A look at the PRG Best Boy automated light.

[@Zadster]

Many thanks to PRG for clearing this, it would have been a minor crime against engineering not to have seen it! Speaking as an electronics design engineer, with a sideline in mech eng, that looks a delicious piece of kit. I love it when equipment is designed by engineers not stylists, managers, marketers and focus groups. Audio is fine, perfectly understandable for a sassenach like me, and top work from your camera operator too.

[@RicoElectrico]

Meh. Am I different that I wouldn't ever want to anyone dictate my content and rather give it up? Just for the principle?

[@sparkplug1018]

It really is refreshing to see engineering of this level. If you ever get a chance to see whats inside a Panavision camera its absolutely beautiful.

[@zh84]

The view of the interior with all the moving parts is really a kind of kinetic art!

[@bigclivedotcom]

It is quite mesmerising to watch it doing its self-test.

[@brmbrm6016]

Fascinating. As someone who is desk bound for a living, but has got into engineering in my spare time as I have got older, objects like this just blow me away. Many thanks Clive and to PRG for allowing you to show the video.

[@TheBitwise]

Thanks for going through the effort of making and getting PRG to approve a vid, I'm sure it would have been easier to just say 'screw it.'

[@wdave6944]

Honestly not meaning any disrespect to PRG (actually, quite the opposite), but this video is absolutely pure engineering porn! I love it. I'd love to have one to put in my livingroom... just the way you've got it displayed there with all its beauty showing... for all to see. A plexiglass shroud to protect me and to protect it and just let it run a never-ending diagnostic (no lamp necessary). Thanx Clive.

[@Borednesss]

Yes, plexiglass to protect it from any bodily fluids

[@l3p3]

+Boredness Or slimy stares...

[@solidamber]

+Boredness perspex

[@TupmaniaTurning]

That is a beautiful piece of kit! Very different to when I used to drive a saturable reactor board at our local theatre many years ago and swinging around on he gantries trying to hook the safety chains on a few Fresnels! 😄

[@getsomebud]

As an intern for a light and sound company that has me usually away from the moving lights repair corner of our shop, thanks for these videos.

[@magicalpencil]

I could watch that thing self-testing all day, it looks amazing!

[@DielectricVideos]

It's nice to see how modular and serviceable the design is! A great feat of engineering fro sure!

[@SRad666]

The most important question though... Does it have a 'warm white' setting?

[@sdgelectronics]

Yes, he mentioned the CTO filter.

[@benberding]

Wow, just wow!!! Absolutely beautiful, and such a testament to great engineering and ingenuity!! Thanks to PRG for clearing this amazing video. You have made fans for life!!!

[@12port34]

Great video, I can see a lot of people are impressed by its inner workings. After working on the light for at least 2 years at PRG, it's a great light to work on! And certainly a fun light to work on when you get to strip it down to its chassis.

[@bigclivedotcom]

It really is nice to work on. Even the main colour/gobo assembly has good access for changing motors. You can tell it was designed by someone who actually fixes the things.

[@hackeritalics]

You know Clive, from the standpoint of a guy who has worked in technical fields for a decent while, you've got to be the most knowledgeable and utterly humble dude I've ever seen. lol As I'm sure you've experienced, there are a lot of guys in tech fields who are used to be the smartest guy in the room and just come off as total assholes. ^^; Really though, you seem like the type of guy that would be a blast to just sit and talk to about nerdy shit. lol

[@ToonOfLancing]

This piece of kit is just beyond my understanding - super video Clive; and many thanks to PRG for permitting it.

[@Peter_S_]

Delightful tour, Clive! Things have certainly come a long way since the original Vari-lite. Any more shop footage of these beasts would be riveting. Thank you very much for this, and thank you for all your videos! You have one of my favorite KZbin channels.

[@gorman2001]

Is it me, or this is one of the most complex/advanced moving head light in existence ?! Also, kudos for the removable, battery-powered controller panel !

