dimmer not working
- Thread starterpflipper1
- Start date
gcpsoundlight
Active Member
That's not what he asked. He's looking to know the make and model of your dimmer rack, or the dimmer packs if that's what you have. Each dimmer comes with (and is required to, per NEC) an overcurrent protection, either a fuse or a breaker, and usually at 20 amps, if you're in the states. Check the total wattage of the striplights, if it exceeds 20A*120V=2400 watts, or is even pretty close, that's probably the cause. It could also be technical malfunction, check the breakers or fuses in any case.
plug became disconnected electrically somehow
cable run from dimmer failed (like, if a roofing nail got into the conduit....)
dimmer module died
dimmer tripped
lost phase of power
got unpatched
board got set to not use more than 109 dimmers....
uh....
that's all i can think of right now.
Protip: If you want a helpful answer, you need to provide a helpful(read: detailed) question... we're not mind readers (at least most of us)... we can't just answer "why doesn't it work".
We want to help you, you just need to help us help you.
that depends on your dimmer rack...
please post the full specs of your system... as in what make/model rack, board, lights, etc. etc.
If I can be making a note here...
You've been asked by three different people in this thread the model and type of your dimmer rack but haven't even specified whether they're a rack or a set of dimmer packs. If you're not experienced with this type of technical work, I'd strongly advise that you ask your technical director for assistance, so that you can learn how the system operates and avoid damaging it - typically this sort of thing isn't a particularly dangerous operation, but if your entire experience with lighting is on the operator side, I'd get some experienced help.
Lotos
Active Member
I thought it was hysterical. Keep it up.
What if the breakers are mounted sideways? Or worse, upside-down... Up might not be on
What if the breakers are mounted sideways? Or worse, upside-down... Up might not be on
Go with the majority and make sure the tripped dimmer is the same way. (Unless your dimmer rack hates you)
As the risk of making you mad, if you don't know what a fuse holder or breaker is then getting onsite help is going to be essential. It is good to start learning troubleshooting but do it under the direction of a knowledgable adult. Give us the information we have asked for and we will give advice but implement under supervision.
Les
Well-Known Member
Hopefully you have a dimmer rack, in which case you just need to reset the breaker corresponding with the offending dimmer. Most dimmer racks have these breakers right on the face of the unit, sometimes behind a hinged door.
You will also want to investigate why the fuse blew or breaker tripped. Preferably, you will do this before you restore power to the circuit.
A few common reasons for this could be:
-Overloaded circuit (Rack mount dimmer modules usually support either 1,800w or 2,400w per circuit. Dimmer packs usually support 600w, 1,000w, and sometimes 1,200w per channel, but usually with a total output rating less than the combined channel ratings).
-Defective/damaged cable or connector.
-Defective/damaged lighting instrument.
-Damaged conductor in a raceway or conduit (fairly rare cases).
-Defective/damaged dimming module/pack.
You will also want to investigate why the fuse blew or breaker tripped. Preferably, you will do this before you restore power to the circuit.
A few common reasons for this could be:
-Overloaded circuit (Rack mount dimmer modules usually support either 1,800w or 2,400w per circuit. Dimmer packs usually support 600w, 1,000w, and sometimes 1,200w per channel, but usually with a total output rating less than the combined channel ratings).
-Defective/damaged cable or connector.
-Defective/damaged lighting instrument.
-Damaged conductor in a raceway or conduit (fairly rare cases).
-Defective/damaged dimming module/pack.
Oh, it's also possible that the dimmer got patched at 0%, or that it got parked at 0%...
Oh, and check if you have any inhibitive submasters set up...
is you GM down?
am I forgetting anything else that would cause an instrument to go out?
that still doesn't rule out the possibility of using a remote.... so doesn't actually rule anything out.
You can do pretty much anything with the remote, and you have to be especially careful, because it's even harder to see and know what you're doing...
Many times i've seen things become unpatched because the operator forgot to go into "stage" mode after patching....
