Do you dream in color? Now you won’t have to, thanks to Entertainment Technology and their new Color FX™ color mixing downlight. As the industry’s only interior downlight utilizing the patented VARI*LITE® CYM color mixing technology, the Color FX gives lighting designers, specifiers, and contractors more flexibility than ever before by offering the exact colors they have in mind.
“We are very excited to be bringing the Color FX to market,” stated Jeff Krebs, product manager. “We have been working extensively to perfect this unparalleled application of technology, and today, we are able to put it into the hands of those who will use it most. We are thrilled to see the possibilities.”
The Color FX color mixing system, used for more than 25 years in the world’s most demanding entertainment lighting applications, employs a cyan-yellow-magenta (CYM) blending that uses dichroic glass filters to provide a virtually unlimited color spectrum.
Compared to LED-based color changing fixtures, the Color FX offers superior color mixing, higher lumen output and beautiful white light. By utilizing a 12,000-hour lamp life, with a low replacement cost, the sustainability of the Color FX is also a decisive advantage. And, since Color FX uses a single-point light source, shadows are clean and defined, as opposed to the color separation of an LED-based fixture.
Unlike gels, or standard glass filters, dichroic filters do not absorb light; therefore lumen output is maximized from warm white light across a spectrum of 16 million colors. Rich saturated colors mix and meld smoothly from one to another with no lines or shadows. No other downlight offers such seamless color mixing.
Krebs continued, “The most unique attribute of Genlyte Controls is that we are able to take proven and established technologies from one product family and apply it to another. We have done this in the past by implementing IGBT dimming technology into the VARI*LITE luminaires. Now we have taken the most sought after aspect of the VARI*LITE luminaires, the same CYM color mixing technology used on Broadway, and have applied it into an architectural lighting application. This type of technology has never been available in the architectural industry before, until today.”
The use of dichroic glass filters in the Color FX provides another unexpected color option, up to 8,500 lumens of beautiful 3000° K pure white light. Now rich white light and dramatic color accents are all available through the use of a single fixture.
Control of the Color FX may be provided by any DMX512 control, or by using the wall-mounted Color FX Downlight Controller. Downlight Controller Stations allow for individual control of up to 16 Color FX fixtures, and store 13 scenes and two chase programs. Fade times between scenes and chase sequences are programmable from one second to one hour. The Color FX Downlight Controller connects to the Color FX through standard Cat5e cable and receives power directly from the fixture itself.
Color FX is available in a 40° downlight, and a spread lens wall wash, with both models available in 120V and 277V. The fixture has been designed to allow access to all components from below the ceiling, and may be operated in any position.
The Color FX uses the same aperture opening dimensions as other industry standard downlights, and incorporates Lightolier® trims in both Black Alzak® and Clear Specular Alzak® finishes. This design feature now allows for the combination of standard and color mixing downlights without compromising the architectural design or ceiling integrity.
The Color FX is available for sales and specification exclusively through an authorized Entertainment Technology Dealer, or through an authorized Lightolier® Distributor.