Control/Dimming - What is this and how do I make it go?

[kovacika]

K, I have an old pair of LMI 6 channel (30 amps a channel) dimmers. I know the control is some kind of analog (0-12v maybe?) but I'm not sure. I'd like to get these up and running again. What do I need to convert DMX to what ever this guy uses?

Here is a pic: http://kovacika.tripod.com/dimmer.jpg

Anybody know why every time i tried to upload this as an attachment it told me it wasn't a valid jpg file?

[waynehoskins]

Analog control, most probably 0-10 volt DC. That 10-pin Cinch Jones connector was pretty common (a standard, in fact) for 6 channels of 0-10 control. Pins 1-6 are channels 1-6, and pins 7-8 are ground, generally.

Do get DMX to talk to it, you need a demultiplexer, since DMX is RS-485 digital data and these need continuous analog control. ETC's Response series will work, and there are also DIY projects that will do this.

[derekleffew]

kovacika, please see this Collaborative Article, created just for you, and others.

Is this, or this, the manual for your dimmer packs?

[Van]

BTW, I couldn't get the picture to load from the link included in the original post.
Other than that I have nothing useful to contribute on this subject as it has already been so eloquently handled.


Derek, you realise your signature now has a quote from a musical on it.... Right ?

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by Van

...Derek, you realise your signature now has a quote from a musical on it.... Right ?

Uh, Van...My sig file for the past several months had been "Hold your hats and hallelujah, mama's gonna show it to ya." Then I added "Gee Officer Krupke, I'm down on my knees, 'Cause no one wants a fella with a social disease." I shutter [sic] to guess where you think those lines came from...

________
The moment your son leaves the house,
Does he rebuckle his knickerbockers below the knee?

[Van]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

Uh, Van...My sig file for the past several months had been "Hold your hats and hallelujah, mama's gonna show it to ya." Then I added "Gee Officer Krupke, I'm down on my knees, 'Cause no one wants a fella with a social disease." I shutter [sic] to guess where you think those lines came from...

________
The moment your son leaves the house,
Does he rebuckle his knickerbockers below the knee?

Yeah but now it's from Music Man! "That's a horse of a different color!"

[kovacika]

The second link is for the packs I have. Derek,this is the second time you've created a special entry just for me, I feel so special!

[derekleffew]

Well, you're NOT special--you just ask good questions!

See PDF page 7, (Manual page 4) of the first link for the Cinch-Jones Pin-outs. I believe the Cinch Jones S-310-CCT is what you need, does this look like what your dimmer wants?

[kovacika]

Ya, thats the connector. I've got a Leprecon LP3600 that ouputs analog to a larger connector of similar type. In the event that DMX control is too costly, can the larger connector be adapted?

[waynehoskins]

Originally Posted by kovacika

Ya, thats the connector. I've got a Leprecon LP3600 that ouputs analog to a larger connector of similar type. In the event that DMX control is too costly, can the larger connector be adapted?

Now that is far more simple.

The larger connector is probably a 27-position Jones connector, and the norm for that is 1-24 analog control channels, last pin ground. My LP500 at the church has that one. But my LP1000 has the same connector but wired slightly differently, so it wouldn't hurt to make some quick measurements with a meter to see that pin 27 is ground and not pin 14 (the big one in the middle) like my LP1K has.

Then it's just make a breakout pigtail. First 10-position Jones connector wired to 1-6 and ground, next one 7-12 and ground, and so on until the end. For this application, and especially that short, wire size is relatively unimportant; Cat 5 network cable is readily available and should stand up to the task (though solid wire is a bit more fragile, so if it's going to be thrown around a lot you probably want to try to find stranded cable if you can).