VLX: Vari-Lite’s LED Wash Luminaire

There’s more news with Vari-Lite’s VLX Wash luminaire, the LED offering that is not out quite yet.  Vari-Lite keeps dropping little clues and bits of information, and those of us who are writing about it and getting giddy every time we see VLX on anything.  Vari-Lite just released a preliminary document with some specifications for the VLX, and it’s full of interesting things that I for one am really excited to see in action!

The VLX is using seven of Luminus’ CBM-380 RGBW chips at 90W each.  The CBM-380 is a PhlatLight chip with an emitting area of 38 square millimeters – not small for a multicolor chip:

A few specs on the CBM-380:

• High Output — 600+ lumens in Red, 1800+ lumens in Green, 200+ lumens in Blue and 900+ lumens in Daylight White (6500K).
• Separate four (4) channel control
• Large, multi-chip design with a total emitting surface area of 38 mm2
• High thermal conductivity package with a package thermal resistance of only 0.7 C/W
• Integrated thermistor allows for real-time monitoring of the LED’s temperature
• Lumen maintenance of greater than 70% after 60,000 hours
• Variable drive current from less than 1 A to 32 A
• Designed with a standard on-board connector

VLX also features a removable zoom mechanism – 20° without it, and 22-60° with it installed (3:1).  Of course it includes the patented Vari-Lite optics we all know and love, and a 540° pan and 270° tilt.  It looks pretty great.

Hey Vari-Lite – I’m in Denver.  Can I see one of these soon?

Here’s a link to the Vari-Lite prelim specifications PDF, and a link to Luminus’ spec PDF for the CBM-380.

Thanks, iSquint!