Control/Dimming Colortran ENR series question

[Crycious]

My company has recently started helping out a local arts center with all of their technical needs. Lighting, sound, maintenance. they recently had some overheating issues with their dimmers. When cleaning I discovered they have not had any real maintenance since the things were installed in the mid 1990's. They have 2 wall mounted Colortran ENR series 24/96 dimmer racks. Each rack has 12 removable dimmer packs for a total of 24 packs. I am currently getting ready to send 8 of those in for repair as the casing on those packs are busted up and there is bare copper showing in places. However, one thing I have noticed since I have started working with the system a couple months ago is that for some reason 2 of the circuits seem to be tied together. Power up one and the other turns on as well. there system only has 42 channels so it a small system. I have check the patch in the board and that is fine, a standard 1-1 patch. I have only done very basic work on dimmers before, i.e. cleaning, swapping packs, etc. So I am not sure where to begin. I don't know if the crossed signal is in one of the rack control modules. Unfortunately the only paper work the venue has been able to supply me with is the engineering diagrams of the dimmers themselves. I have not been able to get a light plot, or circuit diagram, or even the architectural drawings with the circuitry labeled on it yet. So I don't know if it is a hard wired issue. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Also I know some of you are going to say go get a professional to help the but closest professional is 6 hours away and the venue does not have the money to pay someone for 12 hours of travel plus on-site fees. So I guess another question, is if someone knows anyone that is located near Southwest Colorado that would be great too. thanks in advanced.

 

[STEVETERRY]

My company has recently started helping out a local arts center with all of their technical needs. Lighting, sound, maintenance. they recently had some overheating issues with their dimmers. When cleaning I discovered they have not had any real maintenance since the things were installed in the mid 1990's. They have 2 wall mounted Colortran ENR series 24/96 dimmer racks. Each rack has 12 removable dimmer packs for a total of 24 packs. I am currently getting ready to send 8 of those in for repair as the casing on those packs are busted up and there is bare copper showing in places. However, one thing I have noticed since I have started working with the system a couple months ago is that for some reason 2 of the circuits seem to be tied together. Power up one and the other turns on as well. there system only has 42 channels so it a small system. I have check the patch in the board and that is fine, a standard 1-1 patch. I have only done very basic work on dimmers before, i.e. cleaning, swapping packs, etc. So I am not sure where to begin. I don't know if the crossed signal is in one of the rack control modules. Unfortunately the only paper work the venue has been able to supply me with is the engineering diagrams of the dimmers themselves. I have not been able to get a light plot, or circuit diagram, or even the architectural drawings with the circuitry labeled on it yet. So I don't know if it is a hard wired issue. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Also I know some of you are going to say go get a professional to help the but closest professional is 6 hours away and the venue does not have the money to pay someone for 12 hours of travel plus on-site fees. So I guess another question, is if someone knows anyone that is located near Southwest Colorado that would be great too. thanks in advanced.

Are the circuits adjacent in the rack? Does the problem of the two circuits tied together follow a dimmer module if you swap it for another, or does it stay with a given rack slot?

ST

 

[Crycious]

Thanks, for your help Steve. Apparently switching the dimmer module worked. I guess they were paired up like that. Unfortunately it did take me a while to find the correct module, as nothing is labeled. An additional question, is there any more maintance I should be doing on the Dimmer racks? I have used a vacuum to blow all the dust out. I have also sent in 8 modules to Leviton, which where visibly damaged. Again thank you for your help, cant believe it was that simple .

 

[STEVETERRY]

Thanks, for your help Steve. Apparently switching the dimmer module worked. I guess they were paired up like that. Unfortunately it did take me a while to find the correct module, as nothing is labeled. An additional question, is there any more maintance I should be doing on the Dimmer racks? I have used a vacuum to blow all the dust out. I have also sent in 8 modules to Leviton, which where visibly damaged. Again thank you for your help, cant believe it was that simple .

Dust will be your main issue, and it sounds like you have that under control. Be aware that the ENR series had two significant issues in the past:

1. The original design had bus plating issues that caused fires in the rack. This was presumably field-retrofitted and fixed by Colortran, but you may want to have the bus and module contacts examined for pitting.

2. The plastic compound used for the modules tended to deform after long heating. This resulted in a condition known as "smiling modules".

Make sure you de-energize the rack and lock-out/tag-out the main breaker before doing any internal inspection. If you are not qualified to do this, please call an electrician.

ST

 

[Madzoga]

If the system has an architectural system, you can setup the dimmers to be other things then just (2) separate circuits. It is possible that the software is setup to tie the two together.

 

[adnewhoused]

I have the same problem. We wont be able to separate the dimmers but does anyone know where to get a copy of that software? (We have a compatible computer and the serial cable). My school lost the copy that they had.

 

[mrb]

another problem with the ENR is the airflow sensor in the control module. Dust builds up on it and the control module flashes all the dimmers on and off. The sensor is fragile, clean it only with clean dry air.