I was recently asked to take a look at a new Elation lighting fixture, the LED 36 Tri-Brick. I thought to myself, “Great, yet another LED fixture in the shape of a brick.” But then I turned it on and all I could say was, “Wow.” Elation has once again stepped up and taken the LED fixture to a new level. The Tri-Brick gets its name from two different sources; its size and shape, and its unique brand of tri-color LEDs that mix colors together in what looks like one single, big LED source. The fixture has four light cells that can be operated together or independently depending on how many channels of DMX512 you prefer to use. In other words, you can turn each of these cells a different color or chase the colors independently if you wanted to. Or you can just bring up one nice color wash. There is an option to use a separate dimming channel for each cell as well, allowing for cool dimmer chases in each fixture.
Each of the four cells in the Tri-Brick has three 3-watt tri-color surface-mount diode (SMD) LEDs — a total of 12 LEDs — and a reflector in it. The beauty of these sources is that each of the tri-color LEDs is actually made of three different colored LEDs — one red, one green, and one blue — that mix together as they illuminate. Unlike conventional RGB LED fixtures, you don’t see the ugly red, green and blue LEDs individually, only the one color obtained by mixing them. I don’t have any idea how they do this, but this fixture can mix an incredibly white beam without the pinkish hue normally associated to RGB LED lights. I was also able to get a really pleasant CTO color out of this fixture.
The color mixing and dimming capabilities are totally seamless. Gone is the noticeable dimmer curve usually associated with LED products. The light output is totally flicker free as well, making it an acceptable fixture for TV and film use. The strobe ability is fast with up to 18 flashes per second.
I did not measure the actual light output, but I can honestly say that you can be temporarily blinded if the light is pointed straight at you, even from a distance of 50 feet. The photometric data that Elation references indicates that it emits 350 lux (32.5 footcandles) at a distance of three meters (9.8 feet) in white light. The beam angle is 38.5° and the beam diameter at that throw is 2.1 meters (6.9 feet).
The lamp life of the tri-color LEDs is rated at 50,000 hours. That’s well over five years of continuous use.
The built-in electronic power supply can run on any voltage from 90 volts to 240 volts using a standard IEC connector for power. The fixture draws 65 watts and pulls a little over half an amp at 120 volts, so you could easily put 29 of these on a single 20-amp circuit. Each fixture has an on/off switch.
The Tri-Brick can be operated from a DMX512 controller with 3-pin or 5-pin XLR connectors both on the inputs and outputs. Or it can run in any of eight built-in programs as a stand-alone unit. There is an LCD display with four buttons and an electronic menu to choose personality settings and address the fixture. You can also run multiple units in a master/slave configuration and there is an option to use it with a music trigger.
The shape of the fixture is indeed brick-like, measuring approximately 16 inches by nine inches by three inches. It carries an IP rating of 20, so it can only be used indoors. It comes with a yoke that accepts any clamp and the yoke can double as a floor stand. The yoke can also be removed and multiple units can be rigged together to form a linear batten. This baby can fit inside a 12” box truss, which is great for pre-rigging and trouping in the truss. A safety cable is included.
The housing is sturdy and there are no fans in the fixture; it’s convection cooled. And, get this — the entire fixture weighs less than 10 pounds. It comes standard with what they call a 25° lens but it has a 38.5° beam angle and a 47° field angle (new math?). Optional narrow and wide lenses are also available. ETTL and cETL approval is pending, and the manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $999.95.
I can easily recommend using this bad boy as a cyc light or a key light fixture. The applications are as endless as the amount of colors you can get out of it.
What it is: A four-cell tri-color LED color mixing luminaire
Who it’s for: Anyone who needs an LED color wash with no RGB shadows
Pros: Lightweight, inexpensive, built-in power supply and superior color mixing
Cons: Not for outdoor use
Retail: $999.95
