Control/Dimming - Name that board

[Charc]

I'm having trouble identifying a board laying around at school:

[derekleffew]

I'm pretty sure it's ONE of these:
Ariel Davis, Berkey-Colortran, Capital, Century, Century-Strand, Colortran, Cutler Davis, Dilor, Eastern Stage Lighting, Electro Controls, Electronic Designers Inc., Electronics Diversified, Federal Pacific, Frank Adams, Gallagher Dimming & Stage Lighting, General Electric, Hub, Kliegl Brothers, LEE Colortran, Lighting & Electronics, Lighting Methods Inc., Luxtrol, Major Equipment Company, Mega, Metropolitan Electric, Newth, Rainbow, SCR Digitrol, Siltron, Skirpan, Stagebrite, Strand, Strand-Century, Superior Electric, Theatre Techniques Inc., Trumbull, Van Buren, Vickers, Ward Leonard, West-star, or Westinghouse.

But am almost 100% certain it's NOT
Electronic Theatre Controls.


Oh, and it's a 48 channel, two-scene preset board, with 8 submasters, and timed split-dipless crossfade. Also a rudimentary memory system that you're not showing up. Was built between 1981 and 1986.

Is there no nameplate on the board, or are you testing us?

[waynehoskins]

Interesting...

That brushed aluminum and style of screened lettering screams EDI.

Those channel pushes are very reminiscent of old Strand memory control panel layouts.

Reminds me of the Hunt board at college in some ways.

I can't nail it down to anything definitive, but if I were a betting man, I'd bet on EDI.

[Charc]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

I'm pretty sure it's ONE of these:
Ariel Davis, Berkey-Colortran, Capital, Century, Century-Strand, Colortran, Cutler Davis, Dilor, Eastern Stage Lighting, Electro Controls, Electronic Designers Inc., Electronics Diversified, Federal Pacific, Frank Adams, Gallagher Dimming & Stage Lighting, General Electric, Hub, Kliegl Brothers, LEE Colortran, Lighting & Electronics, Lighting Methods Inc., Luxtrol, Major Equipment Company, Mega, Metropolitan Electric, Newth, Rainbow, SCR Digitrol, Siltron, Skirpan, Stagebrite, Strand, Strand-Century, Superior Electric, Theatre Techniques Inc., Trumbull, Van Buren, Vickers, Ward Leonard, West-star, or Westinghouse.

But am almost 100% certain it's NOT
Electronic Theatre Controls.


Oh, and it's a 48 channel, two-scene preset board, with 8 submasters, and timed split-dipless crossfade. Also a rudimentary memory system that you're not showing up. Was built between 1981 and 1986.

Is there no nameplate on the board, or are you testing us?

I'm trying to figure out! I did look at it a few months ago, and could not find a name. And I must be crazy, because the only connector I saw on the board was a VGA connector on the back, presumably for a monitor. There must be connections on the underside, but I didn't have the opportunity to look.

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by charcoaldabs

...And I must be crazy, because the only connector I saw on the board was a VGA connector on the back, presumably for a monitor....

It may have been for a monitor, and it may have been a DB-15, but I have serious doubts about both. Firstly, VGA didn't exist when that board was built. Secondly, with all the visual feedback on the face panel, including, if I'm not mistaken, a mimic panel, and LED numeric displays; it was never intended to have a CRT display.

Open the sucker up, with no power of course, and read what it says on the PC boards.

[waynehoskins]

Got any more photos?

How's it connect to the world?

The Hold buttons remind me of the four-preset Mantrix. The mimic/channel-push panel is pretty certain inspired by Strand.

Something in there really reminds me of our Hunt board. Hunt tried in the '70s at least to break into the theatre and studio lighting market, didn't make it so well.

Reminds me of the Hunt board and old EDI.

[gafftaper]

Charc post a picture that shows the whole console.

[Charc]

Originally Posted by gafftaper

Charc post a picture that shows the whole console.

Gaff don't make silly requests.

I'm not in Philly, and not going to school. It's a pain to dig that entire board out.

However, a call and an email to EDI has returned that it is in fact their board, but, he doesn't know the name, date, model, or any specifications. He said he would ask the guy who would know, who was out to lunch, or something.

[Van]

First impression is that it's an EDI, but the layout, looks to be a fore runner, or VERY early version of the Strand Century Mantrix I or II. the Mantrix II was almost infinitely expandable 12 slider modules, but all the mantrix series I have worked with had a black lumpy paint job not brushed Aluminum.

[jmabray]

None of the above?

I'm pretty sure it's a Decor console. I had one in High school, although without all the chase effects. The wood endcaps gave it away for me (that along with the font of the text of all things)

an old dimming company out of Austin, TX? I think. Been out of business for years now.... What does your patch bay and dimmers look like.

As for the connection out of the back of the console, mine was an analog control console. We had a couple of large serial style connectors on the back. 40 channels and 40 dimmers with 170 some odd circuits to patch into those...

ah those were the days....