Control/Dimming What is this and how do I make it go?

[kovacika]

K, I have an old pair of LMI 6 channel (30 amps a channel) dimmers. I know the control is some kind of analog (0-12v maybe?) but I'm not sure. I'd like to get these up and running again. What do I need to convert DMX to what ever this guy uses?

Here is a pic: http://kovacika.tripod.com/dimmer.jpg

Anybody know why every time i tried to upload this as an attachment it told me it wasn't a valid jpg file?

 

[waynehoskins]

Analog control, most probably 0-10 volt DC. That 10-pin Cinch Jones connector was pretty common (a standard, in fact) for 6 channels of 0-10 control. Pins 1-6 are channels 1-6, and pins 7-8 are ground, generally.

Do get DMX to talk to it, you need a demultiplexer, since DMX is RS-485 digital data and these need continuous analog control. ETC's Response series will work, and there are also DIY projects that will do this.

 

[derekleffew]

kovacika, please see this Collaborative Article, created just for you, and others.

Is this, or this, the manual for your dimmer packs?

 

[Van]

BTW, I couldn't get the picture to load from the link included in the original post.
Other than that I have nothing useful to contribute on this subject as it has already been so eloquently handled.


Derek, you realise your signature now has a quote from a musical on it.... Right ?

 

[derekleffew]

...Derek, you realise your signature now has a quote from a musical on it.... Right ?

Uh, Van...My sig file for the past several months had been "Hold your hats and hallelujah, mama's gonna show it to ya." Then I added "Gee Officer Krupke, I'm down on my knees, 'Cause no one wants a fella with a social disease." I shutter [sic] to guess where you think those lines came from...

________
The moment your son leaves the house,
Does he rebuckle his knickerbockers below the knee?

 

[Van]

Uh, Van...My sig file for the past several months had been "Hold your hats and hallelujah, mama's gonna show it to ya." Then I added "Gee Officer Krupke, I'm down on my knees, 'Cause no one wants a fella with a social disease." I shutter [sic] to guess where you think those lines came from...

________
The moment your son leaves the house,
Does he rebuckle his knickerbockers below the knee?

Yeah but now it's from Music Man! "That's a horse of a different color!"

 

[kovacika]

The second link is for the packs I have. Derek,this is the second time you've created a special entry just for me, I feel so special!

 

[derekleffew]

Well, you're NOT special--you just ask good questions!

See PDF page 7, (Manual page 4) of the first link for the Cinch-Jones Pin-outs. I believe the Cinch Jones S-310-CCT is what you need, does this look like what your dimmer wants?

 

[kovacika]

Ya, thats the connector. I've got a Leprecon LP3600 that ouputs analog to a larger connector of similar type. In the event that DMX control is too costly, can the larger connector be adapted?

 

[waynehoskins]

Ya, thats the connector. I've got a Leprecon LP3600 that ouputs analog to a larger connector of similar type. In the event that DMX control is too costly, can the larger connector be adapted?

Now that is far more simple.

The larger connector is probably a 27-position Jones connector, and the norm for that is 1-24 analog control channels, last pin ground. My LP500 at the church has that one. But my LP1000 has the same connector but wired slightly differently, so it wouldn't hurt to make some quick measurements with a meter to see that pin 27 is ground and not pin 14 (the big one in the middle) like my LP1K has.

Then it's just make a breakout pigtail. First 10-position Jones connector wired to 1-6 and ground, next one 7-12 and ground, and so on until the end. For this application, and especially that short, wire size is relatively unimportant; Cat 5 network cable is readily available and should stand up to the task (though solid wire is a bit more fragile, so if it's going to be thrown around a lot you probably want to try to find stranded cable if you can).

 

[derekleffew]

Here is a link to a used ETC Response A32 DAC.

You'd need to supply your own Centronics 36pin (half of an old parallel printer cable) and two $10 Cinch Jones connectors. We talked about doing this for another member, in this thread. If you have access to a DMX console, this is the only way to go (analog is sooo over!)

Your LMI 6 x 3.6kW dimmers have lots of life (probably) left in them. I ran a show with 72 of them for five years in the 1980s and had no problems other than one fuse replacement.

 

[kovacika]

K, so as long as I have an old parallel printer cable (which I do) I can buy this, stick the cinch jones connectors on the end of the printer cable, and I'm home free? What is the pinout on the printer cable?
thanks for the help,
Aaron

 

[derekleffew]

From the User Manual, for the Response A32 DAC.
Pins 1-32 = Dimmers 1-32. Pins 33-36 = Control Common.

Be careful to ensure the printer cable has the pins you require, wired. Most did not use all 36 pins, especially if one end is a Centronics and the other end is a DB27 (?).

 

[kovacika]

Thanks for the help and the heads up on the printer cable.
-Aaron

 

[JD]

Just some notes about the picture problem.
1)Tripod blocks direct picture links, so it can not be viewed.
2)That error about not being a valid jpg comes up if your picture exceeds the size allowed either in pixels or total file size. (See the help section about this, or the "attachment key" under "manage attachments.")