Control/Dimming Analog to DMX (s/b DMX-to-Analog)

wiggin11

Member
I am very new to the lighting world. I am just now starting to learn the lingo that goes along with it and what certain things need....so I hope to keep up.

I have a very old Analog system in my cafeteria. They light board in on the stage behind a curtain, but I am wanting to put an external board out in the cafeteria.
Its a 12 channel dimmer system with an output of 0-12 volts.

I think I have 2 options....
1. Buy an Analog light board (can't find one)
2. Buy a converter. (don't know which type i need)

I would rather go the converter route. Any help the professionals can give me would be much appreciated.
 
Converters are very expensive and often require someone from a shop to come set it up and calibrate it.
 
DMX to analog converters let you use a DMX console to drive analog dimmers they are common and not terribly expensive. The issue you will have is the connector from the converter to your dimmer rack.

The converter is not terribly difficult. If you do not feel competent to wire one up you might want to get your local theatrical distributor to do it for you
 
DMX to analog converters let you use a DMX console to drive analog dimmers they are common and not terribly expensive. The issue you will have is the connector from the converter to your dimmer rack.

The converter is not terribly difficult. If you do not feel competent to wire one up you might want to get your local theatrical distributor to do it for you

It is an old Edwin Jones system and I was going to have the local guy come out and wire it for me. Though it doesn't look to complicated.

I found a DMX to Analog converter online but it said 0-10 VDC (I think I have 0-12 volts output) Would this be ok?
 
It is an old Edwin Jones system and I was going to have the local guy come out and wire it for me. Though it doesn't look to complicated.

I found a DMX to Analog converter online but it said 0-10 VDC (I think I have 0-12 volts output) Would this be ok?

I noticed the 12v issue after I posted. I am not familiar with Edwin Jones. Did you measure thr 12V value or is there a placard?

Some units can be set to 12V output. Contact some manufacturers or your local supplier. If you use 0-10 and the dimmer expects 0-12 you will not be able to get your dimmers to full.
 
I noticed the 12v issue after I posted. I am not familiar with Edwin Jones. Did you measure thr 12V value or is there a placard?

Some units can be set to 12V output. Contact some manufacturers or your local supplier. If you use 0-10 and the dimmer expects 0-12 you will not be able to get your dimmers to full.

You read my mind. I called Edwin Jones and they confirmed that it is a 0-12. I will have to keep looking. So far I can't find one. I might have to settle on 0-10 and hope it bright enough.
 
Do you plan to expand the system at some point? If so, you may want to change out the board and dimmers to DMX and be done with it. Otherwise, you are going to end up with a split system which can be a mess to manage. Since we are talking 12 channels, a simple DMX board will be around 300 (Scene setter) and a 12 channel pack (1.2kw dimmers) would be under 2000. If you want 2.4k dimmers, then closer to $3k. Better quality packs cost more. Depends on your application. (And of course, the sky is the limit on board cost.)
 
FYI, you need a DMX-to-analog converter, not the other way around. What the console speaks-TO-what the dimmers will listen for.

You read my mind. I called Edwin Jones and they confirmed that it is a 0-12. I will have to keep looking. So far I can't find one. I might have to settle on 0-10 and hope it bright enough.
You won't be happy if your lights top out at 83% (but your lamps will last a long time).

As best I can tell, Edwin Jones Company is a vendor/installer, not a manufacturer. One would think they could help you with an appropriate protocol converter. Fleenor and Pathway make excellent products that can do what you want, but they are the top end and are pricey. See also the collaborative article DIY DMX: Demux, Protocol Converters, etc. - ControlBooth .

To replace 12x2.4kW dimmers would cost ~$3000-4000, plus labor, plus console.
.
 
Last edited:
jmabray works there. Maybe he could be of assistance. Could we get some pics of the setup?

I feel like a converter (even if it has a 'custom' 12v output) will always be cheaper than new dimmers. I've never heard of 12v analog; most being 7.6v ala EDI and 10v - most others, but I suppose anything is possible!
 
Last edited:
jmabray works there. Maybe he could be of assistance. Could we get some pics of the setup?

