microstar
Well-Known Member
I just acquired a Century Lighting Edkotron #281 Control Unit on eBay. Why, you ask. Well, I worked with one in grad school 50 years ago. It is also a historically significant milestone in lighting history; check out Derek's Wiki page for details. The #281 Control Unit is a simple controller with 6-channels and a master supplying a 15 volt half-wave DC signal to the dimmer pack via standard 10-pin CJ connectors. As the photos show, my unit is complete (except that the original on/off key switch has been replaced by a toggle switch) but the paint has completely deteriorated.
As received only the master pot and channels 1-3 are functional, so I plan to completely disassemble and refurbish as much as possible. Oddly enough, I have an original instruction manual for the Edkotron system, which is quite helpful.
![281 Frnt Panel.JPG 281 Frnt Panel.JPG](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg' width='640' height='480' viewBox%3D'0 0 640 480'%2F%3E)
![281 Circuit Bd.JPG 281 Circuit Bd.JPG](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg' width='640' height='480' viewBox%3D'0 0 640 480'%2F%3E)
![281 Pots Switches.JPG 281 Pots Switches.JPG](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg' width='640' height='480' viewBox%3D'0 0 640 480'%2F%3E)
As received only the master pot and channels 1-3 are functional, so I plan to completely disassemble and refurbish as much as possible. Oddly enough, I have an original instruction manual for the Edkotron system, which is quite helpful.
![281 Frnt Panel.JPG 281 Frnt Panel.JPG](https://www.controlbooth.com/data/attachments/20/20430-9dec8958ffa38e21cd0ba17f3fc6a313.jpg)
![281 Circuit Bd.JPG 281 Circuit Bd.JPG](https://www.controlbooth.com/data/attachments/20/20431-9f0727cbcb03c80b56d0d2f1aafea662.jpg)
![281 Pots Switches.JPG 281 Pots Switches.JPG](https://www.controlbooth.com/data/attachments/20/20432-aefe2e700cb2eb23289ee461876076aa.jpg)
Attachments
Last edited: