Control/Dimming Fluorescent Black Lights on a Dimmer

[StradivariusBone]

Got a last minute addition here with a talent show where they want black light for one of the acts. I've got about 8 shop lights with black lights that the band used for something in the past. I'd like to patch these in, but I have no need to dim them, just turning them on and off.

Looking through the manual (and CB, I swear I searched the bejesus out of this before posting!) I'm finding that switching the dimmer to "Switched" might be the key.

Switched dimmers output unregulated AC voltage when the DMX512 level is higher than the threshold level.

That's as opposed to the Non-Dim mode which still regulates the voltage. Somewhere I remember reading that even the switched mode doesn't deliver standard wall power and can still have issues with ballasted fixtures. Should I change the dimmer curve as well?

I should add that I don't have access to a relay pack module which would be the obvious correct solution.

 

[JD]

Switched is the way to go. Non-dim with regulation can still produce a chopped waveform which may cause problems on some ballasts. Even switched is not pure as enough voltage must be across the SSR for it to gate on. Still, the waveform for the switched mode is probably good enough.

 

[StradivariusBone]

Sweet, thanks!!

 

[Kelite]

A dimmable blacklight LED T8 tube may be the answer as well-

 

[StradivariusBone]

A dimmable blacklight LED T8 tube may be the answer as well-

Well, to be honest- I was actually checking out that fancy new light of y'all's as a future replacement. We don't often do stuff with blacklights, but I'd like something that would be a bit safer than tube lights.

In any event, Switched mode worked like a charm. The girl dressed like a panda spinning what appear to be fluorescent puff balls will be a hit.

 

[TheaterEd]

The girl dressed like a panda spinning what appear to be fluorescent puff balls will be a hit.

........What? Video?

 

[StradivariusBone]

........What? Video?

Unfortunately I do not know of a video. I was told by my young techs that this is a performance art called "Poi" where a person spins either lighted objects or fluorescent ones under black lights as in our case. I looked it up and it comes from Maori cultures, but has been adopted by people who like standing in dark rooms and spinning bright things. Here's a video of what it kinda looked like, minus the fluorescent puff balls and panda girl.

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[TheaterEd]

Poi
Got it. My mental image of that act was much more hilarious than that.

 

[gafftaper]

The girl dressed like a panda spinning what appear to be fluorescent puff balls will be a hit.

Unfortunately I do not know of a video.

I'm so disappointed.

 

[dvsDave]

The girl dressed like a panda spinning what appear to be fluorescent puff balls will be a hit.

Its not nice to make people snort soda out their nose involuntarily.

 

[RickR]

Looks like it may have derived from the fire juggling that is throughout Polynesia. This is also a good demo of flicker rates for lighting and cameras.

 

[ship]

If magnetic ballasts, might be worth some testing on doing a dummy load of filament lamps with the SCR dimmers. Just a thought and don't know how efficient it would be or if it would work.

 

[StradivariusBone]

They were pretty new fixtures, claimed to be freeze-weather friendly, so I'm thinking they were newer ballasts. I had four of them (4' T8's) on the same circuit so I wasn't too worried about ghost loading.

I'm still looking for a video, but don't hold your breath. I asked her what sort of lighting she preferred, like if she wanted a special or some dim front wash just so the crowd could see her face, and being the very shy type she quickly exclaimed that she wanted it completely dark save for the black light. The panda "hoodie?" (not sure what to call it really) sadly did not fluoresce.

I can share the track she performed to however, my tech students have adopted it as a pre-show anthem of sorts.

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