Lightwave Research (HES) Emulator System

One of the coolest lighting systems ever produced!  This is the Lightwave Research (Now High End Systems) Emulator System.  This unit produces a laser simulator type effect that is truly stunning!  How the system works is actually pretty simple.  There is a special arc lamp with a small reflector behind it placed vertical in the chassis.  The lamp is mounted behind a piece of machined aluminum (Pin Block) and a special condensing lens that will only let a tiny bit of the lamps light emit forward in the unit.  This is what produces the super concentrated beam of light that emits from the unit.  The light shoots through a dichoric color wheel.  From the color wheel the light shoots onto a set of scanning galvos (Same as what is used in laser scanning systems).  This produces all of the patterns and designs projected from the unit.  The unit features 11 colors and white, variable speed strobe and the ability to create awesome aerial beams including text.  There is also a beam block / strobe assembly for blackout and strobing capabilities. 

The control of the fixture is LWR Protocol.  At the time the unit was produced control was available from the dedicated LED or LCD rack mount controllers or Status Cue System.  Later a DMX converter box was available from a third party vendor.  This system currently is using the dedicated LCD controller.  The controller features 594 programmable scenes, 1024 programmable presets, scrolling and graphic capabilities, joystick, removable memory card (for backup and additional memory), and audio input for sound-to-light operation.  24 Emulator units can be controlled with a single rack mount controller and controllers can be connected together for additional channels.  An additional touch panel can be connected to the rack mount controllers for bringing up cues and other effects.     

A few interesting notes on this system:  The LED controller was the first controller available for the emulator system.  The LCD came at a later time.  The emulator heads came in a silver color chassis and black chassis.  The silver units were earlier in production and the black were the later models.  The special lamp is still available but is very expensive.  Currently they sell for around $350.00 - $375.00 each.