During the weekend of Jan. 22, 2016, the Washington, D.C., metro area (and X-Laser HQ) experienced a historic snowstorm, with some areas receiving as many as 36 inches of snow in just over 24 hours.
We saw this as an opportunity to put our Skywriter HPX to the test in a rather extreme scenario. Check out the full story!
#LaserBlizzard of 2016, starring the Skywriter HPX
A member of our team decided to take an HPX home for the storm, and the images here help show the rest of the story. Click the images for full-sized views!
The HPX made itself at home up on the rooftop as the snow began to fall and blanket the region. The HPX’s sealed optical deck and some special X-Laser design touches helped ensure that the components would survive a night of freezing temperatures and wind-driven snow.
The next morning, we were shocked at just how far we had to dig to get to the HPX, which was totally buried overnight in almost two feet of snow. We had never put a Skywriter through something this extreme, and we were excited to see how well it would perform after being frozen solid.
After such an ordeal for the laser, we decided it would be nice to thaw the HPX next to a nice and cozy fire. It drip-dried all afternoon as snowfall in the area continued outside. At one point, a big chunk of ice and snow fell out of the HPX’s external heat sinks that cool the optical deck, and we scurried for paper towels. Through it all though, we never once had to open the housing of the HPX to dry its interior.
With the snow still falling steadily the next night, we found a new perch for the HPX and sent a stunning liquid sky through the blizzard conditions. It looked like a lava lamp inside of a snow globe, and presented a truly magical sight of ever-changing colors, textures and patterns.
In case the plows couldn’t see where to clear the way, the HPX offered them some subtle assistance:
Finally, we wondered what would happen if we shot the HPX’s beams at a wall of snow 30 inches high. We used its analog color controls to find the perfect shade of lavender, and as the beam traveled into the snowbank, it melted the snow as the snowbank’s structure itself broke apart the colored beam and lit the snow from the inside out. The stunning natural lumia effect in this image shows just how it turned out:
As the region recovered and dug out of the record snowfall, the HPX used in this test made its way back to X-Laser HQ where it will be used for further testing and development.
Interested in an HPX for your project, installation or lighting rig? Contact your favorite X-Laser dealer today!
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