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Thread: Martin 1220 gobo

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
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    Grand Rapids, Mi
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    Default Martin 1220 gobo

    I know these are very old, but can anyone comment on them? I have a chance to pick up 4 of them and curious if they have any real use value? Was thinking maybe pull the spinning GOBO to use as an effect infront of a scanner or something.
    leading in trailing technology

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Northern Indiana
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    921

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    If you plan on using them as a fixture make sure they are DMX. The older ones are "martin protocol" and need a converter. They are really fricken heavy and take two people to set-up. They break often and need cleaning regularly. They are pretty bright but not compared to modern fixtures with smaller lamps. Lamps are not nearly as expensive as they were ten years ago. They move fast for such a big mirror.

    You could use the wheels inside. But the are fairly big, about 8" I think. I have a set sitting here that has rotating prisms as well as rotating gobos. Martin made several different models of the 1220.

    I have seen many people just giving these away. So, I wouldn't pay too much.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Maryville TN
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    296

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    if they are martin protocal then just swapping pins 2 and 3 on the 3 pin in connector would make it dmx that was the only dif between dmx and martin

  4. #4
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    Feb 2008
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    Northern Indiana
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    I have set of the 1220 IIR that definitely don't understand DMX.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
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    NorCal / Western Caribbean
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    You can swap pins 2 and 3 on their DMX fixtures. But like logsquared said the older models ran on Martin protocol and didnt understand DMX hence the need for the little black box converters. IIRC you could run 8 1220s off one converter. Pain in the arse
    There were some models that would receive both Martin and DMX. Its been a while since I was dealing with 1220s

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    DC/VA metro area
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    Hello, I own four Roboscan 1220's. I have two of the XR, two of the RPR. Not sure if your Gobo fixture is in this series? If so...

    The way mine work, is a pair of pins on the XLR cable for DMX is crossed over. So I have short adapter cables that switch it. When you come off of the fixture to other "normal" xlr DMX fixtures you have to cross it back over.

    There is a setting in the menus IIRC to switch it between DMX and Martin protocol, similar to Lightwave versus DMX on technobeams.

    Some notes (my experience is roboscan 1220 XR and RPR):
    - They're heavy as all hell. 150ish pounds on mine.
    - They're pretty bright. The 1220 RPR/XR use the MSR 1200 lamp or similar. Bright.
    - They will run on 110v @ ~15 amps. I seem to recall I measured them pulling around 11-13.
    Be careful, use dedicated circuits, fires are bad. They can be rewired to run on all the other voltages.
    - They are nicely made. Been a HES fanboy a bit, but the Roboscan 1220s are pretty nice.
    - Note, some of the little roboscans use really expensive lamps, beware on the small ones.
    - Haven't had much issues running DMX-512 at all. I use an EnTec OpenDMX and Freestyler.

    There is a large transformer in the bottom and top. I thought briefly about trying to source a solid state ignitor/ballast for the MSR-1200 and shed the weight. Chinese make them but the best price I could get was around $400 each. I think a bunch of weight could be dropped if moved to switch mode power supplies but not cheap enough for me since they're play toys.

    They're well built, nice, modular.

    The X/Y movement of the mirror isn't as full range as other fixtures like the Intellabeam, technobeam, and I'd assume cyberlight. Side to side is fine, vertical is a tad bit more limited.

    You can't run them with the bottom sitting on the floor. I built some little stands using 2x6 so the fans could move some air through the thing with it sitting on the floor (With older intellabeams I'd sit them upside down and they could run that way.)

    Between my technobeams and roboscans, the roboscans are easier to service. So sexy how it's all modular without having to slide it all out.

    I would like to see them against Cyberlights.

    Some old pics:
    http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=41991945@N00&q=roboscan

    I have videos on youtube of my Roboscan 1220 RPR running before taking them to MAGFest:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-TD9TnEO0U
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWjjCvdprvo

    I had them plugged into a power strip with amperage monitoring but I didn't see it in the video :-/


    On a similar note:
    I'm interested in selling my two Roboscan 1220 XR fixtures ($300 each, no lamps, nice condition, Norfolk VA) and am interested in finding two flight cases that each hold two technobeams.

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