[@bigclivedotcom]

Best I've seen.

[@gorman2001]

And another Monday afternoon lost here, checking the training videos on PRG's website. Darn that thing is capable and well designed !

[@stevemilwa]

So much engineering gone into something most people don't even think about.

[@ZEROSTATIC72]

Thanks for the great video Clive and thanks to PRG for allowing this inside look. A truly amazing piece of equipment with awesome engineering work. Did anyone manage to count the number of motors and fans in this thing?

[@TankR]

Ive seen assembly lines with less control points than these units! Freaking amazing engineering...

[@webwolf7]

Absolutely my favorite video, what an amazing machine! Good thing that PRG finally let you make a video. Now that this one is cleared, lets see if we can get a "take to to bits" video!

[@chrisgreaves5015]

Love the Best boy used them on a gig for a year and a half and didn't swap-out one! As you say the perfect touring fixture. Now if they could make them 20kg lighter..... ;)

[@bigclivedotcom]

Yeah, the weight is a thing, but made slightly better by the well thought out handle placement. We had a small number of issues at the start with a few of the 70 we had on the rig, but after that no real issues at all. Very rugged units.

[@lumpyfishgravy]

Beautiful! I love it when products push the envelope. John Fluke said "give people more than they think they paid for".

[@stargazer7644]

Push the envelope? It's a freakin theater light with some filters in it. Other than the fact that it is now computer controlled, this has been around since the dawn of electricity.

[@EeekiE]

I think the engineering and internals and software and precision of this thing are far more impressive than any shape or colour it could make whiz around.

[@steamgadget]

This is awesome! Thank you Big Clive for sharing this with us! Also thanks to PRG for sharing, what a beautiful piece of mechanical and electrical genius!

[@skunkw0rx69]

That thing is awesome! Biggest I've ever worked on was a Chauvet R2 spot. This thing is crazy in comparison!

[@CongoBlueHorse]

what a nice amount of space inside, the modular system makes me a bit nostalgic for the big old scans like the roboscan 1220, it's almost impossible to change anything in most modern units without a total strip down

[@A65Bill]

wow! thanks to you & prg for that. I have a classic motorcycle buddy in USA who rigs this stuff - he'll love it too.

[@Thermalions]

Given my only exposure to lighting rigs are par 64's this just blows my mind.

[@LPFthings]

Robe has batteries in a fair few of their lights for changing settings before they're powered, it's so incredibly convenient being able to address them all on the ground first.

[@TheBananaPlug]

In astronomy imaging cameras, we call that shutter type a butterfly shutter, not sure if that's the correct term, but most times they get called that. Shutter spins in front of the image sensor and hence opens/closes the imaging path.

[@YeOldeSpellbooke]

It's so satisfying just to watch mechatronics like that work :) Thanks for sharing BigClive :)

[@scotshabalam2432]

I love the diagnostics progress display. It looks like James Cameron Terminator HUD.

[@MasterFX2000]

You've shown us really interesting devices over the last weeks. Thanks for that.

[@florianmuller3346]

Very very good video and very good explained. But can it be that the cable from the shutter assembly scratches the lenses when the unit is rotating like at 3:00 ?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's supported by pillars and in such a way that it is well clear of the lenses.

[@FindLiberty]

The flexing stresses on that cable assembly and connectors is not to my liking regarding the harness length and wire routing. I guess it should just be replaced preventatively, like a car engine's oil filter, every 6 months or 3,000 miles to avoid future breakdown at an inconvenient time.

[@robehickmann]

thing that surprises me most in the several videos you have shown of these theater lights is how small the light path actually is. I expected it to be closer to the size of the lens on the front.

[@bigclivedotcom]

That's where the optical precision comes in. To fit two layers of multiple gobos and beam shaping into the optical path requires it be tight at that point.

[@robehickmann]

Dosn't this harm efficiency though, how much of the light produced actually comes out the front?

[@tin2001]

+robehickmann A tight, pointy parabolic reflector would surround the lamp, I suspect. Almost all the light would be focused down that narrow path.

