The first Robe ROBIN® 300E Wash fixtures in Australia were delivered to Total Event Services in Darwin by Robe's distributor ULA ... and went straight out on the Qantas Darwin Turf Club Gala Ball, Australia's largest outdoor seated dinner event, attended by 3,800 people.
Total Event Services's head of lighting Rick Bishop had many positive comments after receiving the new fixtures - which was the first time he'd actually had been able to get hands-on with them.
His first "Surprise" came when he picked up the first fixture - at only 20kg "It's amazingly light!" he declares.
The Gala Dinner was set beside the ocean, under the stars amidst tropical gardens. “Setup with the units is very quick and simple,” continues Bishop, “Especially because of their low power consumption, so four units will happily run off a 10 Amp 240v circuit with plenty of headroom”.
The rig also comprised Robe ColorSpot 1200 ATs, Robe LED Blinders, and Anolis ArcLine 36 LED strips, along with iLED Star drapes forming a background to the stage. The Gala Ball featured an international main act, world class entertainment and a fantastic fireworks display.
Bishop explains that when he first fired the ROBIN 300E Washes up in the warehouse, he ran the self-test for about ten minutes, "Comprehensive enough to follow, but quick enough not to be boring", then pointed one fixture at a wall. The warehouse has white Perspex skylights, as well as the standard 400W highbays, but even from 20 metres away, "The Robin cut through the ambient light in all colours and zoom ranges, and the wall was well lit”.
The Robe ROBIN 300E Wash is a compact fixture with easy-to-use features. Bishop continues “The full colour touch screen display is an absolute pleasure to use. The menu navigation is by far the easiest I have ever experienced, with an absolute plethora of information at your fingertips. DMX addressing and lamp functions are directly accessible from the start-up screen, and everything is really obvious for all types of users.”
Another feature he loved was the zoom, and the speed of the ROBIN when operating live. “The 4 degree zoom is extremely punchy, easily equalling any ACL, and it cut straight through the big LED wash and assorted other moving lights that were on behind them". At the 40 degree end of the zoom, "There is still plenty of output for a decent stage wash, and movement is super-speedy due to the light weight.”
He elucidates that he's "Pleased" with the usual gamut of features that Robe have designed into the lights - the CMY with variable CTO, the standard colour wheel, the very narrow 4 degree to a impressively wide 40 degree zoom, and the lamp, which is, as he puts it "Nicely optimised for all zoom ranges with Robe's new hotspot control and a very fast shutter with a smooth dimmer."
Concluding, he states “Overall, the ROBIN 300E Wash is an excellent fixture. Robe have excelled themselves and we absolutely love them. He adds that, given the choice, "I would own nothing else - They are absolutely fantastic!”