Shoebox Dimmers

[LPdan]

Hello,
I've used Leviton D4DMX shoebox dimmers for years, with reasonable success. However, lately I have had a number of them fail. I'm looking to replace them with something more rugged, but not bank-breaking for as often as they get used.
I searched posts and saw Leprecon is well regarded, but they appear to be in the $800 range. Can anyone recommend a solid dimmer pack under $500?

 

[StradivariusBone]

I've had luck with the ADJ ones. I can't imagine the build quality would be any different than a Leviton one though. Leprecon would be a step up. What is failing on the Levitons? Might be something as simple as a DMX transceiver chip.

 

[Amiers]

Lightronics has some solid shoebox/treepacks however As stated you get what you pay for as quality of these packs are limited to the electronics inside. If you are hard stuck on staying cheap maybe look at upgrading the electronics in your D4s from the current triac to a more beefed up one.

 

[RonHebbard]

Hello,
I've used Leviton D4DMX shoebox dimmers for years, with reasonable success. However, lately I have had a number of them fail. I'm looking to replace them with something more rugged, but not bank-breaking for as often as they get used.
I searched posts and saw Leprecon is well regarded, but they appear to be in the $800 range. Can anyone recommend a solid dimmer pack under $500?

Possibly shop for used Leprecons from a dealer updating their rental stock?
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[almorton]

Over here in the UK Anytronics have a good reputation for being affordable and rugged.

Beefing up the triac and making sure the fuse is going to blow fast enough to protect the triac, rather than the other way around, is probably the lowest cost option. Most of these smaller units use the common or garden BTAn-600 range of triacs where n is the current rating. A 12A 600V triac here in the UK is £2.50, which as replacement parts go is about as cheap as they come.

 

[LPdan]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will look into upgrading the triac/fuse!

 

[gafftaper]

I've seen pretty good results from the Elation shoe boxes. But the truth is all of these $150-$200 DJ quality dimmers from Adj, Chauvet, Elation, and others are pretty much all the same. They will work for a few years (life depends primarily on how heavily they are used) then they will stop and you will have to throw them out and buy new ones.

The Leprecons cost more because they have more professional quality of components. There really isn't anything in between. Either play reliability roulette with the DJ products or save your money up and get Leprecon or better. Leprecon is the cheapest product that I know of that has the better pro quality components.

 

[mrtrudeau23]

We have a few of the Chauvet ones here that we use for birdies and the like. They work pretty well, though one pack has the 4th circuit that is just permanently on. Haven't really needed to dig into that since the other 3 dimmers on the pack work just fine. We also have 2 of these 6 channel packs that are nice too. 2 separate 20 amp lines so they can handle a bit more than the 4 channel ones.

 

[RonHebbard]

We have a few of the Chauvet ones here that we use for birdies and the like. They work pretty well, though one pack has the 4th circuit that is just permanently on. Haven't really needed to dig into that since the other 3 dimmers on the pack work just fine. We also have 2 of these 6 channel packs that are nice too. 2 separate 20 amp lines so they can handle a bit more than the 4 channel ones.

Per your link; your 6 dimmer packs offer an option to intentionally turn a dimmer full on. You may want to check your settings prior to looking any further.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[mrtrudeau23]

It's not those packs that have the issue, it's one of our 4 channel packs. That wasn't clear from my post. Apologies.

 

[RonHebbard]

It's not those packs that have the issue, it's one of our 4 channel packs. That wasn't clear from my post. Apologies.

It was clear and understood, no apologies necessary. The same feature is often included in 4 dimmer packs as well, especially if from the same manufacturer.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[gafftaper]

One second point that I feel compelled to make is Chauvet DJ, American DJ, and Elation DJ are all legitimate brands. I would avoid any of the dozens of the other random manufacturers. They may be cheaper but they don't care about their brand reputation. Chauvet, ADJ, and Elation in this case may be selling you a cheaper product not from their premium lines, but they care about their name and reputation. There's not much guarantee for the length of the product life, but you can guarantee that it will work out of the box and if there are issues within the warranty period, they are brands that will make things right. Random internet brands may be difficult to replace if they don't work out of the box.

This is also a great product to buy from your local dealer. Ask what they stock and what they are able to repair!

 

[DrewE]

One second point that I feel compelled to make is Chauvet DJ, American DJ, and Elation DJ are all legitimate brands. I would avoid any of the dozens of the other random manufacturers. They may be cheaper but they don't care about their brand reputation. Chauvet, ADJ, and Elation in this case may be selling you a cheaper product not from their premium lines, but they care about their name and reputation. There's not much guarantee for the length of the product life, but you can guarantee that it will work out of the box and if there are issues within the warranty period, they are brands that will make things right. Random internet brands may be difficult to replace if they don't work out of the box.

Surely Leviton would likewise be considered a legitimate brand, as was NSI before it was acquired by Leviton (and is the origin of most if not all of their theatrical lighting equipment)? I do realize your list likely wasn't meant to be fully exhaustive.

 

[FMEng]

It's hard to take NSI too seriously when they had their own, proprietary control protocol, making DMX an add on option. There are a lot of threads here about NSI problems. Leviton doesn't seem to have made any improvements.

Back to the original question. Reliability takes more expensive components, larger heat sinks, and better design. That costs more, so you get what you pay for.

 

[gafftaper]

Surely Leviton would likewise be considered a legitimate brand, as was NSI before it was acquired by Leviton (and is the origin of most if not all of their theatrical lighting equipment)? I do realize your list likely wasn't meant to be fully exhaustive.

Absolutely Leviton is right in there with Adj, Chauvet, and Elation for this product. Personally, I would go with Elation or Chauvet but that's due to the contacts I personally have at those companies.

 

[JD]

Check the older threads. The triac used in these is a 15 amp triac, there is a drop-in replacement 25 amp triac. Where as the 15 amp ones sometimes pop on inrush, the 25's give you enough headroom to make the unit very reliable. Best par is the triacs are less than $2

 

[ship]

What was failiing on the dimmers?

 

[almorton]

Check the older threads. The triac used in these is a 15 amp triac, there is a drop-in replacement 25 amp triac. Where as the 15 amp ones sometimes pop on inrush, the 25's give you enough headroom to make the unit very reliable. Best par is the triacs are less than $2

I was forgetting that in the USA you'd need a larger current capability for the same power handling (hence my reference to 12A triacs, which are commonly used in UK/EU equipment).

 

[nealgrover]

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[Ben Stiegler]

I've seen pretty good results from the Elation shoe boxes. But the truth is all of these $150-$200 DJ quality dimmers from Adj, Chauvet, Elation, and others are pretty much all the same. They will work for a few years (life depends primarily on how heavily they are used) then they will stop and you will have to throw them out and buy new ones.

The Leprecons cost more because they have more professional quality of components. There really isn't anything in between. Either play reliability roulette with the DJ products or save your money up and get Leprecon or better. Leprecon is the cheapest product that I know of that has the better pro quality components.

and/or keep 1 spare shoebox for just-in-case moments ...