[@orinokonx01]

Very impressive, Clive! Such amazing engineering behind all that. Thanks for sharing!!

[@muh1h1]

Very nice, could watch the little motors in it moving all day, mesmerizing :)

[@hairypaulmm7wab195]

Lovely bit of engineering cheers for showing such a beautifully made bit of kit. So much nicer than the 'auld gear' from back in the 80's :-)

[@DisneyMarkUK]

Stunning light Clive, must be a beast to programme

[@quadcabdakota]

clive, i love all your work, but this new pro lighting stuff is fantastic! keep it up!

[@ib9rt]

I'm curious...PRG own the things and rent them out, but they allow you guys to pull them apart, troubleshoot problems, fix them and so on? It seems like a very enlightened approach, but curious all the same. Presumably you send the removed faulty components back to PRG for repair and re-use?

[@bigclivedotcom]

We're all freelance technicians employed by PRG.

[@channelsixtysix066]

An electro-mechanical marvel, Clive. Love engineering like this. It is my equivalent of looking at a painting in an art gallery. 5 years on, did you ever diagnose and fix that module? Many thanks to PRG for allowing this video.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Most faults get fixed on site, but complex PCB faults go to the main workshop.

[@finsterbarry]

Thumbs up for a great video and thumbs up to PRG for permission to share info about their proprietary tech!

[@Kapt-Kimbo]

Very impressive. Reminds me of a working model of the Hubble Space Telescope!

[@proluxelectronics7419]

Does it not fire the light up on the self test or is that a manual test for safety?

[@bigclivedotcom]

The lamp can be enabled for self test if required.

[@seshmarls]

if you get a chance could you pull a MAC Viper apart and show us the internals

[@lanswipe]

Always enjoy watching your videos about lighting and theater equipment man, keep at it! :)

[@chemicalvamp]

I appreciate your use of work machines for education though in service still very entertaining. I kinda hope you were still clocked in. :)

[@bigclivedotcom]

When the show is running and we have no repairs to do we are really just on standby in case something does go wrong.

[@wonderc66]

great video Clive, but one thing im wondering about is what are the white air still doing in there ? (can see it at the end of video)

[@bigclivedotcom]

It was being used to purify water for cleaning purposes and dilution of some FX fluids.

[@Lachlant1984]

Was the light in some kind of diagnostic/service mode so you could get the colour wheels and the gobos to rotate while the covers were off?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It was in self-test mode.

[@madinatore]

that thing is good enough as a sci fi prop! nice one

[@bigclivedotcom]

Especially when fitted with a laser and a gun.

[@mixolydian2010]

+bigclivedotcom haha was just going to say it reminds me of borg technology. fabulous device thanks for the tour and all the best.

[@pirate6955]

clive, if you don't mind what country is this theatre in? its quite a setup. and i just wondered if its on Isle, Scotland, or England. no big deal i just wondered.

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's the temporary stadium for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Right now it's well on its way to being completely dismantled and shipped to its store.

[@pirate6955]

very cool man. cheers!

[@thattoolguy9432]

Very well engineered, tons better than than a lot i have serviced. Do you get many faults with braided cable on the actuator board ? i assume its either 575 or 1200? or one of these new fandangled lamps Great vid as always Clive

[@CB-sf6fp]

Holy fuck that is a sophisticated light! Amazing engineering. Just awesome. Good on ya PRG!

[@PurityVendetta]

Working in sound I never got a chance to have a good look at this sort of kit. I did once try to teach myself to use an AVO Sapphire desk which confirmed to me I wasn't cut out for lighting, that and how heavy these things are. All our sound gear just flies out from floor level but I actually had to pick lighting stuff up! 😝😁

[@bigclivedotcom]

That's partly why I had a hernia operation a year and a half ago.

[@PurityVendetta]

@@bigclivedotcom So it's not just me moaning then. I remember when big Golden Scans came out 😱 I used to feel guilty so volunteered to help the lighting crew!

