Astera AX3 LightDrop

Description

With the size of an ice hockey puck, this AX3 LightDrop RGBW LED spot is extremely suitable for any event. This spot can be used even in the smallest spaces. The Astera AX3 LightDrop is the cutest and most compact LED spot for the events industry. This spot is affectionately also called a ‘puck’. Of course, this is derived from the size of the light fixture. The Astera AX3 has a diameter of just under 10 cm and a height of 6 cm.

Like the complete range of Astera, this spot also has a built-in battery, which allows this spot to function continuously for up to 20 hours. This lamp also has a large arsenal of wireless communication options. This AX3 can be controlled both via the Astera application and wireless DMX. This spot is also excellently suited for outdoor use. Due to its weather-resistant housing (IP65), this spot has no problems with precipitation, such as rain or hail. For events where silent operation is important, the AX3 also comes into its own. The spot does not contain a fan, so it doesn’t hum while providing the desired lighting.

What kind of light source does the Astera AX3 have?

Behind the lens of the AX3 puck is a powerful 15-watt light source based on RGBW CREE LEDs. To ensure that all Astera lamps give identical colors, TrueColour calibration is used. This not only ensures very high-quality colours and colour mixing. It also prevents deviations between different Astera AX3’s. These are eliminated during the calibration of the spots. As is probably known, it is possible to set LED spots to any desired colour. Via the tablet, it is even possible to project the desired LEE filter color exactly, without the need for the LEE filter. It is even possible to set the exact colour temperature of the light beam from 2700K to 6500K.

Which filters are included when renting an Astera AX3?

By default, this spot projects a beam of 13°, but in some situations, it’s necessary to project a wider beam. Special filters are available for these applications. By adding the Floor Diffusor, a wider beam of 30° is created. If you want an even less sharp beam, the Wide-Angle Diffusor can be used well. This creates a very wide spread of 120°. Specially for transparent objects, there is the Diffusor Dome. This gives the initial light beam a spread of no less than 220°. Exactly, that’s completely around the light fixture. Specially for illuminating walls and other large surfaces, the Wallwash Diffusor has been developed. This gives an asymmetrical light beam of 17° x 46°, directing the light as much as possible towards the wall.

• No Filter: Beam of 13°
• Flood Filter: Beam of 30°
• Wide-Angle Filter: Beam of 120°
• Dome Filter: Beam of 220°

What is the battery life of an Astera AX3?

With the development of batteries, much professional lighting for events is also making the switch. This means it’s no longer necessary to connect spots with power cables. With the built-in battery in the Astera AX3 spot, this lamp can project light beams continuously for 20 hours. Fully charging the battery takes about 7 hours. For long-lasting events, it’s of course still possible to use these spots on mains power.

I have a very important event, are battery-powered lamps reliable enough? We hear that more often. However, all Astera lamps have an ultimate safety feature. This ensures that the spots will never fail during the event. With the ‘seamless runtime’ function, available when using AsteraBox and Astera App, you simply set how long the spot should continue to function. The Astera AX3 will distribute the power of the battery over the set period by itself. This way, the spot only turns off after the set time.

How does the wireless communication work with this Astera AX3?

A battery is nice of course, but for truly wireless convenience, the spot should of course also be able to be controlled wirelessly. For this, Astera has developed its own interface. This AsteraBox functions as a translator. This device converts incoming information into a RF signal (865 – 870 MHz) and has a range of up to 300 meters. This communication is also two-way. In addition to receiving commands, the lamp also provides feedback. This makes it possible to read information about its functioning, battery status, and settings. The AsteraBox can be used as a wireless DMX transmitter in combination with a lighting console, but also functions via a Bluetooth connection in combination with a tablet and AsteraApp. With the application, you can use several unique functions.

• • Colours, chases, effects, and groups
  • Anti-Flicker
  • Theft Alarm:
  • Enter and Leave Standby

Is the Astera AX3 flicker-free?

Are you planning to have the event recorded with cameras? Then there’s a possibility that this will cause problems in combination with cheap LED lighting. Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED lamps are not continuously on. In fact, this light source flickers very quickly. We cannot perceive this with the human eye, making it appear as if the spots are continuously lit. Cameras can detect this very fast flickering. For this reason, it’s necessary to adjust the refresh frequency. This is not possible with cheap fixtures, but of course, it is possible with this Astera AX3 puck.

With the AsteraApp, you can very easily indicate the correct frame rate of the recording. The lamps then automatically adjust to the right frequency between 200 and 1205 Hz. For very precise technicians, it’s even possible to manually adjust the pre-programmed frequency to 2 decimal places.

Especially for studio-related tasks, this Astera AX3 has no fan for cooling. Through the balanced aluminum housing, this spot is able to cool itself sufficiently, without any form of noise or hum. The Astera AX3 also features ‘fanless cooling’. As a result, the spots do not produce any background noise during presentations, workshops, or recordings. Due to the uniquely designed aluminum housing, this spot can cool sufficiently without a fan and still delivers sublime performance.

Is the Astera AX3 equipped with a theft alarm?

The Astera fixtures are equipped with a sensor. When the lamp is moved or removed, if set in the Astera-App, a siren can sound to deter potential thieves. Via the tablet in combination with the AsteraBox, the sensitivity, type, and delay of the alarm can be fully customized as desired.

How does the Standby function work?

Once the installation is complete, all lamps can be put on standby. If you then indicate the start and end time of the event, the lamps will automatically turn on at the specified time. At the specified end time, all lamps will neatly turn off again. This way, you don’t have to worry about the technology, but also no valuable battery capacity is wasted.

How does the emergency lighting function of the Astera AX3 work?

A metaphor for the extensive possibilities of this lamp is the ’emergency light’. Of course, it can always happen that the power unexpectedly fails during the event. You certainly don’t want panic in the hall. Especially for this situation, the lamp can project a bright white beam if the power does fail. This way, visitors are never in the dark. That’s quite convenient. The lamps do need to be connected to the power grid for this.