September 23, 2025 • 7 mins
Chris and Lacy discuss ETC's latest additions to their architectural lighting portfolio, three high-output display luminaires redefining how spaces are illuminated. They explore key features, new mounting and control options, and where these fixtures shine in real-world applications.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:19):
Welcome back to Geezers of Gear,Future Tech Chris here, and of
course, Lacey's with me. As always, we've got a good one
today, especially for you folks who are into architectural
lighting. Though honestly, who isn't?
At least a little bit? So Lacey ETC's rolled out not
one, but three new display fixtures for their architectural
(00:40):
range. We've got the Iridium FPZ Plus,
WLZ Plus, and the ever iconic source for Mini LED Plus.
All three just dropped and apparently they're much, much
brighter than the originals. Yeah, I feel like ETC has really
leaned into the whole brighter is better philosophy, which,
honestly, when you're lighting amassive lobby or those cavernous
(01:03):
museum spaces, is kind of exactly what you want.
But Chris, I have to ask, when they say dramatic boost and
output, are we talking like a little boost or are these going
to burn retinas if you point them the wrong way?
Ha, thankfully no one's getting blinded just walking past a
painting, but these are substantial jumps.
(01:23):
Take the Iridium FPZ Plus. It cranks out 1600 lumens, which
is properly brighter than the standard version.
The WLZ Plus is even more up to 2600 lumens.
So if you're after punchy beams or a really soft wash in a space
that needs it, they've got you covered.
And all three fits straight onto235 E track using one track by U
(01:45):
track. Now, finally, which is big for
installs in Europe or anywhere with that voltage.
That's super useful and I noticed the source 4 mini LED
plus is only like 9 inches long now.
That's tiny. You could pretty much tuck it
into any corner way easier when you're fighting with weird
ceiling lines or those display cabinets that just do not play
(02:07):
nice with bigger fixtures. Yeah, the mini's always been a
favorite for that reason, but now it's been completely
reworked for architectural use, better optics, and even brighter
field. Genuinely, I remember lighting
this tiny museum exhibit way back.
Had to wrangle a mini onto one of those ancient tracks.
The old ones struggled in high ambient spaces.
(02:29):
These plus versions would have given us so much more
flexibility, Brighter, prettier images and choices for how you
hang them. Makes me a little jealous of
folks doing installs now, not going to lie.
And it's not just about stickingthem on the track and calling it
a day. These come with what, both DMX
and daily control options, right?
(02:49):
I saw the mention about F Drive 2 for people like me, to be
honest, who always mixed up control systems, why does that
matter so much? And Chris, can you walk me
through this whole daylight thing?
Because I always hear designers getting way too excited about
remote drivers in these projects.
Sure. Yeah.
So DMX is kind of the industry workhorse, stage events,
(03:12):
installations, basically everywhere we came up in the
live world. But Dali's a bit more tailored
to architectural settings. It's sort of think addressable
smart building stuff. You can control loads of
fixtures individually, dim them,automate scenes all via a single
two wire bus instead of those massive DMX universes.
(03:34):
A lot more granular now with these fixtures.
Daily support means you can dropthem right into an architectural
ecosystem with all the bells andwhistles.
And with F Drive, that's ET CS centralized remote driver
system, you've got even more flexibility.
Stick your drivers in a rack somewhere accessible, run low
voltage lines, and managing or servicing the installs is much
(03:56):
easier. Building on what we talked about
back in the F Drive RX episode, you can see how this streamlines
things for big, complex buildings.
I get it. So the fixers talk to the track
and driver with whatever protocol matches the job.
Makes sense. And color wise you're still
getting the big picks. 2700 K upto 5000 K and both 80 and 90
(04:19):
CRI. So like if you're in a gallery
and colour pop is everything, oryou're doing a hotel bar and
want that warmer white. It's flexible.
Precisely. If you're in a gallery and need
true colour accuracy, say showing paintings or textiles,
the high CRI, especially the Gallery 90 option, is what you
want. It's almost mandatory for a
(04:40):
proper art reveal, and in retailor hospitality you can still go
for the softer ambient vibes or crank it up for high visibility,
all with just the right fixture.Everything's modular control
color track, and it really meansdesigners aren't boxed in.
And that flexibility kind of leads us straight into where
these actually shine, pun fully intended.
