I think most of the Kliegl analog dimmers were 0-28vdc, not 0-10. I know the R80 dimmers were.If I had to guess, the problem is overvoltage from the dimmers being out of calibration.
Pulling the details out of my long-term memory: Those dimmers are all analog - with firing cards located in the modules. A bad capacitor on the firing card can result in the calibration going all out of whack. Or they could just drift over time.
Hopefully somewhere in the dimmer room there is a Kliegl test bench which will allow you to calibrate the dimmer modules outside of the dimmer rack. The test bench that I used had built in output AC meter, DC control voltage meter, control slider and sockets for load lamps. You would adjust two trim potentiometers on the firing card to get the correct output voltage from the appropriate input control voltage with the appropriate load applied.
The test bench had exposed high voltage contacts, so appropriate precautions should be taken while in use.
Maybe some of the older Control Booth folks have a copy of the calibration instructions - I remember that it was a finicky process. I think we calibrated so that a 10v input gave 120v output and 5v input gave 80v output.
If you don't have a test bench, calibration could still be done but it would be a much longer and more laborious process.
-Todd
Thanks for having me. I have been working in the local TV broadcast business for almost 20 years at stations in Western NY and North Carolina, before moving to Georgia.
I work at a TV station that still has a Kliegl Bros Type SP patch panel in use. It is connected to a "newer" SmartFade ETC lighting board. We have been running into an issue with our bulbs blowing prematurely. The fixtures that we are using are Mole 3081, 5421, and ETC Source 4's. The bulbs are not blowing like a typical bulb does.... they are melting inside the glass. My ENG Dept has went and checked fixtures and the drops from the grid. Everything is pointing back to the Kliegl Type SP. Any help would be great, I can't keep feeding the monster bulbs.
Thanks for having me. I have been working in the local TV broadcast business for almost 20 years at stations in Western NY and North Carolina, before moving to Georgia.
I work at a TV station that still has a Kliegl Bros Type SP patch panel in use. It is connected to a "newer" SmartFade ETC lighting board. We have been running into an issue with our bulbs blowing prematurely. The fixtures that we are using are Mole 3081, 5421, and ETC Source 4's. The bulbs are not blowing like a typical bulb does.... they are melting inside the glass. My ENG Dept has went and checked fixtures and the drops from the grid. Everything is pointing back to the Kliegl Type SP. Any help would be great, I can't keep feeding the monster bulbs.
Hi Glossy, Where in Georgia are you located?
How many hours are you getting out of the lamps? Rating is probably 300 hours, and that's ideal circumstances.
@JD and @Glossy Shines Which circles us back to the beginning where I suggested inserting a two-fer, plugging a typical load into one leg of the two-fer. set your dimmer at 100% and measure the voltage on the free leg of the two-fer; measure with a moving iron / true RMS reading meter. Measure between hot & neutral, hot & ground and neutral & ground. The goal is to measure the voltage applied as close as possible to any / all of your lamps with the circuit in question UNDER LOAD, as opposed to simply measuring the voltage present with the circuit unloaded and zero voltage drops due to conductor lengths TO & FROM your source.PECO recently changed out the poles, wire, and transformers along the street where I work. For the heck of it, I just stuck my multimeter into the outlet next to my desk. 131 volts. At home, I usually measure 125 to 127. Nothing in the office looked any different than any other day. Photocopier, computers, LED office lighting, all couldn't care about the slightly high line voltage. The same cannot be said about incandescent lamps, especially studio lamps. Equipment and/or taps may have been changed in your area recently. You wouldn't necessarily know. Time to see what your line voltage is. The answer is as close as your nearest outlet.
You and me both . I am hoping to get some studio time with my ENG dept this upcoming week. I am eager to find out what the deal is and how to make it right. i can't thank everyone enough that has dropped knowledge bombs on me.I keep coming to this thread every day hoping to get an update of the measured voltage...
You and me both . I am hoping to get some studio time with my ENG dept this upcoming week. I am eager to find out what the deal is and how to make it right. i can't thank everyone enough that has dropped knowledge bombs on me.
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