Home

Lens and Lights Operational Overview

1. A C D F 5V 5V il RN2 10K U3 74HC165 u e iB A 12 g ILLO c7 J3 ul 6 mt sH lt 5 CLOCK 5 m tr s He 4 4 55 15 3 m 6 l4 ax Z 5 MODE ES 1 8 Mie ue 45 6 5 4 5V 3 RN1 U4 5V 10K 74HC165 1 1 H uh vec H 1215 1 33 jc 4 J4 FL uh 5 sH 5 s 4 d Ste 15 6 2 8 or S DATA Off Board Switches Title 0368 MPX Size Number Rev 50 1109C SCH Dote 8 Feb 1995 Drawn by dhe Filename 3 11 9C SCH Sheet 5 of 5 A C D F NSI DIGITAL DIMMING SYSTEM INSTALLATION AND OPERATION GUIDE Software Revision 1 41 Version C UL Mfg Q3 96 and above SPECIFICATIONS NSI DIGITAL DIMMING SYSTEM DDS 86 88 96 9800 DIMMER PACKS SPECIFICATIONS Number of Channels Output capacity Input Power Dimmer control system Load filtering Control Input Types Control Wiring Output Connections Cooling System INSTALLATION AND OPERATION GUIDE Software Revision 1 41 Version C UL Mfg Q3 96 and above 86 9600 6 channels 88 9800 8 channels 86 8800 1200 watts 120v per channel 96 9800 2400 watts 120v per channel 8600 120 208 V ac 3 phase 4 wire 20 A or 120 240 V ac 1 phase 3 wire 30 A 8800 120 240 V ac 1 phase 3 wir
2. Oeesoeceeso 9 o eS RP i OUTPUT RECEPTACLES The standard version of the DDS rack dimmers have two AC output receptacles for each channel These receptacles provide power to the lamps in your lighting system The amount of power supplied to these outlets controls the intensity of the lamps connected The total lamp wattage connected to each channel must not exceed the rating of each channel see specifications Most 120VAC lamps and fixtures and some transformer type low voltage fixtures may be connected to these outlets DO NOT connect motors or fluorescent lighting to these outlets when the channel is operating in dimmer mode NOTE Some inductive type loads such as transformers ballasts and motors with poor power factor may cause the dimmer to output D C type current This may cause the load to draw excessive current and overheat causing damage to the transformer ballast or motor For this reason it is necessary to insure any inductive loads are fused individually for their respective normal operating current E 8 4 9 o 2 0 1 210014 DE DEM EDENE DDS 86 88 96 9800 DIMMER PACKS INSTALLATION AND OPERATION GUIDE Software Revision 1 41 Version C UL Mfg Q3 96 and above MICROPLEX MULTIPLEX CONTROL WI
3. 47 Section 4 Care and Maintenance isicccc i cscsccasascessasdsasccasdvacssasdivaceasadacsodsdsuecedsdvasscasesusseasabansedsdsusdsasdvavssaddbunseadae 47 Preventative Maintenarice 47 Troubleshooting cited DG ES OSORIO ROR eu vk edad aeo eade osa o 47 1 5 Broken how do 47 Appendices As 48 Three Phase 243412 48 Digital Addressing cate 49 GIO LI E 49 51 Table OP 51 References oeuf 51 Technical BREITE 53 30 Overview This manual will cover the use of dimmers in Lens and Lights Dimmers are devices that adjust the amount of electricity flowing to various lighting instruments which allows one to control the intensity of said instruments This manual will cover how to use and operate dimmers how to choose which dimmer to use as well as safety considerations maintenance and troubleshooting tips Section 1 Getting Started If you don t know where to begin this is the place Topics in this section may be covered in greater detail later in the manual What is a Dimmer When lighting an event whether it be a theatrical production a concert a m
4. 3 5 J2 V i T 1N4148 2 X1 X2 5 gt 4 5 RO 6 X5 5 R50 10 100 189 LM324J LED 150K MODE 3 10 232 Fes 11 5 CLOCK 4 4 5V 14 10K 2N3904 5V E U6 ta PIC16C54 15 c9 rs H 1 H s 5 b rea 12 V res H gt U7 5 8 2 CD4051 re 5 CLOCK TT nj vec 38 S MODE 920 18 CD40109 9 vor 2 2 Eg 15 osca bas mop T 8 m2 1 3 4 6 vos X6 XR 1 INH 1 218 6 5 3 1 04 x5 18 5 12 02 12 we 1 3 mo LIZ MET vos 4 1414 04 2 ADR Cer Res 2 7 VEE Voi 14 x25 8 Mhz 4 EN1 Ne n m EE 7 15 1 5 voa 1 2 X 8 vss ena 5V V C8 C16 C25 C17 C10 C11 Title 1 1 1 1 1 0368 MPX Size Number Rev C 30 1109C SCH Date amp Feb 1995 Drawn by Filename Sheet 3 of 5 A B D E R
5. 250 N 2 e AU 250V c31 U14 R72 017 R56 3 1 84020 1 6 84020 N H N H 05 T T 011 22s 3020 4020 3020 oo 9 556 859 54020 22 coc N4005 7 5 8 828 4 ceu 1N4005 Channel 1 D24 i i i i s annel 26 sf U10 B Neutral 1 Channel 4 S 7 Neutral 2 R28 s Je ext 2 4 200k 2 maag P8 R25 558 33K 1 1 4 3 a 21015 24 Ch 12 958 BS RN3 1 7 anne 258 1 cR zh J6 S U10 D 33K 14 P3 R27 1 2l os ess RN3 4 Channel 5 8 C14 S 200K J6 es t 09 0 352 5 14 a R23 228 5 Channel 3 1 cid m UA324 gl x5 20 1 lt sf U10 C Channel 6 5 8 gt P R26 ae s PES of U9 C 200k 5 2 P10 R22 ely Title 33k 4 5 v2 LD360 MPX 2b 200 RN3 3 33k 1 x Size Number Rev 1 m C 50 1109C SCH 8 0 ue RAMP2 ow 8 Feb 1995 Drawn by dis Filename Sheet 1 of 5 A B C D E F D F V R31 Q13 x R33 8 2 Ms 8 330K Ae R1 SIS 1 RAMP1 uis
6. dented 5 3 2 5 200 POW E Safe e 5 3 3 VX 3000 tee edere etras 5 3 4 Over voltage and Protection and Power 6 3 5 Temp LED and Fan Control enses 6 3 6 Connection to Terminal Power Inlet cesses 6 Control 7 DINK Ss as a 7 4 1 4 50 koad MM 7 4 1 2 DMX Indicators and controls 7 4 2 Analog Control rie avila Edere tht 8 Dimmer Circuit Controls and 8 CIRCUIT eei eode Lei er e cis 8 uctus 9 5 95 det d eec ues 9 SA screech uem Aer le OMS A Lect att ed 9 SCONE Storage 1 EET 9 6 1 Recording 9 6 2 ete d te PE necne 10 Service and Maintenance 10 7 1 Recommended 11 7 2 Replacing aR A REET SA AE TEEN nennen ae 11 Appendix A D
7. 541 16301 9 5 C Ox u Speo 99 11 19ju82 peo ywq peo ejqe1 Ajroede OL 41 GH Zk X aZ S231u01329 3 peijddy 25 Triangle Truss 4 FOLDING TRIANGULAR TRUSS HH 26 SPIGOTED Standard lengths are 10 8 and 5 Custom lengths available upon request Equipped with aluminum spigot connections Main chords are 2 OD x 1 8 aluminum Diagonals are 1 OD x 1 8 aluminum Fabricated by certified welders Snap Braces provided to lock truss in open position 121 86 309 52 OD INAS AISA 120 304 80 ELEVATION END VIEW omcatglobal com www t 6 99 USA Tel 1 915 694 7070 UK Tel 44 0 151 4823100 Tel 52 0 3 8248623 1 41 26 ALLOWABLE LOAD DAT I FOLDING TRIANGULAR TRUSS 26 SPIGOTED MAXIMUM MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE POINT LOADS ALLOWABLE CENTER THIRD QUARTER UNIFORM LOADS POINT POINT POINT Max Max Max Max Span Load Load Defl Load Load Defl Load ft mtrs ift Ibs kgs in Ibs kgs in Ibs kgs in Ibs kgs in Spigots Only 10 3 04 546 5460 2477 0 04 5470 2481 2735 1241 1823 827 20 6 09 5380 2440 I 3812 1729 2692 1221 1795 814 30 164 420 2232 ose 2471 1121 1853 841
