ABSTRACT
State-of-the-art automated lighting instruments embody a wide range of disparate technologies in the convergence of optics, mechanics, robotics, and electronics, mixed with a bit of artistic ingenuity and a fl air for design. Few products combine this level of sophistication and complexity in one package. In automated lighting fi xtures, high-current devices like lamp circuitry reside in close proximity to high-speed, microelectronic components and circuits like communications transmitters and digital signal processors. Voltages inside the fi xture range from a few volts for the electronics and motor drive circuits to thousands of volts in the lamp starting circuit. The internal operating temperature can reach 1832ºF (1000ºC) in the optical path of a typical automated lighting fi xture, yet the electronics are sensitive enough to require a reasonably cool environment to perform reliably. These fi xtures regularly cycle between room temperature and operating temperature, placing great stresses and strains on the interfaces between glass, ceramics, metal, and plastics. At the same time, many of these fi xtures are designed to withstand the rigors of being shipped all
over the world in freighters, airplanes, and trucks. They are often subject to daily handling from stagehands, physical shock from being bounced around on moving trusses, and thermal shock from cycling on and off. They are truly an amazing blend of modern machinery, computer wizardry, and applied technology.
