Strand Lighting CD80SV Non-Dim Modules Failing

jbogner

Member
Hi everyone,

Has anyone had experience with replacing/repairing Strand's CD80SV "Z" Type 2.4kW Non-Dim Relay modules? My high school has had 2 of these units fail, in one of them both relay control boards have failed and in the other one only one board has failed. Is there an easy way to repair them? I have tested the relays and breakers and they aren't the problem, it is the circuit board controlling them that no longer works.

Also, I was looking into replacement modules, and it appears that Strand has made a retrofit module for these called "Strand Lighting CD80SV Retrofit Dimming Module for Non-Dim Contactor Modules, #72399". Do these modules need to have Strand Lighting's C21 Retrofit Processor installed in the rack or will they work perfectly fine with the original CD80SV Processor? Here is a link to a place that sells these for more information.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._cd80sv_retrofit_dimming_module.html/overview

Any help would be much appreciated! We are a school district, so spending a lot of money on lighting is not possible, but we would like to get these relay circuits back up and running again for a show we have in a couple months. We are also thinking about upgrading our system controls to a Johnson Systems 3000+SV Processor, but that would be most likely after this show and maybe not for a few years.
 
Ok, thanks for your reply! We will probably end up seeing if we can get the C21 Style Retrofit units then. The one problem I noticed with the Johnson Systems version is that it says that it cannot be used with original processor units, so we wouldn't be able to use those unless we upgraded because we are still running the original Strand CD80SV Processor. Do you or anyone else know if there is an easy way to revive the original Strand Non-Dim modules? Or once they fail are they useless?
 
I have no idea on the repair possibility. I think contacting Lite-trol and/or Johnson systems would be your best shot at getting an answer on what your options are. Odds are pretty high that they know more about those racks than anyone that's currently working for "Strand" which is on its 3rd or 4th owner since those racks were made.
 
Where are you at? USA? Canada?
In Ontario Scene Work in Guelph is the go-to for anything to do with Strand stuff.

Either the Johnson Controls or C21 upgrade can work for your rack. My rack was traded out for a C21 over a decade ago and the CD80 racks for the Grand Theatre's "main" Spriet Stage were just upgraded to the C21 a couple of weeks ago.
We have a number of the retrofit modules in our CD80 rack, where I obviously have C21 modules in mine.
Anyways the decision partly goes with "who is around to supply service to your rack" in your area and do they service the C21 or Johnson (or both)?

Fun fact I discovered. There is a horrible bug in the first-generation C21 control module that will only rear its head if you rename the rack... Someone without my knowledge renamed the rack, and I had all sorts of not-fun.
 
I am in Illinois, USA. We are thinking Johnson Controls CD3000+SV over the C21 because the CD3000+SV offers more helpful features for our stage. We likely won't upgrade anytime soon though, the administration doesn't like to spend much money on tech stuff and the system has been generally neglected for the last 20 years after it was put in. We are just now getting some money put into reviving our almost 50 year old Altman 65Q Fresnels and Strand Century Iris 4's. I will have to call Lite-trol and Emlight to see if either of those companies can service those modules at a price that would be worth repairing over replacing them.
 
Hi @jbogner

Thank you for emailing Vari-Lite technical support regarding this. One of the team will be in touch.

Let us know if you have any questions.
 
Hi all,

I figured I would post something to show how this thread was resolved for future reference. My school district ended up accepting my proposal for the upgrade to a Johnson Systems CD3000+SV rack control system. We are now using that system in conjunction with a JSI Presidor Preset Station and a new Non-Dim Relay module from JSI as well. The system is now working better than it ever has with many new features.

Before we knew we were getting the Johnson Systems upgrade, we purchased a Strand Retrofit Non-Dim Module from B&H. The Strand Retrofit module worked perfectly with both the original CD80SV processor and now works great with the Johnson Systems retrofit, so if someone is looking for more Non-Dim circuits but is not ready for the Johnson Systems upgrade, I would recommend the Strand Retrofit option (link in my original post).

Regarding repairs on an original module, I contacted a couple of companies and by the prices they gave me, it seems that it would not be worth it to rebuild the original Non-Dim modules. For those modules, we converted the broken ones to be constant power modules (NOT a job for someone who is not qualified!) and replaced the modules in slots that needed relays with the JSI or Strand Retrofit modules.

Also important: With the Johnson Systems retrofit modules, if you purchase a Non-Dim module from them without purchasing their CD3000 or CD2000 control systems and use it with the original Strand CD80SV processor, you will void the warranty on the module! Normally, the modules have a 2 year warranty, but if they are used with the original processing equipment that will be voided.

If anyone needs any other help, Vari-Lite's technical support team was very useful, so they are good to contact with more in depth questions that can't be answered here.

Thanks everyone for your help! I hope this thread can be useful for others that have Strand CD80SV racks in the future.
 

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