dimming lights

[mstred]

I am working at a small theatre with a show about to open in 24 hours. At our rehearsal last night all of my lights kept dimming then brightning and there was nothing that we could do to stop this from happening. Any suggestions as to what could be causing this problem? The board we are using is Leviton I do not know off hand what make the dimmer rack is. ths is in a school and could very possibly be oringinal equipment. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

This looks like it got created as a wiki entry, not a topic for discussion.

Some possible troubleshooting suggestions:

1. Check to see if you're running a chase or some other cue in your board.

2. Check to see if the power is stable.

3. Does this happen to all fixtures at once? Is it random? Uniform?

This happens to all fixtures at once. It is random but it happens frequently. In the past the lights would occasionally dim now they are doing it more often which is distracting to the actors as well as audience.

 

[mstred]

It happens to all lights at same time

 

[mstred]

Lights keep dimming

I have a show going up in 24 hrs and last night all of my lights kept dimming then brightning..at first they were doing it fairly frequently then after awhile they slowed down and only did it occasionally. That being said it was very distracting not only for the actors but also watching it from the audiences view. Any thoughts as to what could be causing this? What can be done? or should I be looking to get a rental in ASAP? Any suggestions would be appreciated. This is a little theatre the board is leviton I don't recall what the dimmer rack brand is.

 

[KGDJ]

Re: Lights keep dimming

Can you get your hands on a spare board? My first thought is your faders are a bit messed up and are sending a bad signal: specifically, your master. You can also just work the faders up and down and try and wear through any corrosion that might be on them.

After that, try and find a clamp-on ammeter and measure your current draw on your mains to make sure you're not approaching your limit and seeing big voltage drops as a result.

 

[FMEng]

Re: Lights keep dimming

Since all of the lights are affected, the cause is something common to all. You have to troubleshoot to determine if this is a power problem, a dimmer problem, or a control problem. I would start by measuring the voltage applied to the dimmers while under load. Wild variations in the voltage are signs of something like a loose, arcing connection or failing breaker on a feeder. Such a scenario could lead to a fire, which is why I would try to eliminate this first. I suggest that you have an qualifed electrician or dimmer technician investigate the cause.

A problem with a dimmer control module or console is annoying, but it won't harm anything. If the console uses the DMX output, substitution with another console is the fastest way to troubleshoot. If the console checks out, and the power feed is stable, that leaves the dimmer control circuitry.

 

[Nelson]

Re: Lights keep dimming

Will the lights stay on if you unplug or turn off the console? If they will, unplug it and see if they keep dimming. If they do, the console is not to blame. If the dimming stops (the lights stay at full), might want to check the console. However, the lights may just go out if you unplug the console depending on how the dimmers are programmed.

Do any non-dim lights (like lobby or green room lights) have the same problem? If so, you might have a power issue that is upstream (closer to the power source) than the stage light dimmers.

If you can, post a picture of the console and dimmers too.

 

[mstred]

Re: Lights keep dimming

Will the lights stay on if you unplug or turn off the console? If they will, unplug it and see if they keep dimming. If they do, the console is not to blame. If the dimming stops (the lights stay at full), might want to check the console. However, the lights may just go out if you unplug the console depending on how the dimmers are programmed.

Do any non-dim lights (like lobby or green room lights) have the same problem? If so, you might have a power issue that is upstream (closer to the power source) than the stage light dimmers.

If you can, post a picture of the console and dimmers too.

Thank you all for your responces. By the time I got back to the theatre last nite someone brought in a new board problem solved.