I feel like a converter (even if it has a 'custom' 12v output) will always be cheaper than new dimmers. I've never heard of 12v analog; most being 7.6v ala EDI and 10v - most others, but I suppose anything is possible!

Yes, you always have to check voltage as there were a lot of different analog control systems made.

0 to 10vdc
0 to 12vdc Strand and Major
0 to -12vdc Strand
0 to 15vdc
2.2 to 7.6vdc EDI
0 to 28vdc Kliegl
0 to -36vdc Dacor

Depending on the dimming system, some of them could be trimmed to run at different voltages and would be fine, some could be trimmed and the curve would go wonky and some couldn't be trimmed. Best to measure what is there and then try to match it.

David
 
They light board in on the stage behind a curtain, but I am wanting to put an external board out in the cafeteria.

Of course, there is always the option of running a multi-conductor cable (or "snake") from the dimmer to where you want to move the board to. After all, that's the big advantage to low voltage control.
 
Of course, there is always the option of running a multi-conductor cable (or "snake") from the dimmer to where you want to move the board to. After all, that's the big advantage to low voltage control.

This is the back up plan. If our budget is not approved for the small upgrade, then we will go that route.

I think I found what I am looking for, but it has a 5 pin XLR. Do most DMX boards have this? or will I just need to get a converter to a 3 pin XLR?
 
Last edited:
Yes I do work at the Edwin Jones Company. No we are not a manufacturer (or even an installer for that matter) We are a manufacturers representative. However, more than likely, his system has an EJC sticker on it because we service many different dimming systems and could have sold the system when it first went in. If you want, you are free to email me ([email protected]) or PM me here and I will be more than happy to help you out.

Please let me know how I can be of help. I am sure we can get something to get you what you need.
 
Yes I do work at the Edwin Jones Company. No we are not a manufacturer (or even an installer for that matter) We are a manufacturers representative. However, more than likely, his system has an EJC sticker on it because we service many different dimming systems and could have sold the system when it first went in. If you want, you are free to email me ([email protected]) or PM me here and I will be more than happy to help you out.

Please let me know how I can be of help. I am sure we can get something to get you what you need.

Thank you! But I am already in contact with a local guy from Edwin Jones. He is the one who helped me fix a dimmer (ghosting problem) and he told me it was 0-12V. He is also going to help me put in the converter.
 
When you purchase a Northlight decoder, if you tell James that you want it for 0-12 or 0-15, he can with little effort and usually at no additional cost make those adjustments. I have both one of his 8 channel units and one of the 24 channel units. The 8 channel is set to 0-15 to operate some very old Electrocontro dimmers.

just as a curiosity, I once did some retrofitting of a dimmer system in a high school that used a minus 0-24 volt control system. I built a circuit using LM324 opamps to invert the contol voltage to a plus 0-24 and then did a bridge of resistors to the inputs to change down to 0-10. That in turn was controlled with a Lightronics LMX (Microplex) to analog 0-10 decoder. It worked like a charm for about 5 years until the entire system was replaced as the school was being rebuilt.
 
A Leviton NDS-12-1EO dimmer gives you 12 channels of 1.2kW dimming and has a MAP price of $ 2850.33 (you can do better on the street. Add a N7016-D00 sixteen channel memory controller that MAPs at $ 665.28 and you'll have a brand new trouble free DMX lighting system that can be had for around $ 3000.00 delivered.
 
I built a circuit using LM324 opamps to invert the contol voltage to a plus 0-24 and then did a bridge of resistors to the inputs to change down to 0-10. That in turn was controlled with a Lightronics LMX (Microplex) to analog 0-10 decoder. It worked like a charm for about 5 years until the entire system was replaced as the school was being rebuilt.

Kind of reminds me of the EDI/TTI converters I built, which converted 2 to7.6 volts to 0-10 volts. That offset was a pain, but EDI used comparators with a single ended supply, so they were locked into that 2 volt black voltage as you need some amount of forward bias above the negative rail. Built them around amplifying the 5.6v by 1.8 gain and then adding a reverse offset to the output rail.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back