8. 1235 560 0 94 50 15 24 53 2650 1202 271 1346 611 227 1010 458 280 673 305 2 63 Note Deflections reported in the above tables are maximum expected for full loadings indoors only All loads are based on 10 0 sections Other section lengths are available Load tables are reprinted from engineering reports developed by Parkhill Smith amp Cooper Inc structural engineers and apply to truss fabricated after December 1989 FOLDING TRIANGULAR TRUSS 26 SPIGOTED Connections are aluminum spigots amp 5 8 clevis pins Product Description Item Code We ight 5 FOLDING TRIANGULAR TRS 26FT 060S 60 27 TRUSS 26 8 FOLDING TRIANGULAR TRS 26FT 096S 84 38 TRUSS 26 10 FOLDING TRIANGULAR TRS 26FT 120S 92 42 TRUSS 26 5 8 CLEVIS PIN HDW CP 625 25 11 TOP HITCH PIN 5 8 x4 3 4 HDW HP 57 26 www tomcatglobal com T 42 USA Tel 1 915 694 7070 UK Tel 44 0 151 4823100 Tel 52 0 3 8248623 6 99 27 Glossary Aircraft Cable Batons C Clamps CC person CC place Chain Hoists Deflection Genie Hammerlock Hangpoints Headblock L16 s L25 s Minitowers Outriggers Pickles Rigging Equipment Shackle Slideblocks Slings Spacer bars Truss Truss Condoms This is the cable on the L25 s that is used to lift the slideblocks These are metal poles hanging above the stage in Alden from which lights can be
9. BE 6 92 01 8 HZA Ww 1000 10 18 10114183530 Wi8H N 1898 80151538 1511 51894 24 108105 10 Control PCA Layout 10A 30 1024G 2 3 20 90 JF DG 32201 0 ou gag ML ne Did 0018 tBAOd UF Q10E EOf 1484 8 8 s 495 0009 01 0 Bd 022 01 UT 2006 0 3 eg aue s 495 0001 0 ___ se yd 912 01 ut 600 0 aquny 3Jeg 848 s t5 07 fi reuusxa 2495 40 30044 84 484 8801 paddeuys ST 105 40 31011 7804 24 uo hexe paj3auuoo 0078 8209 e UT aye 5406 34 000901 ay ELEG IEC EIE IW es 7 119 gd 84 30 apts 110 ayy ee S 495 4409 Pue 001190 40 3lfN 2605 30 3119 04 8415 045519 105 JO 30011 03 8418 41184 05 40 JQOHLYI 3 1406 300NY 0 NEGO hu 000901 24 1405 30 319 01 8413 Ht gem pappe 8 8 88 14 85138010 MINN p it 1 BB 00 QN Wsngd usnd 1042 231 5 0100 60 ts se won CD Ce 2 252 T utd 2 0 0 td 00 x2oiiaMod 22 0109 20 4 HE dar g 1 NOIIIZSS30 sai i SET v9 0005 01 35 06 155 0021 01 55 00 voz zooc co 271825 0092 01 425 A00 s9 600 0 zt teas 2007 20 zor KB AHO d 2 123 01
10. Green Ground Has 372 x 2 available panel space 134 deep Open Power Connector includes a connector to plug directly into the dimmer with 24 wire tails Can be used only if the dimmer rear which remains open is protected from personal contact and fire hazard by a metal box The lead color code and termination are identical to the blank power panel Note On the above panels neutrals for X amp are separate and must both be tied to neutral in a shared neutral system Hubbel Twistlock Power Panel Has 4 wire 30 AMP 2 pole plus neutral and ground connec tor Suitable for LD 1200 only because of ampacity UP U Ground Power Panel Has 2 15 AMP male U ground inlets 1 per 3 channels Only useable with LD 1200 at reduced power rating 1800 watts per 3 channels Patch Bay Power Has 18 panel mounted AMP powerlock terminals for load neutrals 6 for load grounds and wire tails for power connections x y neutral amp ground This panel involves exposed wiring so the dimmer rear must be protected from personal contact amp fire hazard by a metal cabinet This option is useful only in large lighting systems with multi circuit load cables where it is desirable to be able to re patch neutrals or series loads DP Direct Power Panel with a 10 contact AMP powerlock connector and handle which plugs directly into dimmer through access hole in metal cover plate included 3
11. Leprecon CAE Inc Box 430 Hamburg Michigan 48139 313 231 9373 leprecon Pro Lighting Equipment Load wiring is less difficult than power wiring because the circuits are over current protected by the dim mer circuit breakers and currents are in the more familiar range of 10 to 20 AMPS Care should still be taken of course The major complication in load wiring is the number of load circuits and the need in larger systems to patch and connect large numbers of circuits from loads in different locations to the desired dim mer channel outputs Wiring Each load circuit should have cable rated for the dimmer output ampacity not the individual load rating The same is true for connectors Cables for individual circuits should have a hot a neutral and a safety ground and connectors should too Multi load cables can have a shared ground rated for the highest ampacity circuit in the cable not the sum of ampacitys since a fault is unlikely to occur in more than one circuit at once Neutrals can be shared if the wiring to the dimmers is fixed as to phase of each circuit Note that ampacity of wires in cable or in duct or otherwise tightly enclosed should be derated because of heat build up See the applicable code book chart UL U Ground Load Panels may be used only on LD 1200 s as the outlets are rated at 15 AMPS and should not be wired to 20 AMP circuits SL Stage Pin Load Panels may be used for either Y
12. pnta naa oat unie ea png ege eene pua ouk xu vae 29 Table OF Go 30 gua 31 Section 1 Getting Started eaae REE E EEE a EErEE aaRS 31 SECON 2 SOY E 42 5 3 HOW TOS aa EAE E A A t ere eeu sas 43 Section 4 Care and Maintenance scscccccccecssssssssececeescessesssaeeeceescesseseeaeseceeecesseaeaeeeeeeseessessaaees 47 asia Osa eae Ro 48 GIOSSANY E I A SS E A A A A E A E 49 53 Chapter 1 Truss Manual Table of Contents e 5 Section 1 Getting Started ntcs 5 EE 5 BOX TRUSS aa S 6 255 7 What kind of truss should Use for an 2 enne 7 S ction 2 Safety E dct m miu Mu ait uM 8 Personnel emi EDT 8 Equipment 5 2 9 Section HOW TO S ode cae det aeos Coen nere rege 9 How to connect the triangle 9 How to hang the triangle truss in AID N ccccssssecececessesseececececesseseuaeseeeceseesesaeaeeeesceseeseaeaeeeeeens 12 H
