What Is It?
The Platinum FLX is an innovative, patent pending, 3-in-1 multi-purpose luminaire, and packed full of features for any type of application. It is marketed as a “FLX-ible” fixture, because this one unit can serve the purpose of three. It is a tight and bright beam fixture, typical moving spot fixture, and zoom-able wash fixture. The specially designed optics made for a perfectly flat field.
To convert the fixture between a wash and spot fixture is easy. Simply add or remove the frost. You still have access to color, zoom, and strobe, as one would expect. To switch between beam mode and spot mode is also easy, but comes with a slight learning curve. The modes are selected as part of gobo wheel 1. But know that there is a limitation when operating in beam mode. The color mixing system is physically not available as it moves out of the beam path to allow for a closer lamp to optic placement. My recommendation is to set the defaults to be spot mode as all fixture attributes are accessible. Alternatively, if your primary purpose of this fixture is a beam, you may want to set the default to beam. Either way, it’s easy enough to switch between the two modes in a snap. The dimming was very smooth and linear in both spot and beam modes.
Lamp
The lamp source is a Philips MSD Platinum 20R, 470-watt discharge lamp with built in reflector, which produces an efficacy of 46 lumens/watt. The new Platinum lamps are dually beneficial as they are high output and low wattage. Therefore, the 470 watt lamp is comparable to a 1200 watt lamp. It is rated at 1,500 hours and has a color temperature of 7,800K. Keep in mind that lamp life also depends on how many strikes the lamp encounters. Dimming the lamp is done mechanically through the use of two flags.
Power and Connections
The fixture consumes a max of 740 watts and can operate between 100-240 VAC. The input utilizes the common blue Neutrik PowerCON connector. There is no power output connector because of the high wattage of the fixture.
There is DMX 5-pin in/out and an Ethernet in/out for either KlingNET or Art-Net control. The fixture supports Remote Device Management (RDM) which allows the user to remotely access most of the menu options including, fixture address, operating mode, and time information (lamp hours, fixture hours, etc.).
Optics
A new offering from Elation is an “Auto Focus” channel. It allows you to set the projection distance of a gobo, and automatically maintains the focus as the zoom range changes. The zoom works in all three modes and provides a great amount of flexibility for a wash and spot. In spot mode, the zoom is 10:1 and wash mode 7:1. It’s easy to see the zoom range complements the multi-purpose theme and the fixture would work great at any trim height, low or high.
Color
The color system is a typical CMY subtractive color mixing system with a complimentary variable color temperature wheel or CTO. I’ll mention that the red mix color is not a blood –red saturated one would like, but that R27 type is one of the 10 dichroic colors in the fixed color wheel. The wheel provides the ability to have color spins, snaps, and the hard to mix colors like UV and CTB.
Gobos and Prisms
The rotating gobo wheel contains a great selection of eight patterns, one of which is textured glass. All gobos on this wheel are interchangeable. The rotation is very smooth even at extremely slow speeds. The static wheel is stamped metal and features six gobos providing a variety of aperture reducing patterns and ones that look fantastic with either prism or for aerial beams.
My favorite feature in this unit are the two rotatable prisms. Both the 8-facet and 6-way linear prism turns any gobo into a multi-ray effect. The static wheel pairs well with either prism and really transforms them into dynamic rotating patterns. Add in the zoom and prism rotation, and you can achieve some complex looks, very easily.
Elation didn’t stop there. They added in a bi-directional animation wheel. It’s perfect for water/fire effects or even to create some movement when using the fixture as a wash unit. Although it’s called “bi-directional” it’s really a half wheel, so once the wheel spins 180°, it most go in the opposite direction to keep the effect appearing to be continuous. The logic of the fixture does this automatically. All the user has to do is set the animation speed and it will do the rest.
Conclusion
Many manufacturers are still developing new discharge luminaires and the Elation Professional Platinum FLX fits in the newly created niche of a multi-purpose beam, spot, and wash, “all-in-one” fixture. I tested a full production unit which performed and looked amazing and moved quickly for its size (18.3 by 20.9 by 30.0 inches, LxWxH). The user can operate the fixture in 24, 26, or 37 channel modes, but I tested it running the standard 26-channel version. The LCD battery back-up is great for DMX addressing and other menu functions using the six-button color LCD display without the need to power up the unit. With the unbelievable amount of features, this 75-pound multi-purpose fixture is in a class of its own.
At a Glance
3-in-1 Flexibility, with Features Galore
Elation’s Platinum FLX may look like just one fixture, but with its long roster of features (see below), it is truly a three-in-one multi-purpose luminaire, with the ability to morph from a tight and bright beam fixture, typical moving spot fixture, and zoom-able wash fixture.
PROS: Beam/Spot/Wash multipurpose fixture; bright; wide zoom; LCD battery backup.
CONS: Some features not available in Beam Mode; animation wheel is not continuous; working position: flat surface or inverted only.
SPECS:
Size: 18.3 x 20.9 x 30.0,” LxWxH
Weight: 75 lbs.
MSRP: $9.995.95
Feature List:
- 470W Philips MSD Platinum 20R Lamp
- 2.9° – 29° Zoom (spot mode)
- 6° – 42° Zoom (wash mode)
- CMY and Fixed Colors
- Variable CTO
- 8 Rotating Gobos
- 6 Static Gobos
- Animation half-wheel
- 8-facet and Linear Rotatable Prisms
- 5-pin DMX connectors
- Ethernet ports
- Neutrik PowerCON input connector
- Pan/Tilt locks
MORE INFO: www.elationlighting.com.
(Website resources include Vectorworks files, AutoCad files, an easy-to-read and detailed manual, and a YouTube video.)
