Air-Gap Relay or Smart Plug

Scott Lumley

Active Member
Hello Control Booth Community,

I've watched these forums for a while now, and finally got around to making an account, but this is the first time I've posted. I have a question about supplying power to ETC ColorSource PAR's.

Currently, we are powering them through non-dim circuits that have standard edison style plugs. Recently though, I've been reading a lot about how bad it is to run "smart" fixtures from a dimmer that is set to "non-dim." Today, I got curious because I didn't think we had any relays in our dimmer room, so I took a look, and it appears that they are dimmers set to "non-dim." If I am right, then this is bad.

Now for my question. If I purchased smart plugs, like the ones you would buy for your home and control from your phone to turn on and off devices, would that be a cheaper alternative to something like the ETC ColorSource Relay (wired version)? I know it would be cheaper, but would it somehow impact the lights negatively?

Please don't attack me, I wouldn't be asking if I could easily go out and buy the more superior device (CS Relay). Yes, I would rather have a relay device made for stage lighting, but I don't live in a perfectly functioning theater. I am going to push for the CS Relays, but if I can't get approval for that, I want an alternative. I get hassled just trying to buy lamps for the conventional fixtures. I have been asked multiple times, "do you really need to buy these lamps?" My response is always "no, as long as you don't mind watching the performance in a blackout."

We only have 12 of the lights, but sometimes they get split up across a couple different rooms depending on the events we have going on. Some of the rooms, I can easily just unplug the lights at the end of the event. Other rooms, I must pull out a ladder, which also may require moving physical objects such as audience seating, or run an extension cord down from the ceiling and across to a plug at floor level, which is a huge eye sore for the production. In the main theater, we do not have a fly system, so it would require running up to the catwalk each time.

For those curious, we have a Colortran/NSI/Leviton lighting system. Yes, we run multiple protocols (ColorNet, Luma-Net, and DMX) that all get converted by a magical little temperamental network protocol converter to output to our dimmer racks as DMX. We have a couple different dimmer modules, one is Leviton 4-0012E and the other is 4-0023E each for use with Colortran iSeries e Dimmer Racks. Some of these modules are set to be non-dims with 40% set as the non-dim activation. They are setup to power some fluorescent and LED lighting in our catwalks, stairwells, and entryways and seem to mostly work well for those, but I fear they may cause harm to our ColorSource PAR's, which are more expensive to fix.

Sorry, I talk too much, but I greatly appreciate any advice you all may have. And please remember to be kind. Thanks!
 
In general you can run the lights on the Non-Dim setting until they break. Most likely when they break though they "break" and is not an easy repair and is sometimes cheaper to just replace. I work in Amusement Parks and I will say that very many parks are running their LEDs and Movers on non-dim, though they also have the budget to replace and repair when they do go down.
I don't think there is any safety issues with running them this way, just a maintence and repair issue of the power supply and/or driver boards going out.
But that's also something to think about, is it cheaper to replace the dimmer packs with relay packs, or replace your LEDs on a common timetable?
If you can I would recommend upgrading to Relay's but I think if you can't afford to you are ok to run non-dim. Just know that the lights will work, until they don't! And most likely will not be covered under any type of warranty.

As for using household "smart plugs", most of those use similar technology and are not air gap or actual relays at all. Not to mention they are residential and not commercial. I would say to stay away from it.
 
Thank you for getting back to me! I know we will not be able to afford replacing these fixtures once they die, which is why I am trying to find a solution to prolong their life. I just don't know if I can get those that control our money to purchase the relays. They tend to think short term rather than long term, and don't like to look at issues that could arise when they are busy looking at issues that are already here.

In the rooms outside the theater that the lights are sometimes used in, there are no dimmers at all, just normal constant power. I am just looking for a way to easily turn off power to them after each night that doesn't require pulling out a ladder and moving chairs and set pieces around.

As for the smart plugs, if they make an audible "click" noise when turning on and off, does that hint at the possibility that they may indeed be air-gap? I know nothing is for sure, and data sheets will ultimately show the proof. I fully understand your warning against using residential in commercial applications.
 