13. Pressing the button a second time will cause the channel to return to normal control CHANNEL CIRCUIT BREAKERS Each channel is protected by a magnetic circuit breaker to help prevent overloading the power control devices used in the dimmer These circuit breakers also function as master power switches for each channel Note Lamps may sometimes cause a temporary short circuit when the filament burns out and cause the circuit breaker to trip This is normal and protects the internal dimmer circuitry from damage CHANNEL LEVEL MEMORY Whenever dipswitch 10 is in the off down position and there is a loss of multiplex signal detected all channel outputs will remain at the last received intensity level If dipswitch 10 is in the up position all lights will go out on loss of multiplex The automatic sequencing feature must be disabled for Channel Level Memory to operate see INTERNAL JUMPER DIPSWITCH SELECTIONS FAN OPERATION and OVER TEMPERATURE The NSI DDS rack dimmer packs employ a highly efficient cooling system and variable speed temperature controlled fan which functions as follows e When the dimmer pack is first powered up the fan will immediately come to full speed for two seconds for self test and then will shut off providing the dimmer is at room temperature e NOTE The fan may run at very low speed when dimmer is idle and at room temperature e As the dimmer pack warms up when lighting loads are turned on the fan
14. Send in the dimmer for repairs Lights flash or strobe Make sure that your DMX runs are not too long Send in the dimmer for repairs Appendices The following sections cover information that while is still handy and good to know is not necessarily as important to being able to run a lighting event as is the information above Three Phase Power Three phase power is generated by a special type of generator it uses a central magnet that rotates around three other magnets each 120 from each other The effect of this is that three distinct waveforms are produced each of the waveforms are out of phase by 120 The practical usage of three phase power is that it is useful for power transmission it allows larger loads to be distributed through each line Our three phase power comes from camtaps attached directly to the mains The colors that are used to indicate the phases the neutral and the ground red black blue white and green respectively are consistent within WPI but are not part of a federally mandated electric code with the exception of the neutral being white and the ground being green Generally it makes sense to plug each of the live cam lines into the properly colored connector blue into blue red into red black into black However it doesn t actually matter where they are plugged into as the only difference between each line is the phase of the signal Lens and Lights policy is to plug each cam into the properly
15. 5 amps per light Dimmers in Practice Each dimmer rack is really a collection of multiple dimmer packs which are sets of dimmers in a nice package that easily slides into roadcases Some older packs don t slide easily into roadcases and instead have specially built cases for them Most of our packs are manufactured by Leprecon and some are manufactured by NSI Lighting Board Dimmer Figure 3 Signal chain of a dimming system Our dimmers communicate with our lighting boards using a type of cable called DMX 512 which stands for digital multiplexing with 512 channels or simply DMX Technically the cable itself is 5 pin data cable while the data standard the cable uses is referred to as DMX 512 However most people will use that name to refer to the cable See Cables and Connectors DMX for more information The lighting board sends a signal through the DMX to the dimmer to control each light see Figure 3 sending its data by using addresses An address is some information that travels along with the signal to tell it where to go The dimmer racks assign each of their individual dimmers an address and listens for any information being sent by the board to that address see Figure 4 The addresses are usually referred to as channels 33 Figure 4 Example of addressing Light addressed to 04 is at Full Light addressed to 05 is at 50 Light addressed to 06 is at 75 If two dimmers are addressed to the same numb
16. CH To OUTPUT 9 Power distr board schematic ON LEFT CONTROL PCB CH 1 3 NEUTRAL AND FOIL SIDE VIEW GROUND LINES TO OUTPUT Z 6 60189 IN od sapeay 333 9 0200 40 2421 usd 2 0200 40 bd 432 p uid y 0v00 0 2d 201 814 2 1009 40 ld 01141836530 1884 580133 803 02 7 150 9200 01 I N011d13253d W38MhN Lava 5000 50 179 031 9 1001 0 0 200981 2000 0 96piag A002 vI 100 0 10 14183534 18445340 kessy 381652 9010 90 9 21 09201 064 521982 2200 00 u 114183530 5801515 81 NDEN 1000 90 ni NGEEHT 1200 90 221 5018 6200 90 DI 114183530 38 1844 SLINA NDINI SIO 9001 20 Wild 05 1 201 20 3514 05 10 000 20 01763 YVAN 00176607 201 20 82 311A SE L 2 02 20 13 55 1 9202 20 8792 21147 05 01 5202 20 22 12 9 3540 05 1 8000 20 1 41791 0179122 21141 SE 0001 2v02 20 12 0114182530 W38W N 1894 5801129492 303s 21d 9606 61 112 21 3699 5102 10 2 xl 3002 9102 10 06627828 110 10 pau zI Giv 0102 10 2 41 AOE 5002 10 22 02u 30dui44 706 501 80 L2 gly 389 600 i0 a2 800 10 82161761 S AT IHW3SSV 017 900 10 f X01 100 10 Eb 6E
17. are shown in parenthesis WIRE AMPACITY TABLE FROM 1990 N E C SINGLE CONDUCTOR WIRE PORTABLE CORDAGE ania SAFETY 86 F 2 RESISTANCE 400 8 ESL DHMS PER MAIN SIZE THOUSAND WIRE FEET ON PO 0 Ampacities of single insulated conductors 0 2000 volts in free air based on ambient temperature of 30C lemRecon Pro Lighting Equipment LEPRECON DIMMER CONTROL INPUT Control Voltage Leprecon dimmers and controllers are shipped trimmed for 0 to 10 volt control range We recommend this as a standard in any systems trimmable to it because it s easy to measure to use and to relate to 5v 5 10 or 50 9v 9 10 or 90 etc If you must retrim to a different range to be com patible with another un trimmable type of dimmer or controller see Trimming Procedures Control Connectors Every LD dimmer has parallelled male and female control connectors Pins 1 6 are control inputs 1 6 Pin 8 is common Pin 7 is not connected Connectors are Cinch Jones P 308CCT and S 308CCT or equivalent We suggest that female S connectors be used on a multi cable snake ends because male pins are easily bent in handling Control Grounding The control common should be totally isolated throughout the system it should not be connected to ground or neutral in the board stage boxes or dimmers Some dimmers have grounded con
