Line arrays have the benefit of spreading diodes equally over a wide surface area, but they can exhibit banding or “disco light” problems if the fixture employs multiple-colored LEDs (which most modern LED fixtures do).  The way many manufacturers, including Pacific Sun’s new SMT panels, have chosen to address this problem is by clustering LEDs and either using wide angel optics or none at all.

Pacific Sun’s new SMT panel technology groups 9 different LED chips (400nm, 420nm, 450nm, 465nm, Cree Blue, Cyan, Cree Green, Amber, and Deep Red; Note: No White LEDs) in a tight square (23x23mm) or rectangular cluster, as seen below.  The manufacturer claims grouping the diodes closely creates a more uniform color output without banding issues.

The new SMT panels are available in a single 75W single array panel (the S2 model, above) and a 145W double array panel (the S model).  When lit up, the panels produce a pseudo-point-source light similar to a multichip LED or metal halides.

Pacific Sun will continue to offer their standard line array panels (designed as “R” models).  The SMT panel (“S” models) is now available for the Metis Hyperion S (LED-only models, pictured below) and Pandora Hyperion S (LED+T5 combination fixture) product line.  Pacific Sun will also offer the SMT panel for their mammoth 870 watt Ariel light.

The pricing for the new SMT Metis (LED-only) models are as follows:

Visit Pacific Sun’s website for much more information about their fixtures featuring the new SMT panel.

Spectrum of the SMT panel at 100% output