(05:03):
These three from what ET CS putting out, seem aimed straight
at museums, fancy lobbies, maybehigh end retail.
Like, where do you see them doing their thing, Chris?
Absolutely all the above museumsfor sure, especially with that
beam control from the FPZ Plus. You can frame artwork precisely,
keep spill off the floor or adjust the spread for changing
(05:25):
exhibits. The WLZ Plus is brilliant for
filling large lobby areas with soft, welcoming light.
Think washes but more refined. And the Mini LED Plus it's
genuinely perfect for tight spaces.
Those display nooks tricky angles in a window display or
little alcoves where a big fixture just won't go, but you
(05:47):
still get proper even illumination and sharp
projection if you need it. Yeah so I had this hotel grand
opening gig a while ago and the lobby had these awkward little
overhangs everywhere. Never enough room for real
fixtures and the last thing you want is a light just blinding
someone at the check in desk. I remember chasing the
maintenance guy trying to figureout track adapters, praying we
(06:09):
didn't fry the system. I'm just thinking having those
mini LED pluses, especially withthe right mounting and real nice
field would have made my life a heck of a lot easier.
Drop them in, pick the colour temp you want and control it how
the architect wants done. It's that exact pick your
adventure approach, right? So many mounting colour and
(06:30):
control possibilities without compromising on the actual light
quality. If you're retrofitting new
build, museum or boutique hotel,there's something here for you.
ETC's really just made these tools a whole lot more
adaptable. We're going to see these pop up
everywhere, I think. And honestly, every time these
companies make it a bit easier for us, it's one less thing to
(06:52):
lose sleep over. I'm all for it.
All right, that's a wrap for this week's brighter ideas and
architectural lighting. Thanks for hanging with us,
Chris, and thanks to everyone listening.
Next time maybe we'll dive into some eye popping outdoor kit.
Sounds good to me Laci, can't wait.
Cheers and see you all next timeon Geezers of Gear Future Tech
(07:12):
take care. Bye everyone.
Future tech is here. Come on man, you make the specs
so clear. Oh La La with music to your
(07:32):
ears. Hey, hey.
Yeah, let's go. New gear vibes, new tech jive
gear hits you night. We keep it live.
Oh yeah, the latest gear.
Welcome back to Geezers of Gear,Future Tech Chris here, and of
course, Lacey's with me. As always, we've got a good one
today, especially for you folks who are into architectural
lighting. Though honestly, who isn't?
At least a little bit? So Lacey ETC's rolled out not
one, but three new display fixtures for their architectural
(00:40):
range. We've got the Iridium FPZ Plus,
WLZ Plus, and the ever iconic source for Mini LED Plus.
All three just dropped and apparently they're much, much
brighter than the originals. Yeah, I feel like ETC has really
leaned into the whole brighter is better philosophy, which,
honestly, when you're lighting amassive lobby or those cavernous
(01:03):
museum spaces, is kind of exactly what you want.
But Chris, I have to ask, when they say dramatic boost and
output, are we talking like a little boost or are these going
to burn retinas if you point them the wrong way?
Ha, thankfully no one's getting blinded just walking past a
painting, but these are substantial jumps.
(01:23):
Take the Iridium FPZ Plus. It cranks out 1600 lumens, which
is properly brighter than the standard version.
The WLZ Plus is even more up to 2600 lumens.
So if you're after punchy beams or a really soft wash in a space
that needs it, they've got you covered.
And all three fits straight onto235 E track using one track by U
(01:45):
track. Now, finally, which is big for
installs in Europe or anywhere with that voltage.
That's super useful and I noticed the source 4 mini LED
plus is only like 9 inches long now.
That's tiny. You could pretty much tuck it
into any corner way easier when you're fighting with weird
ceiling lines or those display cabinets that just do not play
(02:07):
nice with bigger fixtures. Yeah, the mini's always been a
favorite for that reason, but now it's been completely
reworked for architectural use, better optics, and even brighter
field. Genuinely, I remember lighting
this tiny museum exhibit way back.
Had to wrangle a mini onto one of those ancient tracks.
The old ones struggled in high ambient spaces.
(02:29):
These plus versions would have given us so much more
flexibility, Brighter, prettier images and choices for how you
hang them. Makes me a little jealous of
folks doing installs now, not going to lie.