18. button will start a one second crossfade from scene to scene Memorized scenes will pile on with current DMX or analog scenes from controller 4 To resume normal operation set the DMX switches to a valid address 0 512 5 Scene 700 is a pre recorded blackout and can be used to fade out any of the recorded scenes T Service and Maintenance The VX dimmer racks are designed to make troubleshooting and repair of the system fast and easy LED indicators are used to pinpoint problems to a defective module The suspected module can be removed without tools and the system repaired in minutes by installing replacement parts 7 1 Recommended Service VX dimmers like other dense pack dimmers needs an unrestricted supply of fresh cool air The pack has been designed to operate at ambient temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius or about 100 degrees Fahrenheit When the dimmers are used in very dusty conditions it may be necessary to remove and clean the air inlet filters periodically 10 7 2 Replacing modules VX dimmers are exceptionally easy to service If a problem is suspected in a power module the part can be replaced in a few minutes To change a power module follow these steps Warning Removing the dimmer front panel will expose dangerous high voltage components Do not attempt to service dimmer with power applied 1 Disconnect power to the dimmer pack Potentially lethal voltages are present inside the dimmer 2 Remove t
19. colored slot to avoid confusion 48 Digital Addressing The NSI DDS 8800 is a seemingly normal 8 channel dimmer but the rack does not have a standard addressing mechanism Instead the addressing is done digitally The front of the dimmer has a dipswitch that can be flipped in various fashions to set the starting address of the dimmer Table 5 Dipswitch positions for addressing on NSI dimmer Starting Ch 123456789 Starting Ch 123456789 Starting Ch 123456789 1 000000000 2 100000000 3 010000000 4 110000000 5 001000000 6 101000000 7 011000000 8 111000000 9 000100000 10 100100000 11 010100000 12 110100000 The numbers increase in binary up to 512 The tenth dip switch is for a feature called channel level memory when the switch is on if the DMX signal is lost all the lights will turn off If the switch is off and the DMX signal is lost all the lights will remain at their last known intensity level NSI Corporation Glossary addresses breakout boxes bump switch camloc camtap channel daisy chain dimmer dimmer packs dimmer rack The address of something refers to the DMX channel that will control it A dimmer addressed to 13 will respond to DMX channel 13 A box that takes a multi cable such as socapex and breaks it out into individual cables with connectors such as Edison A physical switch on the dimmer rack used to turn a channel on and off usually for testing purposes A cable use
20. control pin 13 is fan on off Cable fem C J 5315 CAE 07 1040 Cable male C J P315 CCT CAE 07 1039 5 LP 750 and LP 900 and LP 1000 27 pin Jones pin 1 24 channels 1 24 or 1 18 pins 26 amp 27 are control common pin 25 is fan on off i Cable fem C J S327 CCT CAE 07 1059 Cable male CJ P327 CCT CAE 07 1060 We recommend you put heat shrink over cable jacket under the cable clamp and teflon tubing 8 gauge thin wall over each soldered terminal with wire 6 Leprecon CAE Inc Box 430 Hamburg Michigan 48139 313 231 9373 leprRecons Pro Lighting Equipment TRIMMING LEPRECON DIMMERS Note Leprecon products are factory trimmed for 0 10V control range We sugges 0 10 volt trim unless circumstances require otherwise i e unless compatibility with non trimmable dimmers or consoles is required Tools digital meter oscilloscope with 10X probe ground fault protected outlet control voltage source test load amp connectors as required 1 Check console trim and adjust as necessary 2 Hook up console or a variable voltage supply to dimmer control input with some provi sions for reading control input voltage with meter 3 Hook up power to dimmer Ground carefully and usea ground fault breaker protected test circuit Attach at least a 600 watt load and a scope 10X probe to the output of channel 1 BE CAREFUL 4 Bring up dimmer channel 1 adjust
21. d have to reduce the voltage Going back to our river we could install a giant faucet upstream from the gristmill to use as a water source When we wanted to increase the speed of the wheel we could turn the faucet and let more water through If we wanted to slow the wheel or even stop it we could turn the faucet in the other direction As it turns out dimmers work just like giant faucets and aren t nearly as cumbersome to carry about However where the faucet is a simple mechanical device the dimmer is a quite complex piece of electronics The history of creating this useful device is long but some of it has been summarized in the next section History of Dimmers Early theatre was lit by sunlight As time went on and indoor productions became more common fire or oil lamps became the method to light actors on stage However with the advent of electricity came artificial sunlight produced through incandescent bulbs and it wasn t long before people looked to ways to control these lights One of the first methods devised was to use large drums of salt water with metal plates inside of them The closer the plates came to touching each other the more electricity would flow This acted as a crude variable resistor but was quite dangerous as well as needing as many people operating the equipment as they had lights Another method was to use actual variable resistors but this created a large amount of energy wasted in heating the resistor
