Channel Stuck?

Based on your location, your system was most likely sold and installed by Grand Stage, DesignLab Chicago, or Chicago Spotlight. And you're not far at all from the factory of one of the two best lighting companies in the world, ETC. Find "the dimmer room" or where ever there's a rack like [user]gafftaper[/user] posted. There'll be a nameplate on it, somewhere.
No, that's the outlet box; the actual dimmers are in a room somewhere, or maybe in a corner backstage, in a rack. Since you have wall panels, you have a fairly sophisticated system. Do your panels look like the attachment below?
Take and post pictures, and we'll help you identify whom to call.


Who's the second best lighting company in the world?

:)

ST
 
Very clever post Charc! :grin:

I am almost 100% sure that all of the equipment is made by Lehigh.
We may have just found out what's wrong. If your system is all [-]Crap[/-] Lehigh, the idea of ghosting or some sort of DMX problem is an interesting possibility.

Sync, get a picture or the brand/model of your light board too.
 
Took the pictures as requested. The board is made by Lehigh. Its called the Millenium Controle Consol. Its the board I posted in the other link, just an older version.

The builiding manager is looking into getting me wiering diagrams, paperwork, basically anything that has to do with the system.
 

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Like I said, I JUST found the key for it. And before yesterday, I didnt even know what it was. Just use a shop vac, right?
 
Like I said, I JUST found the key for it. And before yesterday, I didnt even know what it was. Just use a shop vac, right?

I'm assuming the inside is crap too. Seems to me like every module needs to be removed and cleaned. This discussion came up recently, try a quick search.
 
Yeah... 8 year old building and I'm pretty sure that today was the first time its ever been opened. As for regular maintenace, what should I do?
 
The pictures really helped. edit: <info regarding cleaning deleted>

Lehigh is what we refer to as a "second (or third) -tier" manufacturer, and I don't think many of us have experience troubleshooting such systems, so if the problem persists, your best chance at solving the problem will be to give one of the Chicago vendors above a call, or contact Lehigh directly to see whom they recommend.

If you're still unable to find an answer to your questions, please contact Lehigh directly by phone at 610/395-3386 or by email at [email protected].
Good luck!

edit: This User's Guide is for a newer model than yours, I suspect your dimmers are the DX1, but may still prove helpful.
 
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Yeah... 8 year old building and I'm pretty sure that today was the first time its ever been opened. As for regular maintenace, what should I do?
Don't touch it.
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It may be too late to prevent damage at this point.
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Call in a professional lighting company, or if all else fails your local audio repair guy.
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After you get it fixed:
You should be keeping the area around it clean, and vacuum around the fan openings(make sure to prop the fan so it doesn't move) whenever you remember.
(make sure the power is off before you do that)
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If it has filters, change or at least tap them out(outside please) maybe once a month.
 
Derek, I don't know if the OP should be handling that much power, even in a disconnect...
edit: <deleted reference to NFPA 70E> The complete specifications for proper LockOut/TagOut procedures are outside the realm of Control Booth.


...Why isn't he pulling out modules too? One at a time, breaker off, clean, back in, no power to worry about.
Considering the controversy surrounding students removing dimmer modules, I felt it best not to suggest that course of action. Again LOTO is beyond Control Booth.

I was remiss, however, in NOT instructing the OP to perform dimmer cleaning ONLY under the supervision of a staff or faculty member.
 
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in NOT instructing the OP to perform dimmer cleaning ONLY under the supervision of a staff or faculty member.
I covered that.
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I honestly think an electronics tech of some type needs to examine it.
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I've seen "frozen" clogged racks, and it isn't pretty sometimes.
 
I'm thinking a good way to help solve this would be for one of us to talk directly with your head custodian/maintenance/electrician/drama teacher... whoever the adult in charge of the space is. Again not to insult you Sync, but there is serious danger involved in this much power and an untrained student should not be doing the work. Why don't you send either Derek, AVkid, or Me a private message with the name of the adult to contact at your school, phone number, and good time to call. Whoever you contact will call that person and explain the process of safely giving the dimmers a full cleaning.

Cleaning alone may fix the problem or there may be further issues.
 
Congratulations Sync you've found one of the 23461 way to kill yourself if you don't know what you're doing/ don't have proper supervision in a theatre. There is truly an amazing amount of power going into your dimmer rack and it doesn't take a whole lot to hurt yourself. At very least you need to be supervised by someone who knows what they're doing. You've kind lead onto the fact that you may not have anyone working at your school that is really qualified to mess with your dimmer rack. In that case you DEFINITELY need to take gaff's advise as send this to people in higher places.
 
Well here's the deal. I talked to the building manager today and he said that he'll help me out in any way possible. Thursday were going to shut off the power to that whole thing, remove the modules, clean every thing out, and replace everything. I'm not 100% sure that he knows the system, but if the powers off the powers off, right?
 
Well here's the deal. I talked to the building manager today and he said that he'll help me out in any way possible. Thursday were going to shut off the power to that whole thing, remove the modules, clean every thing out, and replace everything. I'm not 100% sure that he knows the system, but if the powers off the powers off, right?

Lock-out and tag-out.

I think the way we left it from our previous discussion is it is probably best for your to carry your modules outside, into a fire-tower, or away from the rack, and use a compressor to blow all the dust off. But definitely read that thread through, you want to make sure your compressor is calibrated to not wreak havoc on the modules! It also may be worth your time to rotate the modules, the less-used ones to more used locations. Blow off the rack too, the fans, whatever.
 
I can't say it enough HUGE AMOUNTS OF ELECTRICITY!!!!!! If you really wanna do this yourself at least get a conversation going with a CB vet. And get the proper LOTO protocol from the manufacturer. Also I can think of atleast one thread that give a lot of good info of cleaning dimmers (I think it was charc's about dimmers being stuck off)
 
Yeah, I read it and I'm pretty sure that it was determined that a compresser would blow all sorts of pnumatic oil all over the equipment. Charc says a calibrated compresser. By that I guessing you are refering to the oil issue. Yes well if you remember I'm in a little school that probably has like a pancake compresser that they use to fill up the plow trucks tires... so without having a decent compresser shop vac right?

If somebody wants to contact me on MSN to go into more detail its [email protected].
 

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