDER FC STROBE

Pixel-Mappable RGBW LED Strobe

The ShowPro Collider FC Strobe is an IP65-rated, pixel-mappable RGBW LED strobe. The user manual claims it’s “The most powerful RGBW pixel-mappable LED strobe on the planet.” A big claim indeed.

The Light’s Construction

The ShowPro Collider FC Strobe weighs 15kg, is 468mm wide, 179mm high and 268mm deep. Considering its rivals in the marketplace, the Collider FC is typical in size for a light of this kind, although its IP rating (IP65) makes the light slightly on the heavier end for weight.

And being an IP-rated fixture, the Collider FC Strobe has no user-serviceable parts. Consequently, it doesn’t need to be opened up or pulled apart for maintenance; it just needs to be kept clean. Maintenance costs for prospective owners will therefore be negligible; an important thing to consider if you’re a venue operator or production house looking to make a purchase. And for this reason alone, an IP65- rated lighting rig can also make sense even if you only operate indoors.

One other thing to note is that strobes generally run hotter than most other forms of lighting. The fact that the Collider FC Strobe is an LED light tends to negate this, but it’s still worth keeping in mind. Make sure there’s plenty of air flow around the strobe when you’re setting it up, and that nothing is touching the back of the light, like cables or draping.

The Collider FC Strobe is a well-constructed unit; it both looks and feels solid. Its IP65 rating makes it far more durable overall, capable of taking the knocks and bumps that inevitably come during setups, shows or pack downs. This is something worth considering when spec’ing lights for a tour or in other situations where the rig will be moved or set up repeatedly, even if the shows are predominantly indoors.

While not the prettiest looking light you’ll find, the punch the Collider FC packs, and the features on board, are top of the line. It is very, very bright! It’s also a versatile unit that can easily be placed on the floor or hung at any angle.

Optics, Colour & Brightness

Power draw is a published 1500W (instant) and 589W (continuous), meaning that the fixture sucks a lot of juice. The safest bet when powering these lights is therefore to setup only one per 10A circuit. Many full-sized moving head LED fixtures draw less than half the 1500W this unit draws at full power. But there’s good reason for it. The Collider FC Strobe has a claimed lumen output of 180,000; very high indeed when you consider that for a typical large, moving head profile, 50,000 lumens is usually a respectable output figure.

The ShowPro Collider FC Strobe is also an RGBW fixture, so light comes from the unit’s 1728 individual 1W LEDs: 432 red, 432 green, 432 blue and 432 white. The colour is bright, saturated and vibrant. It also passes for a very bright flood light.

As with all strobes, the Collider also produces a wide throw, with a beam angle of 98 degrees and a field angle of 156. For reference, a wide flood lens in a par (WFL) has a beam angle of only about 50 degrees. The Collider strobe has variable colour temperature as well, ranging from 2700K to 8000K, making it quite useful for applications involving cameras, provided you can get the levels right.

Applications and Features

First and foremost, the Collider strobe is obviously a strobe – you can determine that from its name alone – and a very bright one at that. Its best application, by a long shot, is inevitably in the role for which it was designed, but given how bright it is, you’d be surprised how few of them are required to cover a room. It’s a strobe suited for large spaces and outdoors.

The Collider strobe can also be pixel mapped for dynamic effects and visuals via its 48 individually controllable segments. It’s a great ‘eye candy’ fixture as a result, thanks to the special effects and pre-programmed macros that can be run through it. This aspect would be even better if the face of the light were larger.

Obviously there would a be a compromise of cost, weight and size, but maybe a larger version will appear on the market in future.

Given its brightness, the Collider FC Strobe can even work as a blinder in continuous mode. The variable colour temperature helps here too, especially for TV applications. The beam angle and RGBW colour mixing make it a great choice for a flood or wash. The only catch for using it in the latter role is that it doesn’t pan or tilt. But then again, most strobe lights lack automated pan and tilt controls.

Control and Programming

The Collider FC Strobe can be controlled using standard five-pin DMX. It’s also capable of accepting wireless DMX, although it doesn’t take battery power (due to its power draw) so cables are not completely dispensed with. The nature of strobes and how they draw power currently make a reliable, long-lasting, battery- powered version quite the challenge.

There are 10 different modes that the Collider FC Strobe can be run in: three channel, two different four-channel modes, and modes comprising 6, 7, 8, 14, 144, 192 and 202. The higher number gives more control over pixel mapping. Effectively, the light can give the user up to 48 individually controllable segments for programming and effects.

Verdict

The Collider FC Strobe lays claim to being the most powerful RGBW LED strobe in the world, and a run through and testing in person makes this claim hard to refute. Many who have used the ShowPro Collider FC Strobe tend to echo the claims of the manufacturer, and on paper at least, a look through the data sheets of some of the competition tends to back this up. The strobe doubles really well as a flood or wash light as well as a blinder, the variable colour temperature makes it good for TV, and it’s RGBW too, with the additive colour mixing giving a wide range of colour options. Overall, this is one versatile light.

As far as looks are concerned, it would have been interesting to see if the manufacturer could have made the whole face of the unit LEDs, without the black frame, and yet still be IP-rated, similar in fashion to an LED panel you might find in an LED wall. What you could then do is stick a bunch of them together to create different sizes and shapes. This modular set up could give an operator or designer more options.

The pixel mapping capabilities of the light are fantastic. Since we’ve come to expect new lights to be LED, the next step will be to include pixel-mappable fixtures and perhaps a strobe that incorporates pan and tilt.

Moving forward, the ShowPro Collider FC is setting the benchmark for an LED strobe. Its three main features: that it’s very, very bright, pixel-mappable and IP65-rated, make this a fantastic new light overall.

Product Info: www.showtech.com.au/product/ collider-fc-strobe/

Distributor Australia: www.showtech.com.au

Distributor New Zealand: www.showtech.com.au/homenz/

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Check out the Collider FC’s capabilities

Features

• •            48 individually controllable segments for dynamic effects and visuals
• •            Two-layer foreground and background colours and effects
• •            Stunning selection of pre-programmed macros and special effects
• •            IP65-rated, tour-grade construction
• •            White colour temps from 2700 – 8000K
• •            Doubles as an LED blinder in continuous mode
• •            Continuous operation possible due to advanced thermal design
• •            Display invert, auto-off, menu key lock
• •            DMX, RDM and Artnet control

Specifications

PHOTOMETRICS

• Light Source: 1728 x 1W RGBW LED Beam Angle: 98°
• Field Angle: 156°
• Output: 1281LUX @ five metres Output: 180,000 lumens

POWER

• Mains: 100 – 240 VAC, 50/60Hz
• Consumption: 1500W/230V (Full On) Power connections: powerCON In/Out Power linking: Up to two units @ 230V

KEY FEATURES

• Colour Mixing: RGBW Strobe: 0 – 30Hz
• Dimming: Four dimming curve modes

CONTROL

• Protocol: DMX, Artnet, Kling-net
• DMX Channels: 3/4-1/4- 2/6/7/8/14/144/192/202
• Built-in Programs: Yes Display: TFT 220 x 176

PHYSICAL

• Size: 468 x 179 x 268mm Weight: 15kg
• Ingress rating: IP65