22. into one of the sockets for that channel Although there are four spots to plug cables into for each dimmer it is good practice to only plug one light into each dimmer to avoid accidentally overloading the circuit Although putting four lights won t necessarily overload the dimmer four very high powered lights may See Theory of Dimmers for more information but a safe bet is to leave one channel for each light 40 15 F NC UI UT EE 8 9 Em 7 Figure 14 Patch cable C1 soc light 1 Figure 13 Patch bay Addressing start address Figure 15 Dimmer starting address set to 013 Each individual dimmer has a starting address which can usually be found on the front of the dimmer see Figure 15 The starting address corresponds to the first DMX channel it will respond to For example a 12 channel dimmer with a starting address of 13 will use DMX channel 13 for the first dimmer DMX channel 14 for the second dimmer and so on For most dimmers there is a simple switch that displays the current starting address on the front of the dimmer For some dimmers a bit more work is required see Digital Addressing in the appendix Bumping Once all of the cables have been connected it s important to figure out if everything is actually working as intended On the front of each dimmer rack is an array of buttons see Figure 17 Above e
23. out position and turn the channel off again The Test switch is a hard wired function at the output stage of the dimmer For this reason the Test switches will continue to operate even if the control electronics are disabled This fail safe feature can be very important if the control console or dimmer electronics are disabled 5 3 Output LED This green LED is connected to the output of the dimmer circuit When lighted it indicates that voltage is present at the load Any condition that turns on the load will light the LED Test switch on control signal present or dimmer malfunction In conjunction with the other indicator the Output LED can be used to troubleshoot system problems quickly 5 4 Error LED Each channel of the VX dimmer includes an Error LED that when lighted indicates one of several improper conditions These conditions are easy to understand the dimmer has no output when it should or the dimmer has output when it should not The causes are listed below a Breaker open no power applied to the channel b No Load lamp disconnected or burned out c Test Channel is at 100 because the Test switch is on d Shorted SCR Bad power device Note No load indication is accurate only with the control signal below 90 and the Test switch in the Off position 6 Scene Storage With microprocessor based control circuitry the VX dimmer is capable of advanced functions such as scene storage Using the
24. scope to display a full cycle of the output waveform Trigger scope off line and ground scope to chassis not to neutral Some ripple will result but it s safer than t ying scope common to neutral 5 A Bring the control input up to full or 100 Adjust Maximum 1 3 trimmer until the scope shows almost 100 on then carefully adjust it until 100 is reached B Bring the control input to minimum level Adjust Minimum 1 3 trimmer until the scope shows minimal output then carefully adjust it until the output just disappears or if preheat is desired until the desired level of preheat is reached as measured with an RMS meter on the output or graduations on the scope screen C Repeat A and B to fine tune D Move the control input from minimum to maximum and observe that the output moves smoothly from zero to full on E Repeat D with second and third channels Readjusting trimmers should not be necessary F Repeat A through E with channels 4 through 6 Note To suit operator preferences it may be desirable to adjust the preheat up or the high end down This can be done by eye on one channel then establishing the desired output levels by RMS meter or Scope and adjusting all dimmers accordingly Keep in mind when using digital meters that the apparent accuracy often to 1 10 of 1 of full reading can be misleading The meter itself isn t better than 2 or 3 accuracy Trim accurate within 5 is general
25. the rest of the bundles and put off to the side as neatly as possible 5 Replace covers Remember to latch the covers down How to Patch 1 Find the patch bay Some of our dimmers have it located on the top of the dimmer see Figure 21 some on the side and some have digital patching The following assumes that you aren t using a digital dimmer The patch bay has a grid of wire inputs and a bundle of colored cables Figure 21 Patch bay located in a panel on the top of a dimmer 2 Take the cable associated with the light you want to control and plug it into the plug associated with the channel you want to use with the light It usually helps to have a diagram of which lights are plugged into where For more information on decoding what all the letters and numbers mean see Patching in the Getting Started section Make sure the channel you re plugging into is off before plugging or unplugging patch cables How to work with DMX 1 Get a rough idea in your head of where you ll be putting your DMX controllable equipment as well as how much DMX you ll need 2 Figure out how you ll be connecting them Female talks the main device you ll be working around is the lighting board since it will be sending the signals to your devices The female port of the lighting board will need to be connected to the male port on the dimmer rack To connect multiple pieces of equipment you can either daisy chain them o
26. thermal expansion 0 0000128 in degree F Bolts are SAE Grade 8 with minimum tensile yield strength of 150 ksi Welding All weld joints are considered to exceed the structural capacity of the joined members Results See following sheet 24 Aq suonipuoo awos jeued ueewjeq JO jeued e JeujeuM Aq peouenyur sanioedes peol juiod 9 pue peep 10 lt peynsuoo eq peyijenb e uey 1eujo 104 5 55 ejeudoudde y apin6 e pesn eq 941 e qe ui sese 10 ses jeue y ui speo 9 Jeujo Jo ON jou pue eseo uoee 10 y jueseJdaiJ eu senioedeo peo1 SSN eui jo do eu pue ajqe eui sis Jeue jo esodind au 104 Ajquiesse eui 20 peo 610 eu juesaJdaiJ ejqej y ui peo 7 2 us 7 91 H ul ul sa uy
