LED China Ball?

Bern Caughey

Bern Caughey

Veteran
Last week I was searching for a couple of battery powered LED China Balls in NYC. Couldn't find anything more efficient then dumping a bunch of LiteRibbon into a lantern, but we'd already busted the G&E budget so couldn't swing the extra $400.

Also thought of rolling up a LED mat & stuffing it into a lantern, but Production couldn't find them available for rent. It was an 11th hour request so I couldn't fault them.

Came across Mactech's solution which looks promising, though it appears the ballast is AC powered.

http://www.mactechled.com/product/china-ball-30/

Interested in all options, but the LEDs must have good color, & preferably be available for rent. Might be persuaded to DIY, or better yet have our Gaffer build them, though the nature of our gigs rarely allow time for customizing lamps. Looking for something battery powered that we can mount on poles for walk arounds.
 
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Have only seen it at trade shows. Think I listed it wrong--BBS Lighting is the parent company, Area 48 is their flagship product which the is the phosphor panel softlight. So this is the LED Flyer unit.

It has a nice feature set and good light quality, and all of the appropriate features similar to a Chimera pancake (skirts etc).
 
Alerted my Gaffer to the FLYER LED. Hopefully he can find them for rental, though he is the type to purchase, especially when a unit is new to the market, & demands higher rental fees.

Thanks again!
 
CharlesPapert said:
good folks over at BBS, they are happy to lend units for testing.
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Have you used both the daylight and tungsten versions Charles? On the TLCI list, the tungsten version has a great score, but colour from the daylight version they tested was woeful.
 
I've been waiting for an affordable version of this for a long time.

My dream is to have a china ball that doesn't need AC power, and also doesn't need a stand. I would love to be able to suction the chinaball to the ceiling somehow, like a car mount, in a way that doesn't do any damage to the ceiling. This would allow me to pre-light for 360 degree shooting.
 
So is the Aladdin the best option for a portable LED China Ball that can run off bricks?

I have 2X Wesctcott Flex Daylight and I love them (though the connectors are a bit wonky) but the Aladdin model is a lot more expensive and they seem to be harder to find. Anyone have experience with them?
 
traviswears said:
So is the Aladdin the best option for a portable LED China Ball that can run off bricks?

I have 2X Wesctcott Flex Daylight and I love them (though the connectors are a bit wonky) but the Aladdin model is a lot more expensive and they seem to be harder to find. Anyone have experience with them?
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Westcott has the patent now to sell these in the US so Aladdin cant.
 
Erik Naso said:
Westcott has the patent now to sell these in the US so Aladdin cant.
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I mean, sure but their products are still listed at several online vendors.

EDIT: I called up Aladdin in the US and spoke to someone for awhile about what's going on w/that patent. A bit too much info to get into here, but apparently Westcott's patent or claimed patent isn't preventing anyone from selling Aladdin products in the US.

Aladdin has their own patent as well. I'm looking at purchasing one of their Bi-Flex models with the ball attachment. Might make a pretty cool versatile china ball that I can run off a brick.

Also for the record, I own several Westcott Flex panels. Have nothing against them but am looking for something more robust with a better battery solution for field use.
 
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traviswears said:
I mean, sure but their products are still listed at several online vendors.

EDIT: I called up Aladdin in the US and spoke to someone for awhile about what's going on w/that patent. A bit too much info to get into here, but apparently Westcott's patent or claimed patent isn't preventing anyone from selling Aladdin products in the US.

Aladdin has their own patent as well. I'm looking at purchasing one of their Bi-Flex models with the ball attachment. Might make a pretty cool versatile china ball that I can run off a brick.

Also for the record, I own several Westcott Flex panels. Have nothing against them but am looking for something more robust with a better battery solution for field use.
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[h=2][/h]The Westcott patent is United States Patent Number 9,395,068. An internet search of Aladdin does not reveal any indication that they have any patents. There is a time frame for patent violators to comply with cease and desist notifications.
 
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