[@Blue4runner]

Whats that Chamsys console doing sitting there? If the hogs are running the show is that running some aux rig or is it in the shop for repair?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's the workshop test desk.

[@alls0p69]

I'm not sure if there has been a comment on this already, but I recall you saying that you were not able to show us the "innards" of PRG lights for undisclosed reasons. Curios.... What was the process or influence needed to change that? Great video Clive!

[@bigclivedotcom]

I made the video then submitted it to them for approval.

[@rud]

Gobo, now there's a perfectly good woody word, not tinny at all. GOBO.

[@lkchild]

What a beautiful piece of engineering.

[@markhanson1452]

Nice to see your face for once and the Hog in the background.

[@Raizinghell21]

So one thing I'm not quite 100% on is how does the light spin and maintain connections without wear the wires out significantly over time? from what I saw of them rigged up, it looks like it can go multiple spins and not care, so what kind of connection does it have that allows full range of motion?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Power, data and lamp-feed are all run in clusters of thin starnded wires designed to withstand continuous movement.

[@Elodea]

I can't fathom just how sophisticated theater lighting has become. I thought I had my hands full with a batten of 750 watt elipsodals in the 1960's.

[@bigclivedotcom]

In some cases it's become TOO sophisticated. To the point that if something goes wrong it can take a long time to troubleshoot.

[@MrRantWhy]

Is all this gear being rented? I'm assuming that the venue owns these lights because if they were renting it you would not be working on them. Also the arena and control tower this is owned by the venue or its rented too ?

[@bigclivedotcom]

+MrRantWhy The lights are owned by PRG who hire them to the show. The crew that installs the show lighting and power is employed by PRG, so we maintain all the equipment during the run of the show.

[@PetesShredder]

I see Faulhaber motors with encoders in here, but also steppers... I wonder why some are steppers and some are DC servos... Any ideas?

[@bigclivedotcom]

The servo motors have much faster and finer control, plus absolute encoding. So the light knows their position immediately at power up and only nudges them slightly during self test to make sure the drive and encoding is working.

[@PetesShredder]

Hmm are those faulhaber motors absolute? Those look like the IE2512 encoders, which my company uses in lens controls. They are two line 512ct incrimental. I think they are available with an absolute index channel though so maybe that helps, or maybe there is another encoder somewhere... We use the same motors and encoders in our products and we have the fastest and most responsive motor units in our entire sector. Good motors ;-)

[@PetesShredder]

Maybe I could send you one and you could do a dissection, id love to see what you think of it ;-)

[@SpaceMountainLarry]

How would a light like this compare to a light like a Syncrolite? Do you think the componentry would be about the same, except on a much larger scale?

[@jonathancook4022]

That was brilliant. You did not mention what the bulb wattage was though? How does it compare to a mac3k, which is probably the only light ive ever used on this scale and performance level?

[@stefantrethan]

Do you have problems with any of the moving wires breaking?

[@bigclivedotcom]

I've not had that problem, but it's an easy loom to swap if it did.

[@KarlBunker]

I was briefly wondering why they called it a Turing light. :-)

[@zh84]

It's almost self-aware ;-)

[@ethanpoole3443]

That was precious. I often have moments like that, too. A plus to those who actually know what the Turing Test is. Better, still, if you know who Alan Turing was, without whom there might well be no KZbin and a supreme example of what people's need for hate costs society (he was gay, convicted for such, and driven to suicide at just 46 years of age after having helped us to win WWII by decoding Enigma in near realtime -- imagine what else he may have achieved over another 40 years).

[@meggerbiddle]

because once its done its job some guys from MI5 come along and smash it up and deny it existed

[@sparkplug1018]

Alan Turing was a brilliant mathematician and made great contributions to cryptology. Really sucks what society at that time did to him. Have to wonder why he didn't venture to the US really. Extra points for knowing what a Bombe is.