27. up the two center pieces of box truss so that they meet at the center of the stage where you will be raising them Make sure pieces are lined up point to point see Figure 8 Then line up the other two pieces if being used at the ends of the first two in the same fashion At the end of this step you should have a line of truss on the floor where it will eventually be raised Because this will be the final location of the truss make sure it is completely straight otherwise when you place the tower bases in the next step they won t be in the right position 14 P 4 Figure 8 Truss lined up point to point Setting up the towers 1 Now place a tower base at each end of the truss on the floor Attach three of the outriggers on each tower base all but the outrigger blocked by the truss To attach them slide in the bottom of the outrigger bolt it in and then slide in the top part If it is difficult to fit in do not force it If necessary a rubber mallet can be used carefully to help the outrigger into place Do not use metal objects such as hammers or crowbars as this can cause stress on the outriggers Once the top is in slide the bolt through Finger tighten the bolts on the outriggers Figure 9 Attaching outriggers 2 Next you ll want to line up the pieces of truss that are used for the tower referred to as tower truss henceforth You ll notice that there are three pieces of varying length 3 7 and 1
28. will turn on at a slow speed and gradually increase in speed as more cooling is needed This reduces unnecessary fan noise and dust collection e If for some reason the dimmer airflow is blocked or inadequate the TEMP LED will light e If temperature rises any further the dimmer will attempt to reduce all lighting levels by 25 increments in order to reduce temperature The TEMP LED will start flashing e If internal temperature still rises a thermostat will shut off all output The TEMP LED will flash Overheating of the dimmer is not normal and may be due to restriction of air circulation or fan failure To adjust the temperature sensing of the DDS 88 9800 86 9600 dimmers please see below IMPORTANT BE SURE DIMMER PACK AT ROOM TEMPERATURE 1 Activate the calibration mode by holding down focus test switchs 4 and 8 3 and 6 together for about 6 seconds You will notice the fan runs at high speed the line indicator LEDs begin to flash and the temp LED is on NOTE If the temp led is off no calibration is required 2 Press focus test switch 2 1 if calibration is low or focus test switch 3 2 if high You will notice the temp load indicator LED should go off indicating proper calibration 3 Press focus test switch 4 and 8 3 and 6 together to exit the temperature calibration mode INSTALLATION AND OPERATION GUIDE DDS 86 88 96 9800 DIMMER PACKS MPX ADDRESS SWITCH SETTINGS Software Revision 1 41 Version C UL Mfg Q3 96 and
29. with at least 12 inches of clearance between the dimmer and any ceiling or obstruction above the dimmer that would block air circulation Power Connection Leprecon LD360 series dimmers are supplied with line cords with standard Edison plugs attached The LD360 dimmer can present up to a 20 Amp load per line cord use of extension cords for power is not recommended The LD360 should be connected to a service capable of supplying 20 amps and protected by a properly sized circuit breaker If you have any questions about the suitability of the power circuit that you intend to use with the LD360 dimmer consult with a qualified electrician Load Connection The LD360 MPX dimmer is provided with standard duplex outlets The capacity of these outlets is 15 amps each Lamp loads are plugged directly into the outlets on the body of the dimmer Address Selection The LD360 MPX dimmer can be set to respond to any control channel from 1 to 99 Two thumbwheel switches are provided for easy address setting Just set the switches to read the correct start address The address shown on the switches is the address for the first channel of the dimmer Examples follow Start Address Pack Range 1 channels 1 6 2 channels 2 7 5 channels 5 10 Service Service policy The LD360MPX is designed for a long trouble free life If you suspect that you have a dimmer problem the first step is to check all other system components and connections The easiest te
30. 0 for each side The order in which you put these is not important and if you want a shorter tower you do not need to use all of them but you ll want them to be 15 the same on each side As with the truss in the middle pieces should be lined up point to point if possible Also note that with these you need to line up the track on them so the truss can be lifted up it Figure 10 Tower truss with track lined up With the entire truss and tower truss laid out on the floor now is the time to bolt it all together The direction of the bolts doesn t matter on the inside pieces but for the tower truss you ll want them put in such that the bolts point downward This way in the event that the nut falls off gravity will hold the bolt in place You ll want to tighten them with a ratchet so they are tight but don t force it If you tighten them too much you could damage both the truss and the bolts which lowers the rating of them After the truss is secured together it is time to attach the truss to the slideblock see glossary of the tower If able it is easier to do this by lifting the truss and putting it on two tables or whatever is available to elevate the truss and lifting the slideblocks to this height While the truss is held at the level of the slideblocks bolt the two together Depending on the height of the truss you may not be able to fit a wrench behind the slideblock In this case you should finger tighten as best you