And it's not just about stickingthem on the track and calling it
a day. These come with what, both DMX
and daily control options, right?
(02:49):
I saw the mention about F Drive 2 for people like me, to be
honest, who always mixed up control systems, why does that
matter so much? And Chris, can you walk me
through this whole daylight thing?
Because I always hear designers getting way too excited about
remote drivers in these projects.
Sure. Yeah.
So DMX is kind of the industry workhorse, stage events,
(03:12):
installations, basically everywhere we came up in the
live world. But Dali's a bit more tailored
to architectural settings. It's sort of think addressable
smart building stuff. You can control loads of
fixtures individually, dim them,automate scenes all via a single
two wire bus instead of those massive DMX universes.
(03:34):
A lot more granular now with these fixtures.
Daily support means you can dropthem right into an architectural
ecosystem with all the bells andwhistles.
And with F Drive, that's ET CS centralized remote driver
system, you've got even more flexibility.
Stick your drivers in a rack somewhere accessible, run low
voltage lines, and managing or servicing the installs is much
(03:56):
easier. Building on what we talked about
back in the F Drive RX episode, you can see how this streamlines
things for big, complex buildings.
I get it. So the fixers talk to the track
and driver with whatever protocol matches the job.
Makes sense. And color wise you're still
getting the big picks. 2700 K upto 5000 K and both 80 and 90
(04:19):
CRI. So like if you're in a gallery
and colour pop is everything, oryou're doing a hotel bar and
want that warmer white. It's flexible.
Precisely. If you're in a gallery and need
true colour accuracy, say showing paintings or textiles,
the high CRI, especially the Gallery 90 option, is what you
want. It's almost mandatory for a
(04:40):
proper art reveal, and in retailor hospitality you can still go
for the softer ambient vibes or crank it up for high visibility,
all with just the right fixture.Everything's modular control
color track, and it really meansdesigners aren't boxed in.
And that flexibility kind of leads us straight into where
these actually shine, pun fully intended.
(05:03):
These three from what ET CS putting out, seem aimed straight
at museums, fancy lobbies, maybehigh end retail.
Like, where do you see them doing their thing, Chris?
Absolutely all the above museumsfor sure, especially with that
beam control from the FPZ Plus. You can frame artwork precisely,
keep spill off the floor or adjust the spread for changing
(05:25):
exhibits. The WLZ Plus is brilliant for
filling large lobby areas with soft, welcoming light.
Think washes but more refined. And the Mini LED Plus it's
genuinely perfect for tight spaces.
Those display nooks tricky angles in a window display or
little alcoves where a big fixture just won't go, but you
(05:47):
still get proper even illumination and sharp
projection if you need it. Yeah so I had this hotel grand
opening gig a while ago and the lobby had these awkward little
overhangs everywhere. Never enough room for real
fixtures and the last thing you want is a light just blinding
someone at the check in desk. I remember chasing the
maintenance guy trying to figureout track adapters, praying we
(06:09):
didn't fry the system. I'm just thinking having those
mini LED pluses, especially withthe right mounting and real nice
field would have made my life a heck of a lot easier.
Drop them in, pick the colour temp you want and control it how
the architect wants done. It's that exact pick your
adventure approach, right? So many mounting colour and
(06:30):
control possibilities without compromising on the actual light
quality. If you're retrofitting new
build, museum or boutique hotel,there's something here for you.
ETC's really just made these tools a whole lot more
adaptable. We're going to see these pop up
everywhere, I think. And honestly, every time these
companies make it a bit easier for us, it's one less thing to
(06:52):
lose sleep over. I'm all for it.
All right, that's a wrap for this week's brighter ideas and
architectural lighting. Thanks for hanging with us,
Chris, and thanks to everyone listening.
Next time maybe we'll dive into some eye popping outdoor kit.
Sounds good to me Laci, can't wait.
Cheers and see you all next timeon Geezers of Gear Future Tech
(07:12):
take care. Bye everyone.
Future tech is here. Come on man, you make the specs
so clear. Oh La La with music to your
(07:32):
ears. Hey, hey.
Yeah, let's go. New gear vibes, new tech jive
gear hits you night. We keep it live.
Oh yeah, the latest gear.
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