PSU On for an extended period of time?

[Charc]

Well, some people will remember a lot of my discussion of the I-Cue, which I finally hooked up the other day. (Tuesday to be exact.) I have a lot more homework to do tonight, and derek has been telling me to stay off CB, so I'll keep this post brief.

I noticed in the booth while doing some cleaning (the entire crew came in for a cleanup period, after a PM discussion with derek regarding "Pride Of Place".) a female "PC power connector" on a male stage pin. My mind instantly shot to our rotator, but it turns out our Rosco Vortex 360 (I think I have the model name correct.) rotator has a "wall wart" power cable. My next thought was our Rosco PSU-50W (Power Supply) which I just hooked up in the catwalks. Now I think I just figured out what the connector is for while typing, (Rosco ImagePro GOBO Slide Projector) but my question is still bothering me. Can/should a PSU be plugged in for extended periods of time, how about units such as Ellipiscans, I-Cues and Scrollers powered off these supplies? In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best idea to leave the I-Cue powered since Tuesday afternoon. Is this okay, and is it SOP to leave accessories like these powered, and PSUs on? I thought it would be, but now I'm really second guessing myself. Is there any "correct" way of dealing with this? Such as unplugging the PSU after each use? More guidance in this area would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Charc

[Footer]

If the board is off, shut off the rest of the stuff is my general rule. Many devices (elipscans being the worst offenders) freak out when they are on and not getting DMX. This puts extra wear on the unit, which if it can be avoided should. I unplug scroller power supplies, drop power to movers, drop the transformers on rotators, whatever it take to completely power down. I don't want to come in the next day and find the rotator spinning at full capacity after it has been on all night. Save energy, save your gear, just unplug the stuff.

[Charc]

Originally Posted by Footer4321

If the board is off, shut off the rest of the stuff is my general rule. Many devices (elipscans being the worst offenders) freak out when they are on and not getting DMX. This puts extra wear on the unit, which if it can be avoided should. I unplug scroller power supplies, drop power to movers, drop the transformers on rotators, whatever it take to completely power down. I don't want to come in the next day and find the rotator spinning at full capacity after it has been on all night. Save energy, save your gear, just unplug the stuff.

Right-o. I've noticed that the I-Cue just seems to be locked into its last position when powered on, and in DMX mode, and not receiving updated information. I hope this means I haven't already damaged the unit.

Edit:
And it's okay just to "pull-the-plug"? I don't believe the I-Cue has any specific "power down" mode.

[soundlight]

Yeah, just pull the plug. If you can get a DMX relay box, you can have start-up/shut-down macros for intelligent stuff. This is what we do where I work. I'll set up some rotators, scrollers, and i-cues off three PSU's (two 300W units and a 150W unit), plug them each in to a non-dim circuit, and use the board to record a macro to park them all on, and then another to release all of those parks.

In general, nothing should be left on for extended periods of time unless absolutely necessary. Leaving things on for months at a time can fry components, destroy fans, and cause other faults. So in general, it's not a good thing.

[icewolf08]

With scrollers though, they should always be on if the lights are on, even if you never plan to change the color. This just keeps the fan running and protects the scrollers from overheating and the gel from melting.

[Footer]

Originally Posted by icewolf08

With scrollers though, they should always be on if the lights are on, even if you never plan to change the color. This just keeps the fan running and protects the scrollers from overheating and the gel from melting.

One good reason never ever to put a fixture with a scroller on it on an architecture system.

[soundlight]

Originally Posted by icewolf08

With scrollers though, they should always be on if the lights are on, even if you never plan to change the color. This just keeps the fan running and protects the scrollers from overheating and the gel from melting.

True, that. That's one of the reasons that I do startup macros - I then put a sticky note next to the the power button: "Run M10 on startup and M11 before shutdown."