Super Trouper (spotlight)
Encyclopedia
Super Trouper is the registered trademark of a series of follow spotlights
manufactured by Strong Entertainment Lighting of Omaha (formerly Strong Electric Corporation of Toledo, Ohio). They provided the inspiration for the hit ABBA
song of the same name
.
The lights were first manufactured in 1956. Initially, the Super Trouper utilized a high-intensity carbon arc lamp, which produced an almost snow white spot that set the performer apart from ambient stage lighting. In the 1980s and as carbon arc lamps fell into decreasing use, the spotlight began to employ a high-intensity xenon lamp as its light source.
Because of the Super Trouper's brilliant light field, many performers specify it in their technical riders. A large segment of U.S. entertainment venues, including proscenium theaters
and arenas, continue to utilize Strong Super Troupers as their primary follow spotlights and it remains the "standard" that all other spotlights are generally judged against.
The Super Trouper line of xenon follow spots is inclusive of four production models: Super Trouper Long Throw, Super Trouper Short Throw, Super Trouper Medium Throw, and Super Trouper II. Each model is available in either a 1600 watt or a 2000 watt variety. As of 2006, Strong has limited production of Super Trouper Short Throws and Medium Throws to special request only.
With very few exceptions Strong has maintained a consistent design on Super Trouper models since the first xenon-type models were introduced in the late 1970s. Initially the reflector unit was composed of electroformed nickel
with a rhodium
plating. Today Super Trouper follow spots are shipped from the factory with a similarly-designed nickel reflector, though a dichroic coating has supplanted the rhodium coating.
The xenon type Super Troupers had utilized a larger "AC" igniter assembly which had been specially designed to function with the original high-reactance power supplies. As suggested by the name however, Super Troupers were intended for portability and "trouping" and the bulky, two hundred pound plus power supplies were not conducive to a travel environment.
Strong introduced their first version of the solid-state switching 1 kW-3 kW power supply
for their xenon follow spots in 1988 without having to engineer any modifications to the Super Trouper's operational design. This new, solid-state power supply unit weighed in at approximately sixty-five pounds, which was roughly one third the weight of its high reactance predecessor.
Strong introduced the Super Trouper II model xenon follow spot in 1995 as the first new follow spot design since the xenon Gladiator III 1983. With it Strong also released a new "DC" ignitor assembly, which was a simpler and more reliable version of its predecessor, the "AC" ignitor. It allowed for a shorter ignition time and required less space than the standard AC ignitors found in standard Super Trouper followspots.
Then, in 1997, with the introduction of Strong's new, compact 1 kW-3 kW switching power supply it became clear that the existing AC ignitor assemblies in the original Super Trouper (and not Super Trouper II's) were not functionally compatible with the new power supplies. Over the next several years DC ignitor assemblies began to gradually replace the older AC ignitors.
Followspot
A followspot, sometimes known as a spot light, is a powerful stage lighting instrument which projects a bright beam of light onto a performance space. Followspots are controlled by a spotlight operator who follows actors around the stage...
manufactured by Strong Entertainment Lighting of Omaha (formerly Strong Electric Corporation of Toledo, Ohio). They provided the inspiration for the hit ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
song of the same name
Super Trouper (song)
-A-Teens version:"Super Trouper" was A-Teens' second single from their 1st album The ABBA Generation, a cover of ABBA's song. When the single came out in the fall of 1999, it became a hit around the globe, just as its predecessor "Mamma Mia", also an ABBA cover...
.
The lights were first manufactured in 1956. Initially, the Super Trouper utilized a high-intensity carbon arc lamp, which produced an almost snow white spot that set the performer apart from ambient stage lighting. In the 1980s and as carbon arc lamps fell into decreasing use, the spotlight began to employ a high-intensity xenon lamp as its light source.
Because of the Super Trouper's brilliant light field, many performers specify it in their technical riders. A large segment of U.S. entertainment venues, including proscenium theaters
Proscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
and arenas, continue to utilize Strong Super Troupers as their primary follow spotlights and it remains the "standard" that all other spotlights are generally judged against.
The Super Trouper line of xenon follow spots is inclusive of four production models: Super Trouper Long Throw, Super Trouper Short Throw, Super Trouper Medium Throw, and Super Trouper II. Each model is available in either a 1600 watt or a 2000 watt variety. As of 2006, Strong has limited production of Super Trouper Short Throws and Medium Throws to special request only.
With very few exceptions Strong has maintained a consistent design on Super Trouper models since the first xenon-type models were introduced in the late 1970s. Initially the reflector unit was composed of electroformed nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
with a rhodium
Rhodium
Rhodium is a chemical element that is a rare, silvery-white, hard and chemically inert transition metal and a member of the platinum group. It has the chemical symbol Rh and atomic number 45. It is composed of only one isotope, 103Rh. Naturally occurring rhodium is found as the free metal, alloyed...
plating. Today Super Trouper follow spots are shipped from the factory with a similarly-designed nickel reflector, though a dichroic coating has supplanted the rhodium coating.
The xenon type Super Troupers had utilized a larger "AC" igniter assembly which had been specially designed to function with the original high-reactance power supplies. As suggested by the name however, Super Troupers were intended for portability and "trouping" and the bulky, two hundred pound plus power supplies were not conducive to a travel environment.
Strong introduced their first version of the solid-state switching 1 kW-3 kW power supply
Power supply
A power supply is a device that supplies electrical energy to one or more electric loads. The term is most commonly applied to devices that convert one form of electrical energy to another, though it may also refer to devices that convert another form of energy to electrical energy...
for their xenon follow spots in 1988 without having to engineer any modifications to the Super Trouper's operational design. This new, solid-state power supply unit weighed in at approximately sixty-five pounds, which was roughly one third the weight of its high reactance predecessor.
Strong introduced the Super Trouper II model xenon follow spot in 1995 as the first new follow spot design since the xenon Gladiator III 1983. With it Strong also released a new "DC" ignitor assembly, which was a simpler and more reliable version of its predecessor, the "AC" ignitor. It allowed for a shorter ignition time and required less space than the standard AC ignitors found in standard Super Trouper followspots.
Then, in 1997, with the introduction of Strong's new, compact 1 kW-3 kW switching power supply it became clear that the existing AC ignitor assemblies in the original Super Trouper (and not Super Trouper II's) were not functionally compatible with the new power supplies. Over the next several years DC ignitor assemblies began to gradually replace the older AC ignitors.