No More Dimmers!!!

[kevinz]

Hello All,

I am currently designing "Caligula" for my high school. During the show I need seven 500w lights (I believe they are called mini's, we rarely use them so I'm not sure. They're kind of like little source 4's.) to flash one by one (they will be arranged in a circle so it will look pretty cool). The only problem is that I would really like to not set aside 7 dimmers for it because the theatre I'm working in only has 31 dimmers (which is including 2 4 dimmer NSI's) and I am using a track lighting system so I have about 17 areas which all need to be independently lit (luckily it's 3 point with only one color gel so I only need 17 dimmers for 17 areas). But I also have a lot of specials that I would like to add to the show. I need to know if there is a way to do this with one or at least less than 7 power sources. I have thought about building a low voltage circuit and hooking it up to relays, but I feel that it may be difficult to aquire 7 relays that will do the job/ very time consuming. If anyone has any other ideas I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

 

[venuetech]

how long does this chase last? does it just happen once?

 

[kevinz]

It will happen more than once probobly for no more than 5 minutes at a time.

 

[venuetech]

your best bet would be to work out how to repatch/replug your dimmers as needed.

 

[gafftaper]

A common trick is to repatch your specials at intermission (or even mid show). So in Act one dimmer #3 powers one special and in Act two it powers a different special.

This of course depends a lot on your theater. Sometimes you have to run long extensions to weird locations to make it work.

 

[Lotos]

Yep...
The best way to get around this is probably to have a deck/dimmer electrician on hand (and on comm) to repatch as nessecary.

Make sure to plot out on paper (spreadsheets can be VERY handy) what repatches need to happen and when... Cue lines work well here, just in case the electrician is ever 'cut off' from communicating with the crew.

I recall having to do similar patches myself when I was in highschool... 12x 2.4Kw dimmers leaves a lot to the imagination. Especially when the cyc eats 1/4 or more of your dimming.

 

[Garfunky]

Kevin,
I think two of these should do the trick.
Northlight Systems DMX512 to Relay.
I have used Northlight before and have been pleased. The instructions should explain what you need. be sure to consult a qualified electrician for safety's sake...

 

[kevinz]

After reading the instruction manual, this seems very very complicated. In order to make this work, would I need to tear DMX apart? Also, does it come with a power source or is that for me to figure out?

 

[mstaylor]

The repatch idea works quite well. I designed a show one time that we were supposed to rent an additional 12 dimmers, didn't happen. So that left me with doing repatches to cover the dimmer loss, then two days before opening I blew a triac. That's when I taught myself triac replacement.
Are your dimmers hard wired or is repatching possible? Also, what board are you running.

 

[MNBallet]

I think this sounds like a perfect job for some cheap DJ dimmer boxes. I've picked up a couple for around $50 each. they give you 4 channels but normally can not handle more than 600 watts at full. So, for around $100 you can get 8 dimmer channels for this effect. If that is out of your budget, see if there is a rental house or production company near by that might rent it to you cheaper. Most places have a few of there lying around with a couple of par 38s.

Ken Pogin
Production / Tour Manager
Minnesota Ballet

 

[BillESC]

A couple of NSI 4 channel dimmer packs and any of the MC-7000 series controllers will allow you to create a 7 step chase that will repeat. The whole package could be rented for $ 100.00 the first week and less each week thereafter if there is a long run.