Using Colortran Dimmers as Always On power

[Amogh]

Hi Guys,
Our high school auditorium uses the Colortran I Series dimmers for all the stage lights. As we were planning on buying LED cycs pretty soon, I was wondering if leaving the colortran Dimmers on the always on mode would be fine for the led cycs. We haven't decided which ones yet, but we are planning on doing demos with Spectra Cyc 200s, Colorforce 48s and ETC ColorSource with Cyc adapters
I have attached the spec sheets for the I series dimmers that we have:
http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/ibcG...1kuUJfVw&label=IBE&appName=IBE&minisite=10251
Thanks,

 

[JD]

Generally speaking, No.
Always on = Parked at 100%. It is still dirty power. The only good way to do this is either with factory module that simply has the correct circuit breaker on it (and no dimmer components), or with a dry-contact relay module. (one that goes "Click" when the DMX value goes up.) Do not confuse "always on mode" with "always on module."

 

[Les]

There has been some recent debate on this, referencing ENR dimmers. The usual advice is that it is not safe since the power still passes through a dimmer module (which modifies the sine wave and chops it in to more of a square wave). However, this theory has been challenged and we're all curious see the conclusion.

My opinion, regardless if it's safe or not, is to either send the modules out to a qualified service center for modification, or to add circuit(s) to be controlled by relays/manual switches. The reason is that someone may come along and switch those dimmers back to "dimming mode" for whatever reason, which at best might be annoying and at worst could get very expensive. I'd want the system as idiot-resistant as possible. Another thing to consider... Will "always on" turn the dimmers off when the board shuts down, or are they truly always on 24/7? You want them to turn off when not in use because running the fixtures even in "sleep mode" continuously could shorten their lifespan.

As for fixtures, I have used the SpectraCyc 200's and love them. They are dripping with color and plenty bright. In fact, I rarely had to run them above 50% on an 18' tall cyc (top-lit only). Be sure to get the proper spacing, which I believe is 4' for the Spectra's.
The ETC cyc adapter is okay, but I prefer a purpose-built fixture. That way no one comes along and uses the bodies for something else and misplaces the cyc lenses. That's kind of their selling point, that the fixture can do double-duty, but I see it as a negative in some situations. I can understand where this would be good for some venues, but in high schools and community theatres, it's good just to count on the cyc lights always being there and ready to go. Especially if the space has no official TD or "rep plot restore" process after each show.

 

[SteveB]

Contact Steve Short at LiteTrol Service 516 681 5288

He services ETC and Colortran, as well as developed a DMX controlled relay module for the older Colortran D192 systems.

Might have what you need in a relay or constant breaker module.

 

[microstar]

Leviton/Colortran actually lists dual iSeries 15A and a 20A constant modules as well as iSeries quad 15A and 20A constant modules in their catalog.

 

[Amogh]

Firstly, thank you for all your replies, somewhere in those budget cuts, my school decided to stop paying for a theater technician so now we students have to run our auditorium. I wouldn't be able to do half the stuff that we can do today without the help that you guys provide. So, after reading all the replies, I will ask my school to get someone to install relays for our auditorium. However would it be best to simply install new relays that are controlled by circuit breakers or DMX relays? We are based in hong kong so we can't use the 120 volt colortran solid state ones and thus, would probably need to buy new ones if we want DMX controlled relays and that would might be too expensive for us. Lastly, for the ones controlled manually, I could either turn them off myself or tell all the members of my tech theater club to turn them off before they leave to preserve the fixtures. So am I missing something or is there no benefit to having DMX relays other than the fact that the board turns them off when you bring everything to zero?

 

[SteveB]

Management of the relays at the control end is going to want some thought.

If you have an architectural controller whose software can be adjusted, you can set up a preset/control function to power up the relays as needed and shut them down after use. We do this on our ETC Unison system for my MAC700's (that I REALLY don't want powering down, as well as our MAC Aura's). One advantage is it eliminates stupidity at the main console when somebody un-parks the relays, kills the sheilded sub, whatever. It's annoying when power to fixtures gets accidently cut during a show. Or you can have the operators well trained to remember to not power down at the wrong moment.

Having constant breaker modules eliminates all that, but means you are heading to the dimmer room twice a show to power up/down.

Then it's your decision as which method is preferred and what you can get from Colortran or Litetrol.

 

[Amogh]

Okay, thanks for providing all the options, I will consider them and choose based on what suits us best.