Old ETC gear

[BillConnerFASTC]

Is an Architectural Reciever Unit same as a DAS?

And whatever is a Distributed DMX Driver, or what makes it go - early Pathway products oemed?

Thanks!

 

[derekleffew]

Holy 1992, Batman! Paging @DavidNorth ...
I can't speak to the arch. stuff, but Distr. DMX Driver was pre-Response opto-splitter. I believe both started at LMI and also pre-date Gray Interfaces.

As far as ETC/LMI Response products, I am also sad that they have mostly gone away. They were pretty solid and feature-packed but over time we were faced with good competitors at good prices and since our sales were dropping, we just gradually stopped promoting the items. To be honest, some of them had been around since the mid-80s and they just weren't cost effective to make anymore since DFD and Pathway could do the same circuit design with smaller, more-dense components. There are still thousands of them out there and we certainly keep them running when they, from time-to-time, fail. Also, we do still make a few of them on request.

 

[Mac Hosehead]

I believe the Architectural Receiver Unit would be the processor for the Digital Address System.

 

[TWhite]

Since it's a large group I think I can post this question: What's the life expentency of ETC L 86 dimmers from the last millennium? Our theater in San Francisco has 7 racks of 96 dimmers slots each, and though they are performing really well, it's time to start planning for their retirement.
Does anyone out there have a similar set of dimmer racks that's either still in service (how long?) or have they been replaced by newer dimmers (Why and what was their age at the time of replacement?)
I've been asked questions about preventative maintenance procedures we've followed over the years (clean filters, replace parts when they fail) and if we can predict failure to the point of event cancellation (no).
ETC can't really give me any answers or links to theaters that still might have this type of installation, so I'm sending the question out to you all! Thanks for any help.

 

[Mac Hosehead]

Here are a few installations that come to mind in your area that are still using their L86 racks:
Paramount Theater, Oakland
Spangenberg Theatre, Palo Alto
Robert Louis Stevenson School Theater, Pebble Beach

I'm sure there are a few more in the SF bay area. The electronics seem to be reliable. The fans can get noisy and are a pain to replace. The people at the Paramount Theater told me that as long as ETC will service them then they will keep them.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Not much can go wrong with SSRs, chokes, and a circuit breaker. You can probably upgrade electronics for under $5k a rack and keep them going for a very long time, perhaps well past when quartz dimming is even viable.