Volts times amps still equals watts. If you have 110 volts coming into the building, short of a step up
transformer or something similar to it in
dimmer able to provide a larger
voltage than given to it, volts times amps still equals watts. In other words, at 110v, your lamps at FF on the dimmers will be about 110v less any loss due to the
dimmer and
voltage drop due to the cable. 110v is still in most conditions considered within the design specification of most gear in being safe so that it's not over working in the case of a computer to bring the
screen up to full
intensity. Sort of like a light activated calculator. With less
power it's either going to work, work slow or not at at all.
On the other
hand, 8x300 is 2,400 and not leaving you much for
headroom as we
call it for problems, start up currents necessary to heat filaments,
voltage drop etc. On large rock shows, 80% of maximum is the norm. Granted your
circuit breakers and most fuses won't blow until either the sustained draw for a few minutes is 127% of the rated draw, or it's spiked to a
current well over the
rating, you are still playing it close on the
wire feeding the dimmers
etc. Best to knock off a can given it's all the same 20 amp
circuit feeding the
dimmer.
Hmm, 300w, using
PAR 56 at 300w each?
In any case while it might be safe to put all lights up to full and leave them on for ten minutes during the test to see if anything goes pop, or given the
system is rated for the amperage already, just limit the maximum output of all or some in getting back to that 80%, it is far more simple to exclude a can. Besides what is most commonly melting down is not the
breaker though it can melt down without popping, it's the
wire feeding it, receptacles
etc. Smell burning plastic and it's something that really does need to be investigated.
Hope it helps with my opinion. Have done the max load and max
dimmer rate game a lot in the past even to the
point of taking my largest draw lighting
cue as the maximum amperage used for this figure. I can be done, even exceeded, but it's a question of
safety and the necessity for it also. Playing such games is also very dangerous and can spell the end of a show before it's over. Much less half of my lights are working but the other half randomly seem not to be to which you find that half a double pole
breaker melted down
etc. 20amp breakers most likely won't get hot enough to melt down before
tripping given they are functioning properly but it's not professional to take the chance.
HOpe it helps.