31. 099 12K R10 01 0169 10M R11 12 01 0121 100K R13 14 01 0145 1M R15 01 0072 910 R16 01 0119 82K R17 08 1019 10K Trimmer R18 01 0103 18K R19 01 0121 100K R20 01 0152 2M R21 22 01 0121 100K R23 24 01 0145 1M R25 01 0072 910 R26 27 01 0097 10K DIODES D1 2 03 0002 184002 03 4 5 6 03 0004 184148 07 8 03 1003 LED RED INTEGRATED CIRCUITS 101 06 0057 LM317T 162 06 0061 LM334 163 06 0001 LM324 CAPACITORS WE C1 02 2025 10 50LY cas 02 2026 1 35 FOIL SIDE VIEW 3 4 02 2003 1 50 LYTIC OT OV PCA ayout 1 1 TUM LM 3T 12 OT OV schematic 6 2 83 8 23 E 087 Well tk ive 16 thk Power Output Connectors 30 Pover Locks Type 16111015 at 1 In 35 89 val T em mecs Drive Harness 1 3 Channel Circuit Breakers Control end Fan Pover Wiring f 1418 19 18 ANG 600 V 105 010 vell thk 3 2 223332223 xxxx66 gt gt gt gt LT IU Drive Harness 1 3 Diser Circuit Breakers Pover Distribution 4 e 5 3 222 X Neutrel on e o L L 2 23131 833331 gt gt gt gt 33 23 83 10007 rive brg 610 Woll Uk 12 600 105 C Control In end Drive Harness 3M 335 28 30 Y 105 C 009 avg 007 sin vell thk or equivalent CAE I
32. 1 92 1101101 93 0011101 94 1011101 95 0111101 96 1111101 97 0000011 98 1000011 99 0100011 100 1100011 101 0010011 102 1010011 103 0110011 104 1110011 105 0001011 106 1001011 107 0101011 108 1101011 109 0011011 110 1011011 111 0111011 112 1111011 113 0000111 114 1000111 115 0100111 116 1100111 117 0010111 118 1010111 119 0110111 120 1110111 121 0001111 122 1001111 123 0101111 124 1101111 125 0011111 126 1011111 127 0111111 128 1111111 For channels 129 256 Set dipswitch 1 7 as above and set dipswitch 8 on and 9 off For channels 257 384 Set dipswitch 1 7 as above and set dipswitch 8 off and 9 on For channels 385 512 Set dipswitch 1 7 as above and set dipswitch 8 and 9 on For dipswitch 10 setting see CHANNEL LEVEL MEMORY DDS 86 88 96 9800 DIMMER PACKS INSTALLATION AND OPERATION GUIDE Software Revision 1 41 Version C UL Mfg Q3 96 and above INTERNAL JUMPER DIPSWITCH SELECTIONS INTERNAL JUMPER DIPSWITCH SELECTIONS Caution The follow procedures should be performed by qualified personnel only Remove all power and remove the cover of the dimmer pack Locate and change jumper or dipswitch settings on the firing card as indicated in the following section Softstart The Softstart mode of operation forces at least a 1 10th second delay between the output being full off to the output being full on to allow a more gradual warming of the lamp filaments Thermal shock and inrush currents are reduced thereby increasing lamp lif
33. 2N3904 1N4005 5 4 na 750 ae 24 5 250 Dus R30 100K E S ome DS 0 2 R6 V a2 i H1 1 5K i 7 2 s a 5 2 RAMP2 1 20 25 x 2 4 250v E 02 zl S 27 5 5 j Select f C27 1N4005 S La UA324 HP or Non H i L9 7 xli _ _ GNDEARTH l H2 HP Only CB2 20 Amp AC 2 Vi 250V T E C26 V 52 R36 GNDEARTH 12 85 V 1 1 er R37 8 2 750 2 2 3 vos 100K 330K LM324J amp 1 5 4N25 2N3904 14005 S v L 4 D14 ae me S 3 25 22 5 8 82 i LP1 Title LD36 MPX Size Number Rev C 30 1109C SCH 8 Feb 1995 Drawn by dhs Filename Sheet 2 of 5 A F A B C D E F V J1 1 MPX 2 connection 5 gt 5V 3 Pin Header 1N4005 V V 5V u2 1 7805 1283 ngs 825 BFS __ 4 3465 5 Synch Detector 2 R95 R94 4 4 15 U8AB D R97 150K
34. 3 18 4 54 17 5 55 16 6 56 15 7 57 14 8 58 J3 SWITCH OR JUMPER OFF NON DIM SWITCH OR JUMPER ON DIMMER INSTALLATION AND OPERATION GUIDE AUTO SEQUENCING MODE DDS 86 88 96 9800 DIMMER PACKS Software Revision 1 41 Version C UL Mfg Q3 96 and above AUTO SEQUENCING MODE The DDS rack dimmers can be configured to perform stand alone Automatic Sequencing in place of Channel Level Memory This is useful for lighting displays and show windows The eight channels will automatically fade from one to another in a preprogrammed pattern and time selected by the front panel dipswitch whenever dipswitch 10 is down and no multiplex signal is detected The Analog control input will continue to operate while the dimmer is sequencing To enable Automatic Sequencing Mode remove jumper from position J2 or turn INTERNAL dipswitch S9 to OFF Front Panel Dipswitch settings STEP TIME SWITCH 1 2 3 PATTERN SWITCH 4 5 6 1 SECOND OFF OFF OFF SEQUENCE OFF OFF OFF 3 SECOND ON OFF OFF ODD EVEN SEQUENCE ON OFF OFF 5 SECOND OFF ON OFF PAIRED SEQUENCE OFF ON OFF 10 SECOND ON ON OFF ODD EVEN ALT ON ON OFF 15 SECOND OFF OFF ON OUT IN SEQUENCE OFF OFF ON 30 SECOND ON OFF ON BUILD ON OFF ON 45 SECOND OFF ON ON BUILD OFF ON ON 60 SECOND ON ON ON RANDOM ON ON ON Dipswitch 7 on causes all above sequences to ping pong INSTALLATION and OPERATION TIPS Care should always be taken to 1 Keep all AC wiring away from control wiring 2 We also reco
35. 40 A00 020739 800 0 M F CE P CX 6 F3 431 peu t00i cO sa SOOPNI 2100 0 D C aM ld 1001 0 omg WOIIZIESS 5205 F3 MD UKIAH AOP T 8101 20 52 DILAT 202 20 4 6 75 rt v ME 8106 10 S l0 10 gt 1210 10 ota 089 6906 10 gu 6106 10 H xc 6800 10 o sa oot 6 06 TO oLz 6506 10 za 6206 10 212 00 00000 4517 51494 11 42201 06 8 vl Yv amp VOd IMYA OLLWNSHOS ca 2 6 1e c ELE 66189 IN o d ouj jVO 60 EM MZ t LINY 269075 940 5 405 00 2 01 7102075 940 5 405 001 01 214 3 amp Ge 2 SOOVNI 020 35 bol SOO NI Es 3 12 1805 3 6 l 4001 puj uoo 013 d 7 umoys uOniSOd 440 7 703 tS gt m vod td E avor 11A OT OV PCB PARTS LIST RESISTORS PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION R1 01 0072 910 R2 01 0058 240 R3 01 2002 221 1 R4 01 0083 2 7K R5 08 1019 10K Trimmer R6 01 0095 8 2K R7 01 0121 100K 88 01 0097 10K R9 01 0
36. 512 We also need some way of telling the dimmers what to do For this we use DMX 512 usually just referred to as DMX see Figure 12 The name refers to the communication standard that the cable carries called Digital Multiplexing The cable carries a stream of information giving the values of up to 512 channels based on what the values the lighting board sends out DMX uses a 5 pin XLR connector with a tab line up the tab and the pins to connect the cables together see Figure 11 To unplug push the tab down and pull apart _ _ 4 ODO T 2 Snap Figure 11 DMX pushes together with an audible click when it is secure Female talks male listens is a good mnemonic to learn the female end of the DMX cable is sending information and the male end is receiving information The lighting board is where the information is coming from so it has a female port on it The dimmer rack usually has two ports this is so that one can have multiple dimmer racks controlled through the same set of channels as most dimmers have 36 or fewer channels Connecting equipment in this fashion is known as daisy chaining An alternate method of connecting equipment would be to use a DMX splitter to send the DMX signal to multiple locations DMX splitters can also be used as signal boosters if the cable is to be run over long distances 39 Figure 12 Female left and male right DMX connectors Patching This s
