single Output DMX

[impedious]

Hi
I have my DMX set up for about a month. So far works very well. Cat5 Cable works great. I have two par 32 pots at the back of the sanctuary each on individual 15A circuits from previous work. While no one knows exact wattage (very hard to reach) but we figure they are using close to 15 A. Right now they are on remote controls but no dimming capability making the pastor either in shadow if off or blinded if on. I don't know how long these are going to stay, so I want to spend as little as possible (I am over budget) to include them in the DMX system. I found a couple single output DMX for $75 but they are only 10A. Seems the singles are being discontinued. Anyone know who sells 15A Single Output DMX. Or a double that has two inputs and outputs. I also found 2 20A input 6 outputs for $280 but don't really need that much so don't want to spend the extra money
Tim

[waynehoskins]

You mean a single DMX-controlled dimmer? What comes to mind for portable use is a Strand CD80 Single-pack, it's a standalone 2.4k that will take DMX as well as a local control for those situations where you need something on a dimmer that stays at one level.

PAR lamps are commonly available in sizes 38, 46, 56, and 64, and that number -- as with all lamps -- represents the bulb diameter in 1/8s of an inch, so a PAR64 is 8 inches across. P64s are most often 1K lamps, occasionally as low as 500W. P56s are usually either 300 or 500 watts. In both cases, I believe the 500W versions are less common.

As always, you really don't want to cheap out on dimmers. They're a high-stress item, and those are always the things most prone to failure. Good dimmers can last many decades -- there are many CD80 racks from 1980 still in service -- but cheap dimmers most likely you'll have to re-buy in a matter of years because they're disposable.

It's hard to say definitively without actually seeing your space in person, but usually the back of the room isn't where you want stage lights. You generally want them to come from about 45 degrees above the horizon from a person's head, which in most spaces puts them much closer to the front of the room. That angle gives decent isolation and modeling (that is, features aren't completely flattened-out by light) and is also far more comfortable to stand in. The closer to the horizon that angle is, the more it hurts a person's eyes while it also washes away 3D features because the shadows are all filled in.

Do you have a dimmer rack already? If not, the first one that comes to mind for many small (that is, less-than-96-dimmers) applications is ETC's wall-mount Smartpack series. It comes in 6x2.4k and a 12x1.2k models, and if I remember correctly the price tag is somewhere around $2K US. I think that would likely be an excellent future-expandable choice.

[EmilBarnabas]

More expensive dimmer packs usually have better noise suppression circuits to keep from making noise in sound systems.

Look for used dimmer packs from bands that break up and DJs that go out of business. Just make sure it is really a DMX dimmer, because not all are.

[daver2]

I would be surprised if your existing PAR lamp consumed more than 1 kW.

Assuming you are in the states: 110V * 10A = 1,100W (i.e. the 10A dimmers you have found should just be capable of driving one PAR lamp rated at 1 kW maximum).

If you are already over budget - I would suggest identifying the wattage of your existing PARs somehow. If you can't physically get to them - has anyone in the congregation got a clamp ammeter or a load indicating meter that you could borrow?

Dave

[Steve Vanciel]

Entertainment Technologies (a Phillips company) makes a single channel dimmer called the Bac Pac. Available in either 750W or 1200W. It is an IGBT dimmer so it may be a little more expensive than a simple SCR dimmer.

There are several manufacturers of small "shoebox" dimmer packs with from 4 to six channels that might be a little cheaper and give you added capacity for expansion. (Lightronics, NSI, Altman, Leprecon)

SteveV
Orlando, FL