Not sure the smart plugs will hold up, and I would not recommend using a domestic part in a lighting rig. Here's why- In home use, inrush currents are not usually a problem. LED fixtures have quite an inrush spike and may very well weld the contacts of the relay together. The other thing has to do with current capacity. When you see a rating of 15 amps on a domestic part, it usually means that the unit will not catch fire at that current, or otherwise produce a safety hazard. What is doesn't assure you of is that the unit will actually work for a long time at that current. (Usually not.) Also, most commercial branch circuits as well as those found in theater have 20 amp over current protection, which exceeds the 15 amp rating of all the smart-plugs I have seen.
By comparison, an ETC air-gap relay unit will work pretty much 24/7 dealing with a 20 amp load.
 
Thank you for your answer! I definitely planned that if I was to use smart plugs, I would need more than I would of the relays, since the relays would most likely be capable of higher power usage and capacity. I will try to push them on getting relays, I just don't know if they'll go for it.
 
To further muddy the waters...
You'll also find if you jump into the Rabbit hole that ETC will likely tell you that while they dont' officially support running off a dimmer, they have never encountered issues running off a dimmer parked at full. YMMV.
Pretty sure it has been stated publicly that certain of ETC's fixtures ARE okay running off a Sensor dimmer parked at Full. I can never remember which ones (and it's not just 4WRD/others intended for mains dimming), so most simply say "it should never be done." Still I'd rather do that than trust a residential "smart plug."
ETC has been very consistent with their fixture designs such that their moving fixtures and LED fixtures can safely be powered on a dimmed circuit parked at full or set to switched/always-on mode. It should be noted though, that not all such fixtures by other manufacturers are designed this way. As such, using the Source4Ward on a parked circuit is OK.
 
Sensor dimmers have a non-regulated mode. Add the most ETC power supplies are over built. That gets you to a pretty good place, but don't veer off that path!
 
I finally found a manual on the dimmer control module, which talks about setting the "non-dim" options for the dimmer modules, and it says that the "feature is a full-on function with no voltage regulation." I guess that means in the theater space, I don't need to worry about relays for the fixtures. This helps a lot, because I just might be able to get them to buy one relay for the other rooms that the lights get used in, and won't have to try to persuade them into buying multiple relays.

I originally thought I would need a few for in the theater to use on multiple catwalks, but since I don't need to worry about the theater, one relay will work for the other rooms since lighting positions are limited to a specific area and don't use more than a few of the lights for an event.

Thank you to everyone that offered advise and helped me out with this!
 
Up for debate here, but x10 makes an appliance relay module that is a true relay and remotely controllable via x10.
Question though, why are you worried about turning them off? They only draw 1.2w when idle.
 
I'm not sure what "Smart" plug you are referring to for home use. A link to the actual device would be useful.

I use some of the X10 modules for home use, most are dimming modules, one is a relay. The relay I think it's a 15 amp rated device and it does not provide any dimming. I put my Christmas tree LED lights on it. I would not use it for a show critical application, as the units can get flaky on 120/208 volt multi-phase systems.

You are correct that you should not be running CS Pars on a dimmer in non-dim mode. ETC is specific in stating in the unit spec sheet that it wants "Switched Circuit, R20 module or similar". You could be voiding the warranty powering using the current method (begs the question how they would know ?, well the Tech Support staff reads frequents this site).

Since you have Colortran i dimmers, you might be able to purchase Colortran i series constant modules. They list it on their website here:

https://www.leviton.com/en/products/iac20-120

OR, contact Steve Short at Litetrol Service. They know everything about C-Tran and might have a cheaper solution, such as gutting a dimmer module and turning it into a circuit breaker only constant module,

516 681 5288
 
Up for debate here, but x10 makes an appliance relay module that is a true relay and remotely controllable via x10.
Question though, why are you worried about turning them off? They only draw 1.2w when idle.

Never good to leave your LED's powered when not in use. Power spikes, brownouts, etc... all the kind of bad things that can happen.
 
If on a standard dimmer module that is always left on at full power, the electrical waves are technically modified and the flow of power isn't ideal for the electronics in the fixture. If the dimmer module can avoid modifying the waveform, which it appears the dimmers I have can avoid, then there isn't an issue with the waveform.

Leaving the fixtures on though, can cause early failure of the electronics inside the fixture. The LED's have a rated life, which is usually stated, but the rated life of all the other electronics, like power supply or any capacitors are not stated and would be "running" even when the LED's are turned off. If I turned off the fixtures when not in use, then I could prolong their life. I'm not concerned with the power consumption though.

