Canto USA Previews the RETRO-Fusion® Series at USITT 2019
Marietta, GA — At USITT 2019, Canto USA gave attendees an early look at the RETRO-Fusion® Series, expanding the company’s RETRO family with a smaller, lighter LED retrofit designed to fit a wider range of existing fixtures.
The original RETRO lineup had already given theaters, schools, houses of worship, auditoriums, and other facilities a way to convert older incandescent houselights to LED without replacing the entire fixture or lighting system. With the RETRO-Fusion, Canto USA developed that same retrofit concept in a more compact form factor.
At its introduction, the RETRO-Fusion Series included 150, 300, 500, and 700 configurations, along with the new RETRO-Fusion 1000. The 1000 model delivered more than 10,000 lumens while operating at approximately 90 watts, giving venues a higher-output LED option for applications that had traditionally relied on much higher-wattage tungsten lamps.
A Smaller RETRO for More Existing Fixtures
One of the biggest advantages of the RETRO-Fusion design was its lower-profile construction.
Every existing houselight presents a slightly different challenge. Some fixtures have plenty of room around the socket, while others use shallow cans, tight reflector assemblies, or trim rings that leave little space for a larger LED retrofit.
The smaller RETRO-Fusion form factor was developed to fit more of those applications.
Its reduced size helped installers work within existing fixtures where space could otherwise limit LED retrofit options. Rather than making extensive changes to the housing or replacing an otherwise usable fixture, customers could have another RETRO configuration available for installations where physical clearance was a concern.
That opened the RETRO Series to more recessed cans, pendant fixtures, and other existing houselight designs.
Expanding the RETRO Output Range
The RETRO-Fusion 1000 was another important addition to the product family.
Many venues still relied on high-output tungsten lamps because lower-output LED alternatives could not provide enough light for the existing fixture spacing or throw distance. Moving from those lamps to LED could require either a significant compromise in output or a much larger lighting renovation.
The RETRO-Fusion 1000 was developed to help close that gap.
With more than 10,000 lumens of output at roughly 90 watts, the new model gave facilities another option for replacing higher-wattage tungsten sources while taking advantage of the lower power requirements associated with LED technology.
Together, the 150, 300, 500, 700, and 1000 models allowed customers to select an output level based on the needs of the individual space rather than trying to make one retrofit work everywhere.
Positive Customer Impact
The RETRO-Fusion was designed to retain many of the characteristics customers already associated with Canto USA’s other RETRO Series products while providing a different physical design.
Like the RETRO-Classic® and RETRO-Passive® products available at the time, the Fusion could be configured for different applications and fixture requirements. Customers could choose from different output levels, mounting configurations, optics, color temperatures, and other options depending on the project.
The primary difference was the Fusion’s smaller and lighter form factor.
That distinction mattered because an LED retrofit is only useful if it can physically fit the fixture being upgraded. By reducing the overall profile, Canto USA could address installations where the existing fixture did not have enough room for some of the larger RETRO configurations.
The RETRO-Passive remained the choice for applications requiring fanless operation, while the RETRO-Fusion offered another approach when fixture depth, weight, or available space were the primary concerns.
Keeping Existing Lighting Infrastructure in Service
The broader goal of the RETRO Series has always been to give customers another option before they commit to replacing an entire lighting system.
In many venues, the houselight cans, pendants, wiring, and dimming equipment may still be usable even though the incandescent lamps inside them are inefficient or becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.
A properly matched LED retrofit can allow those existing components to remain in service while changing the light source itself.
For facilities with dozens or even hundreds of houselights, that can make the difference between a focused lighting upgrade and a much larger renovation involving new fixtures, wiring, ceilings, and controls.
The introduction of the RETRO-Fusion expanded the number of installations where that approach could be considered.
From RETRO-Fusion to RETRO-Fusion® 2.0
The original RETRO-Fusion previewed at USITT 2019 helped establish the smaller-profile design that Canto USA continues to use today.
The current RETRO-Fusion® 2.0 builds on that concept with models ranging from 150 through 1000, standard and custom mounting options, and compatibility with both older and newer dimming systems.
What began as a way to fit RETRO technology into more existing fixtures ultimately became an important part of Canto USA’s current LED retrofit lineup.
RETRO-Fusion® Series Availability
Die RETRO-Fusion-Serie ist ab sofort lieferbar.
Canto USA’s RETRO Series Fully Dimmable LED Retrofit Houselights
Canto USA is proud to present our RETRO series. The RETRO-Fusion® 2.0 and RETRO-Passive® 2.0 are 0-100% phase dimmable (forward and reverse) variable wattage LED 2700K-6500K 80-97 CRI engines. They are designed for older SCR, TRIAC, and IGBT dimmer systems but are compatible with newer dimmer systems. A direct replacement of existing lamps, our LED retrofit can be used in a wide range of applications or even new installations. Custom and standard mounting options are available.
