Alzo 300 LED light

starcentral said:
Calling Mr. Dusty, calling Mr. Dusty... any noise on the units you purchased reported by stip?
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Well they do have fans in them, but I have not filmed anything with them that required sound. I have 4 units so far and they all seem consistent. I will look into it over the holiday weekend and see what the mics will or will not pick up.

But in the meantime here is another screen grab using the units. If you look off to the left and outside at the palm tree, that is a single Alzo being thrown about 20 feet at the palm and shooting 30p 1/60th F7.1 or F/8 at ISO640
Screen Shot 2013-11-29 at 1.35.48 PM.jpg
 
I've identified the fan built in the Alzo 3000:

http://www.cwc-group.com/ds5.html

or $5.00 on ebay

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_kw=DS09225R12HPFAF+AVC+FAN

Brand:AVC
Model: DS09225R12HPFAF
Volotage:12V
Current:0.41A
Size:92*92*25mm
RPM:3200RPM
CFM:60.5CFM
Noise:17dBA

The asian manufacturer rates it 17 dBA, 3200RPM and 60 cubic feet / minute of air ventilation. I'm pretty sure the 17dBA number is at the lowest fan speed, at best, not at probably maximum which it is operating in the Alzo.

The idea was to maybe replace the fan but I haven't found a fan that is the same size (92x92mm) and puts through nearly as much air that isn't around 35dBA (which would be 4 times louder), although being (much) more expensive.

Any thoughts, Norman maybe?
 
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it has a 4 pin connector, meaning they might actually be controlling the speed. leave the light on for awhile and see if the fan gets louder over time
 
EDIT: constant noise level

Btw, sound of my unit is best described as a miniature vacuum cleaner
 
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Yes, 17dbA is definitely in the "barely audible" range. Step, have you been in touch with Dean at Alzo to see if they would simply swap out your unit? It sure sounds defective to me.
 
I measured directly at the side of the light and it gives me constant 35dB - just like what other fans I've researched that are in the same ballpark CFM wise are rated. 3 feet away it gives 20db. I don't know at what distance they measure when rating these fans.
The problem is an exessive humming sound along with the air.

Yes I'm in contact with Drew, the problem is shipping to EU was $100 and I paid toll and tax as well; I'm sure they would exchange but it's not that easy. :(
 
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Better off to replace the fan yourself. I'm actually interested to know the max operating temperature the light. It could provide a decent modification to have a switch that only turns the fan on when reaching a certain temperature, so that its more likely to stay off during takes.

In reality, if we could just source the LED itself it could make for some interesting DIY projects. I'd be tempted to put one or two of the LED's inside and old ARRISoft 1k chassis.
 
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I've been asked to record the sound 1 foot from the side of the unit. I also recorded the light 6 feet to the right from the camera, pointing to an imaginative talent.
All I have here that can record sound is a GH1, so this video is recorded with it's crappy stereo mic. Make sure your computer doesn't make noise itself when watching :)

https://copy.com/DvLYW6WfRNIu

I hope this can give a rough impression and BrownCowVideo and dusty may give their opinion about it.

I can see shotgun mics helping especially for interview work but anything with stereo or ambient sound recordings, more so with decent mics, I'm not sure how to manage that.
 
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starcentral said:
I'm actually interested to know the max operating temperature the light. It could provide a decent modification to have a switch that only turns the fan on when reaching a certain temperature, so that its more likely to stay off during takes.
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I believe this thing reaches it max temp after few seconds (but idk for sure).

HorseFilms said:
That's a little too loud for comfort, if they're all like that.
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I'm currently in contact with Drew to check if this is the usual noise level and will report back. This is important to know.
 
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"In reality, if we could just source the LED itself it could make for some interesting DYI projects. I'd be tempted to put one or two of the LED's inside and old ARRISoft 1k chassis."

Not so fast. The led requires a led "driver circuitry" and has to be up to the specs of the led.
A really good led . but more expensive , would be the Bridgelux types. BRXA series http://www.bridgelux.com/products/bxra3-series/

Or the Cree CXA 3050

You just cannot put a led in an incan fixture with AC 120/240 going throught it. You will get PooF !!!
 
Yes I'm quite aware that LED's don't hook up directly to AC.

For very very cheap ($8-$15) you can buy a constant voltage dc-dc convertor and by adding only a few components turn it into a constant current power supply for these types of LED's. It looks like you can get a 85w - 100w LED for $30 - $60 depending on the brand and specs.

So a DIY high output LED project would certainly cost you much less than $325, but you'd still need a decent housing and light modifiers.

By the way looking at the data sheets for the BRXA series all of the 5600k output LED's seem to only have a CRI of 70. The lower you go in color temperature the higher the CRI goes. 2700k has a 90 CRI.
 
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I really like how the Alzo is built. Housing is very rugged yet lightweight. Quick release mount for light modifiers. Diy such a housing would be the tricky part and probably in the end cost not much less I'd guess.
 
yes for "professional" appearance and ease of use, there's no doubt it makes sense to get something already built and put together.

DIY is well, DIY.

I've resumed the DIY conversation here. No need to hijack this thread any longer than I already have.
 
HorseFilms said:
I'd love to hear what they have to say. Thanks! :beer:
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Alzo listened to my audio samples and answered me that the noise from my unit is the normal level of noise produced by this light. :(
It might not be an issue in many or most situations, but in some, including narrative work with ambient sound recording, low volume dialogue ect, I would not recommend it.

If this thing would be near silent, I'd absolutely love it.
 
That's too bad about the sound. But is still a useful light for shooting interiors, or productions where sound is not critical like food/products, music videos, etc..

Bummer man.
 
good news though:

Drew got back to me saying that the sound can be dampened by, for example, wrapping a thick blanket over it (just make sure to leave the underside open).
He said the light could be covered like that for 20 minutes without a problem!

That's opening up new possibilities and makes it quite useful for me again :)

Thx Drew!
 
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stip said:
good news though:

Drew got back to me saying that the sound can be dampened by, for example, wrapping a thick blanket over it (just make sure to leave the underside open).
He said the light could be covered like that for 20 minutes without a problem!

That's opening up new possibilities and makes it quite useful for me again :)

Thx Drew!
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can't figure if this was sarcastic or not
 
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