[@zh84]

He wouldn't have done any better in America. "Sodomy" was only legalised in some states starting in 1962 in Illinois - long after he was dead. Laws criminalising homosexual activity remained active in Texas and some other states until they were struck down by the Supreme Court in 2003. Even now they remain technically on the statute books. Britain decriminalised homosexuality in 1967 - earlier than any state except Illinonis, but of course again too late for Turing. A bombe is an electromechanical device originally invented in Poland for working out Enigma rotor settings. The settings can then be fed into a decryption device to see if they turn the message into plain text.

[@hetzz]

very much appreciated. a bit hard. to hear you at times but I guess it comes with the territory. :) I like this series of "work" related videos.

[@grendelum]

@2:52 Man, I don't know what it is about these, but *_I love_* industrial warning signs of the myriad deaths or injuries one might suffer... is that odd?

[@SammyInnit]

Did I hear on another video PRG wanted to keep this out of the public eye? At least the innards?

[@bigclivedotcom]

This video was deliberately not going too deep on the interior circuitry and mechanicals. It was made then had to be approved by PRG before I could put it up.

[@CptVolkow]

Love the 60fps, might wanna voice over the video.

[@MH-bv9kk]

Thank you for showing the guts of this light! I've been to concerts and such, and I've seen them in use (Not certain if they were PRG or not) and never really figured there were this many parts to them. I agree with you tho, as a tinkerer, I'd say this is well designed, well thought out, by someone who (by my guess) setup, ran, and repaired these lights on a regular basis. Is there any consideration to refit the light source from HID to LED, or have LED's not progressed far enough for this application? Is the current light source xenon or halide?

[@bigclivedotcom]

For lights of this scale LED is not quite there yet.

[@God-CDXX]

Now that is one complex but cool light

[@markukblackmore]

I'm curious about the weatherproofing this unit would have. Presumably an IP rating for outdoor use?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It has modest weather resilience but is not waterproof.

[@corn322]

Usually lights of this type aren't weatherproofed, it is difficult to keep operating temperatures in check without lots of airflow for cooling. The only weatherproofed lights I've worked with are the (discontinued) High End Systems EC-1 and EC-2. Notorious for burning up motors from the heat.

[@FrontSideBus]

What sort of lamp does it take? I'm thinking a double-ended short arc halide?

[@kendrakirai]

You had to get it cleared? So how much of the praise it a put on, then? Either way, it looks neat inside~

[@bigclivedotcom]

I absolutely LOVE this light for real. Heavy to mount on a rig, but almost flawless from a build and service perspective.

[@davidnull5590]

So, when will Clive be taking this to bits??

[@DutchBrony]

he already took one to bits

[@davidnull5590]

Could you please provide a link to it?? Thanks...

[@bigclivedotcom]

Not one of these. (At least, not in a video.)

[@DutchBrony]

Yeah was a little joke referring to 4:58

[@leosedf]

These lights became very good over the years, i remember the older ones were a bit crap, these ones look cool. The basic principle remains the same however.

[@dglcomputers1498]

Yes the Vari*Lite VL1, Genesis and their manager got a demo of the prototype luminare and basically bank-rolled the company, I believe they are now part of Philips lighting.

[@douro20]

It's the world's most advanced spot. It has 45 control channels. And about the lenses, I wouldn't be surprised if they were made by Rodenstock.

[@ProdigalPorcupine]

It's like something from a movie! It sort of reminds me of the 'atomic bomb' in Goldfinger, with all the exotic spinning mechanical parts. It's absolutely fascinating.

[@MrJimmyjammmy]

Love it, thanks Clive. Can't wait till I can buy these for $100 from China.

[@bigclivedotcom]

I'm looking forward to reviewing those. I think I can guess the outcome. Assuming I can actually understand the Chinglish on the display.

[@NeneExists]

Nice lantern, do they wash versions as well as profiles?

[@bigclivedotcom]

This one has such a huge beam angle range that it actually works well as a wash too.

