Can I use any lighting fixture as a gobo projector?
NO, gobos can only be used in lighting fixtures that allow you to focus the beam of light. Primarily, the fixtures used for gobo projection are Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlights, so named because they have a reflector that is shaped like a portion of an ellipse, wrapping around the lamp nearly 240 degrees. This feature, along with a pair of plano-convex lens, allow one to focus on an image.
New technology ushered in new instruments that were brighter, cooler and more efficient. The ETC Source Four and the Altman Shakespeare, ADJ,Martin, Chauvet,and many of the new cooler LED fixtures are becoming industry standards. The gate area in some of these new ellipsoidals only reach temperatures of around 500 degrees, compared to previous units that reached 1600 degrees easily. The cooler units not only extended steel gobo life, but started a new world of custom and stock glass gobos, previously you would have needed a projector with a fan to keep from cracking the glass gobo. Many of the LED projectors allow you the option to make your own gobos on your printer.
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