Proteus Excalibur Launches as the 21st Century's Ultimate Searchlight Effect

The Proteus Excalibur from Elation Professional is an IP65 beam moving head fixture set to assume the role as the lighting industry's new 21st Century searchlight, the company says. The newest member in Elation's Proteus range of IP65 automated fixtures, Excalibur's extreme power, long throw beam and wide front aperture make it perfect for creating aerial light columns, sweeping beams, throws of CMY color, and prismatic/air FX rivaling existing Xenon searchlights.

Capable of creating effects as magical as its legendary namesake, the Proteus Excalibur is well suited for theme parks, cruise ships, outdoor special events, large-scale shows and concerts, or any situation where a massive beam or very powerful prism and flower effects are required.

Excalibur is the brightest IP65 full-featured beam fixture ever created, producing up to 200,000 lux at 20m (7,500 lux at 100m), an incredible light output from a surprisingly compact, and fast, body.

Rivaling existing Xenon searchlights and sky trackers, the Excalibur's extremely narrow 0.8° beam ensures the fixture cuts effortlessly through the sky and is visible at great distances. The intense beam projects from an ultra-wide 260mm front lens as a massive column of solid, attention-grabbing light, a towering beacon that is impossible to miss, the company says.

A wide array of gobos (eight interchangeable plus a 17-position static wheel) and prism overlays (4- and 8-facet) allow for a large variety of dynamic sky animations that add excitement and draw attention to any event. The upcoming integrated sky animation system allows the Excalibur to operate impressive aerial shows without needing an external DMX controller.

The Excalibur offers full CMY color mixing plus 14 dichroic colors including CTO and UV. With its incredible light intensity, all CMY colors remain strong and vibrant, even when fully saturated.

Beam control through a precise internal focus lens provides crisp projection without optical errors. Dual variable frosts allow for softening of the beam when required and a remote-controlled Expander lens widens the beam to approximately 3.5° for an even fuller look.

The Proteus Excalibur uses Philips' highly efficient FLEX lamp technology for long lamp life, lower power consumption and reduced fixture maintenance. The discharge lamp/ballast package produces an impressively high output for such a compact fixture while performance remains resourcefully economical with a lamp life of up to 4,000 hours.

The Philips Platinum 500 FLEX (550W) lamp is dimmable via the internal ballast, which not only dims the lamp electronically but offers a Hibernation Mode that reduces power to the lamp when not in use, resulting in lower power consumption. The lower internal heat produced extends the life of not only the lamp but all internal components of the fixture.

The Excalibur supports DMX, RDM, Art-NET, and sACN protocols and is naturally outfitted with all the professional features and IP65 connections that designers have come to expect from a Proteus luminaire. With unprecedented power and a full array of professional design features, the Proteus Excalibur sets a new standard in IP65 beam moving head fixtures, the company says.