[@bigclivedotcom]

They do have a specific wash version though. www.prg.com/technology/products/luminaires/best-boy-wash-luminaire

[@Nachesko]

Thnks for taking the time and effort to show us that piece of sexy light, nice job explaining how it works

[@1marcelfilms]

Dont get your beard stuck in there

[@derkeksinator17]

{TechnicianBeard} detected; entering_grooming&cleaning/loop=1;

[@AeroMad91]

Does it have a minus green wheel to compensate lamp ageing?

[@bigclivedotcom]

The wash version does.

[@bensmall2011]

Is that a chamsys lighting desk I see in the background?

[@bigclivedotcom]

That was our test desk.

[@bensmall2011]

+bigclivedotcom what desk does the show run off and on how many universes of dmx does it all use? If you don't mind me asking :)

[@bigclivedotcom]

We use a pair of Hog desks with one active and the other as a live backup. We have around 10 universes of DMX split to different parts of the arena and castle.

[@ExStaticBass]

I bet that's a beast to install. It looks really heavy where full motion gobos are concerned. I've dealt with a few myself. None that big though.

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's very heavy, but has four well-positioned handles.

[@MrRantWhy]

can u show us the light in use and run threw its function I really like the adjustable shutter's it reminds me of a source 4 leco thanks for the video

[@GetBant]

Shall we all chip in some money and buy Clive one of these for his home, I think its true love

[@Jeff5263]

is that light in a diagnostic (self-test) mode?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It is at the start, but with the pan and tilt test disabled.

[@scottishjh]

Clive thanks for the video. I have one problem though you make me miss working on intelligent lighting, I worked on Cyber lights, Martin and others about 10 years ago. :(

[@AdamWelchUK]

A nice unit and a great walk around thank you +bigclvedotcom . Having a history in theatre lighting I should know this, but where does the lighting term 'best boy' come from? Can anyone tell me the history?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Traditionally in the film industry the head electrician is called the Gaffer and his second in command is called the Best Boy. The partner light to this (higher output) is called the Bad Boy.

[@AdamWelchUK]

Cheers

[@cumberland1234]

Cool video, please can you show us the desk that runs all this?

[@hydrusje]

It's PRG so most of the time probably a V676, V476 or V276 if not a PRG desk a Chamsys or MA. Don't know how it works with PRG in the UK but in more seldom cases it could be anything. From Hog to Avolites to Martin to ETC,.... whatever the operator likes.

[@FrozenHaxor]

That shutter assembly cables get bent at the connection point alot, I'd assume it's gonna be a weak point. Not a hard fix though.

[@bigclivedotcom]

There's an extra bracket at that point to restrict the radius.

[@symik3]

As i see, you have an interesting job.

[@rjk7104]

So how much would one of these actually cost? Based on the video, I would have to guesstimate around $75,000-$100,000.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Around $20,000 if you could actually buy one.

[@rjk7104]

Oh I was a bit far off then! Actually a decent price for the level of engineering seen there.

[@rjk7104]

Oh I was a bit far off then! Actually a decent price for the level of engineering seen there.

[@mirkomueller3412]

More interesting to watch one of these than having an aquarium at home....

[@davidkroth]

Not sure what I just watched but it was ... interesting.

[@xnizonyt]

Are those "brain" modules battery powered?

[@bigclivedotcom]

They have a lithium pack to allow unpowered operation.

[@jim40135]

Where is the lamp? Or is that one of the "secret" bits?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's right at the back in a mirrored glass reflector assembly.

[@joewhite903]

You Lucky Bugger, Id love to Have one on My bench

[@bigclivedotcom]

And they pay me to play with them too.

[@joewhite903]

How reliable is the loom for the framing module. I imagine they have used silicone cabling. But with that limited movement I bet it does kill them .

[@bigclivedotcom]

In real life it doesn't move quite as much as in self test. But the cable loom seems to last a good length of time. To date I've never had to change one, but it would be easy to do in situ if needed.