Control/Dimming Identifying our lighting controls: Century CCR dimmers

[gafftaper]

In the meantime, they have agreed to fix any small issues that come up. (Read: replace lightbulbs, fix XLR inputs on the stage)

Seems to me it would be a good idea... and not ridiculously expensive to hire an electrician to come in and clean it up, tighten it up, replace wires that look sketchy, all that sort of thing. Just hire the guy to spend a day in there doing what he can to make it look safer. While bringing in an expert like those listed above would be great, it seems to me just a certified electrician would be able to do wonders toward it surviving a few more years without costing you thousands of dollars.

You may even be able to get a school district electrician to do it over the summer and not cost you anything.

 

[scotty269]

Seems to me it would be a good idea... and not ridiculously expensive to hire an electrician to come in and clean it up, tighten it up, replace wires that look sketchy, all that sort of thing. Just hire the guy to spend a day in there doing what he can to make it look safer. While bringing in an expert like those listed above would be great, it seems to me just a certified electrician would be able to do wonders toward it surviving a few more years without costing you thousands of dollars.

You may even be able to get a school district electrician to do it over the summer and not cost you anything.

Indeed, I just need to find a way around the red-tape associated with getting work done. My school is apart of the Phila. School District, and all mechanical/engineering work is unionized. As such, we're not allowed to have external contractors come out to perform service without express permission from the district HQ downtown. Believe me, I understand the risks and such of the system and I'm waiting for the day in which it miraculously combusts into a fireball. I just hope that day can be pushed back a few years providing we can get an electrician in there to look at it.

 

[derekleffew]

Does anyone remember when the DIMMY line of TRIAC dimmers was introduced by Century?
The Schematics I have have faded to much in the area of the title block to read.

I'd have to guess 1973.

EDIT: Amazing! The only reference on the entire Internet to Strand Century Dimmy is this blurb from Box Office magazine, issue dated October 7, 1974:

 

[STEVETERRY]

I'd have to guess 1973.

EDIT: Amazing! The only reference on the entire Internet to Strand Century Dimmy is this blurb from Box Office magazine, issue dated October 7, 1974:

It looks to me like the 12.5% reduction in price did not result in many sales.

It was a loser product, possibly because the market had come to expect more modularity and Triacs did not work well in the early '70's. This was primarily due to tiny I-squared-T ratings (short circuit,Triac go boom!)and high susceptibility to flashover and flicker due to low dv/dt ratings.

The professional market quickly reverted to back-to-back SCR's as the power handling device of choice.

ST

 

[salvee]

If you need service on the CD-80 rack or "Dimmy" or other old Century / Strand equipment, contact us anytime we have parts and can service both. If you are Philadelphia we probably have a project file on your system, most likely we did the commissioning and past service. We would be glad to help.

Sal Maratta
Century Lighting Service Inc.
18-02 River Road
Fair Lawn, NJ 07410
201-791-7000
fax 201-791-3167
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]