Is there a light board listing?

DHSLXOP

Active Member
I was wondering if anyone knows of are any websites out there that has a list of all of the makers of lighting boards. I tried to google it, but came up with nothing.

I need to find a manual for the board one of the theaters I work at has, since I think they only have the "quickstart guide", and I would like to learn more about how to use this board. Also, I can't remember for the life of me the company...but I know its not strand, etc, leprecon, or NSI/Leviton, so I know its a bit older of a board.

Can anyone help me out??

Thanks
 
Look on the board for the manufacturer's name. It would probably be on the bottom...

I know that...but I won't be at the theater for a while, and if possible, I would like to find the manual to read. I also know that when I see it, I'll know it.
 
If it's an 80's vintage a good guess is that it's an EDI (Electronics Diversified Inc). EDI is smaller now but was a big player back 20 years ago.

My favorite links page is on Barbizon's website it lists just about every theater product manufacturer on one page.
 
I think it might be an EDI board. Does anyone know where I can find a list of all of their older boards, because on their website they only list their current ones.

Thanks
 
EDI's site does seem to be lacking in history...I have seen one of their consoles in an installation that I couldn't find on their site...it was similar to the Plus, but newer and with fewer buttons, but it wasn't the lite. Basically, if it's small, dark grey, and has the narrow faders, it's probably EDI. BY narrow faders I mean the really narrow channel fader handles, as seen on the individual channel/sub controls on any of their boards (the master controls are usually standard size fader handles).
 
We have an old EDI Minstrel at the college. It's very simple to operate. Take a camera with you if you can't find a manual and get some pictures and we should be able to help you figure it out.
 
We have an old EDI Minstrel at the college. It's very simple to operate. Take a camera with you if you can't find a manual and get some pictures and we should be able to help you figure it out.

For some reason I think that this is the name of the board. Do you have a picture?
 
Sorry no picture. The one we have is a 24 channel 2 scene preset with 12 submasters. That means off to the right there are two rows of 24 sliders. In the center is a set of X/Y cross faders along with a grand master, independent master, and a time delay slider. On the left there is a set of 12 submasters with a switch that allows those to switch between 3 or 4 different pages which means you have 36 (or 48) actual recordable submasters. Top left is a little effects section that allows you to program some very simple chase sequences. Also sort of top left is a blackout switch and a button that says record (or save, program, memory... something like that can't remember for sure).

It's very simple to operate. Set the faders to the right to the look you like. Then hold down the record button and press the bump button below submaster 1. Bring down the faders and bring up submaster one and your scene is recorded. Once you've used all 12 submasters switch the button to page 2. The active submaster will maintain its previous page look until you bring it back down to zero then it switches to the current page. The only other weird thing is above the 24 faders to the right is a button that allows you to chose if that fader is assigned to the grand master or the independent master. Generally you just want those all set to the Grand Master, but you can take a couple of individual channels and assign them to the independent master to break them away from the rest of the dimmers. Oh and by messing with the time delay you can change how long the fade your are doing actually takes to happen. Set it to 1 minute, pull the slider in 2 seconds... it takes 1 minute to happen.

That's about all there is to running an EDI Minstrel.
 
Sorry no picture. The one we have is a 24 channel 2 scene preset with 12 submasters. That means off to the right there are two rows of 24 sliders. In the center is a set of X/Y cross faders along with a grand master, independent master, and a time delay slider. On the left there is a set of 12 submasters with a switch that allows those to switch between 3 or 4 different pages which means you have 36 (or 48) actual recordable submasters. Top left is a little effects section that allows you to program some very simple chase sequences. Also sort of top left is a blackout switch and a button that says record (or save, program, memory... something like that can't remember for sure).
It's very simple to operate. Set the faders to the right to the look you like. Then hold down the record button and press the bump button below submaster 1. Bring down the faders and bring up submaster one and your scene is recorded. Once you've used all 12 submasters switch the button to page 2. The active submaster will maintain its previous page look until you bring it back down to zero then it switches to the current page. The only other weird thing is above the 24 faders to the right is a button that allows you to chose if that fader is assigned to the grand master or the independent master. Generally you just want those all set to the Grand Master, but you can take a couple of individual channels and assign them to the independent master to break them away from the rest of the dimmers. Oh and by messing with the time delay you can change how long the fade your are doing actually takes to happen. Set it to 1 minute, pull the slider in 2 seconds... it takes 1 minute to happen.
That's about all there is to running an EDI Minstrel.

This seems really familiar to me...are the bump buttons little black circles...and is there a number pad all the way to the far left where you can set the patches and other things?
 
This seems really familiar to me...are the bump buttons little black circles...and is there a number pad all the way to the far left where you can set the patches and other things?

Yep little black bump buttons just below the submasters... I forgot the key pad. From what I can tell about all you can do with that pad is set your patch and permanently disable dimmers. I haven't been able to figure out a way to set channel levels with it.

Well the above message is about all you need for the manual. Just set your levels and record subs. Then playback from the subs.

EDIT: Also note if it isn't the exact same board it probably still works almost the same way. Just about all those two scene presets with submasters work the same.
 
Yep little black bump buttons just below the submasters... I forgot the key pad. From what I can tell about all you can do with that pad is set your patch and permanently disable dimmers. I haven't been able to figure out a way to set channel levels with it.
Well the above message is about all you need for the manual. Just set your levels and record subs. Then playback from the subs.
EDIT: Also note if it isn't the exact same board it probably still works almost the same way. Just about all those two scene presets with submasters work the same.

Thanks for your help. I think we are talking about the same board here. Anyway to hook up a monitor to it? I can't figure it out.
 
Thanks for your help. I think we are talking about the same board here. Anyway to hook up a monitor to it? I can't figure it out.

Not on ours. But there wouldn't be anything to look at anyway. It's just a few channels and submasters. Now if you had a "go" button you could have a monitor too. In the last school I was at we had a two scene preset console with a monitor on it. It had to be a specific type of old fashioned monochrome monitor only. It did absolutely nothing. All it does is show you that the 24 faders you just adjusted have done something... but you can tell that by looking at the faders. There's no rocket science involved with a two scene preset console. Again they really are all pretty much all the same so once you master one it's just a matter of figuring out what the "record" button is called on the new board and the proper keystroke to record a sub.
 

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