Penn’s Grove Middle School in Oxford, Pennsylvania, had an auditorium lighting problem that was hard to ignore: several existing house lights needed repair, leaving dark spots around the room. The school worked with Illuminated Integration to design and install an updated system centered on Canto USA’s RETRO Series. This Penn’s Grove RETRO-Fusion® 500 retrofit replaced lamp elements in-place to move the room to LED while keeping much of the existing house-lighting infrastructure.
Rather than replace every house-light fixture, the project team used RETRO to work with much of the existing system. In total, the installation included 59 RETRO-Fusion® 500 units with mini-candelabra stems throughout the auditorium.
The updated fixtures brought smooth dimming and a warm 3000K color temperature to a room that previously had uneven light levels and worn house lights.
Ted Best, Lead Installation Creative for Illuminated Integration, said the fixtures were easy to install and screwed in like a regular bulb.
“The RETRO fixtures themselves were very easy to install. It took about 2 and 1/2 days to do all of them. They just screwed in like a regular bulb. Seemed to be a very quality fixture.”
House Lighting Upgrade and Stage Control
The auditorium project went beyond the house lights. The team also added ETC Source 4WRD II fixtures and ETC ColorSource PAR fixtures to the stage, then selected an ETC Element 2 lighting console for theatrical color control and its Magic Sheet feature.
For architectural control, an ETC Paradigm system was installed with button stations and touchscreens positioned around the auditorium.
That gave Penn’s Grove Middle School a lighting system that could handle school assemblies, choir concerts, musicals, and other performances with a smoother transition between everyday use and full stage production.
For Penn’s Grove Middle School, the RETRO portion of the project solved a straightforward problem: improving house lighting without replacing every overhead fixture. The 59 RETRO-Fusion® 500 units allowed the school to keep much of the existing setup while eliminating dark spots and moving the room to LED.
If you are planning an auditorium retrofit, learn more about the RETRO Series and view the product details. For a comparable school case study showing an in-place RETRO-Fusion installation, see the RETRO-Fusion LED Retrofit at Eagan High School.
Project highlights
- 59 RETRO-Fusion® 500 units installed with mini-candelabra stems
- Warm 3000K color temperature and smooth dimming for assemblies and performances
- Installation completed without replacing the majority of existing house-light fixtures
- Integration of theatrical (ETC) fixtures and a Paradigm architectural control system for flexible use
The project provided a straightforward solution to uneven house lighting and worn fixtures while keeping the existing infrastructure in place where feasible.
Why RETRO-Fusion is a good fit for auditorium retrofits
- In-place lamp replacement preserves existing housings and hardware when those elements are serviceable.
- 0–100% phase dimmable behavior addresses both older SCR/TRIAC/IGBT dimmers and newer dimmer systems.
- Variable wattage and warm color options provide consistent, audience-friendly house lighting for assemblies and performances.
- Simple installation—teams on this project completed the RETRO-Fusion installs in about 2½ days—reduces downtime for schools and venues.
For product details and mounting options, view the RETRO Series product page.
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.
Related case studies: RETRO-Fusion LED Retrofit at Eagan High School and Township Auditorium RETRO Series Installation.