The other reason I would like to turn power off to them is for extra protection against electricity fluctuations. My campus recently got past a period of frequent, random power failures, but still needs major electrical work done to fully stabilize our power. I consistently see voltage drops and spikes throughout the day, so our power isn't the easiest on our equipment. Leaving that power running to the fixtures for longer than we need to is just asking for early failure.
 
I'm not sure what "Smart" plug you are referring to for home use. A link to the actual device would be useful.

I use some of the X10 modules for home use, most are dimming modules, one is a relay. The relay I think it's a 15 amp rated device and it does not provide any dimming. I put my Christmas tree LED lights on it. I would not use it for a show critical application, as the units can get flaky on 120/208 volt multi-phase systems.

You are correct that you should not be running CS Pars on a dimmer in non-dim mode. ETC is specific in stating in the unit spec sheet that it wants "Switched Circuit, R20 module or similar". You could be voiding the warranty powering using the current method (begs the question how they would know ?, well the Tech Support staff reads frequents this site).

Since you have Colortran i dimmers, you might be able to purchase Colortran i series constant modules. They list it on their website here:

https://www.leviton.com/en/products/iac20-120

OR, contact Steve Short at Litetrol Service. They know everything about C-Tran and might have a cheaper solution, such as gutting a dimmer module and turning it into a circuit breaker only constant module,

516 681 5288
As for "smart plugs," I was thinking something like the WeMo plug or similar. It connects to a wireless network (we have an isolated lighting network with wireless connectivity), and uses an app to turn on and off. Here is a link for it: https://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F7C063/
 
Great feedback. I've been in tons of situations where everything is just always on. Couldn't come up with a reason why it was a bad idea. Thanks for the insight.
I mean everything, forever. Whole PAs, video switching systems, everything. They were usually installed by AV installers so they didn't know anything other than always on.
 
Great feedback. I've been in tons of situations where everything is just always on. Couldn't come up with a reason why it was a bad idea. Thanks for the insight.
I mean everything, forever. Whole PAs, video switching systems, everything. They were usually installed by AV installers so they didn't know anything other than always on.
Sounds like the rest of my staff in the building. They leave the amps on all the time (for days at a time) to listen to music, but don't understand that just because the amps work today, doesn't mean they will always work. Most of them are getting close to 10 years old, and we have no spares. That's another problem for another day though.
 
Great feedback. I've been in tons of situations where everything is just always on. Couldn't come up with a reason why it was a bad idea. Thanks for the insight.
I mean everything, forever. Whole PAs, video switching systems, everything. They were usually installed by AV installers so they didn't know anything other than always on.
@macsound In the world of commercial broadcasting, many (most) studios and transmitters don't know anything other than 24 / 7 / 365 other than a day longer every fourth year.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
Thanks for reassuring me Ron that 24/7/365 isn't so strange.
I was thinking also in most theatres I've worked in, like I said above, people would use whatever plugs available. Sometimes the only plug available for a scroller PSU also had a delay or fx speaker plugged into it. Or maybe the vestibule had costume change lighting, a random wireless transmitter (IEM) used for some foley and a fog machine for one scene.
I mean, theatres designed in the 60s-2000s had all dimmer power and only relays for the specific things they knew existed. Then we advance in technology and we do what we can with what we have.
I'm assuming some of that mindset will continue as people move into new spaces or spaces get retrofitted, and trying to understand how to best communicate to those who have been doing what they've been used to for a long time.
 
@macsound In the world of commercial broadcasting, many (most) studios and transmitters don't know anything other than 24 / 7 / 365 other than a day longer every fourth year.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

Equipment can run very reliably 24/7, but there are considerations to making that happen. The equipment's internal temperature is the biggest factor in its longevity. The equipment design has a lot to do with its temperature. Some units run warm, some don't. Warm runners generally don't last long. Then there is the ambient temperature and the amount of air flow around the equipment. If you want stuff to last, a 1RU space between each unit, and a dust free, well ventilated rack, in a cool room, can do wonders. It makes me wince when I see permanently installed gear squished into a rack in a hot little closet.

And, while I'm at it, check those fans and air filters. Fans are a high maintenance item. Bad fan bearings or a plugged filter can lead to a premature death.
 
Im of the belief that if the people who actualky dedign the drivers for LED fixtures were asked, they would say you are better off piwering down. Especiallly the case where it might remain unused for weeks or even months in a summer recess.
 

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