37. LD series dimmers have removable interchangeable power amp load panels This feature is not intended for repeated insertion and removal but is for convenience in dealer stocking and initial system set up To remove a panel remove the screws along its top amp bottom then carefully set the dimmer on its face on a padded surface and pry the panel outward at it s outside edge top amp bottom with even pressure with two flat blade screwdrivers To insert a panel slip it in and gently the connectors into alignment and partial engagement until the panel is about 1 8 from the chassis then rap the outside edge sharply to seat the connector and screw the panel down This takes some patience and must not be forced Removing the cover the first few times you do it to see what s going on inside is helpful SUGGESTED LOAD CONNECTOR BRANDS amp SOURCES Hubbell Twistlocks valise plugs Kellums cord grips Union Connector Co Stage plugs sockets panels Veam Multi pin connectors Pyle National Star Line multi pin connectors classiest option the in construction amp price Sine Products Multi Pin connectors interchangable with Star Line cheaper amp better delivery than Pyle just as good Amphenol MS type multi pin connectors leave off the locking ring they work better longer Inexpensive option Cinch Jones Lowest cost multi pins no
38. MX 512 Standards eene nennen nnne nenas 12 1 General Description The Leprecon VX Dimmer is designed to meet the demanding requirements of the lighting industry Emphasis was placed on designing a system that is flexible reliable and serviceable The latest digital technology combined with a modular design bring a new level of performance and ease of use to portable and permanent dimming systems Because of the many custom features available on VX systems the features described in this manual may not cover all available options of the dimmer 1 1 Standard Features Modular Dimming 8 Control Electronics Dimmer and control electronics can be serviced from the front panel without removing the dimmer from the rack or enclosure DMX Control Input Digital control electronics using a patented circuit allows simultaneous DMX 512 and analog control input with a highest takes precedence logic Parallel input and output for DMX 512 allows daisy chaining racks together in one system DMX start address switches allow the dimmers to be assigned to start receiving data at any of the 512 addresses True digital control electronics provides accurate dimmer output tracking from channel to channel eliminating any variance in output levels when multiple dimmer channels are patched together Analog Control Input Two 8 pin Jones type male plugs are provided for 0 10 DC analog control Control cable and pin connections are compatible
39. NC Part Number Type TEV ULIOIS 1 Drive Herness 4 6 Control end Fen Pover Wiring 1 1418 19 18 AWG 600 V voll tk Date 6 7 90 Name TAS Scale Full Jo n lea ups 007 bre 6007 I SDL A SOE 285219 aa 4 PUB MIO UT 0 548 ARA LIA 2007 72 0 009 SAV 21 5011 11 adi cuwo d reso 2 1 39H 1 Ec m 999 E i E AR 190172 901 A 09 SAY 81 F nog Ub puo 040 30H TONAN A TONAN A punoug 19 4neN X Teu neN X X X de soyan any leprecon VX Dimmer User s Manual Manual part number 21 2119E Software Version 1 1 10 March 1994 Leprecon CAE Inc P O Box 430 Hamburg MI 48139 USA 810 231 9373 FAX 810 231 1631 WWW leprecon com Table of Contents General Description 3 1 0 5 zStandardiEealures ie Ps tte cere eei 3 asl Tore 4 2 4 RAOK MOUE 4 2127 Standulone 4 2 21 Power INPUT ie A evi bibe bei 5 VX 2400 Power Requirements n three nennen nnns 5 9 15 VX22400 eee
40. RING MICROPLEX MULTIPLEX CONTROL WIRING Microplex is the control protocol used on most NSI lighting consoles This system uses a single three conductor cable to transmit up to 128 channels of dimmer control For short distances 50 feet or less a standard microphone cable may be used to carry both the control signal and the DC power source for NSI control consoles Longer distances may be accommodated with 18 gauge or better cable to reduce voltage losses of the power supply Connect the Microplex control cable to either of the three pin XLR jacks Since both jacks are wired in parallel another control cable may be connected between the remaining jack and another dimmer pack Many dimmer packs may be daisy chained together in this manner Be sure to set the Channel Address dip switch as required see MPX ADDRESS SWITCH SETTINGS MICRO PLEX DAISY CHAIN ANALOG 0 10 VDC CONTROL WIRING Each of the dimmer channels of the NSI DDS rack dimmer pack may be operated by an analog 0 10 VDC control voltage This type of control will provide 0 intensity at 0 volts and 100 intensity at 10 volts Any or all of the DDS rack dimmer channels may be operated in this manner simultaneously with any multiplex control input Each dimmer will respond to the greater of any control inputs The analog control input uses a standard 9 pin connector which is available from mos
41. The VX 1200 with the standard Terminal Power inlet requires 40 amps per leg of 3 phase power Because of the neutral currents that can occur with phase control dimmers the neutral must be capable of carrying 150 of the current of a single leg or 60 amps It is recommended that the safety ground be equal to the capacity of the hot legs or 40 amps The VX 1200 consists of twelve circuits of ten amps each Nominal line voltage is 115 VAC at 60 Hz Special order models are available for 50 Hz and 230 volt operation 3 3 VX 3000 Power The VX 3000 with the standard Terminal Power inlet requires 108 amps per leg of 3 phase power Because of the neutral currents that can occur with phase control dimmers the neutral must be capable of carrying 150 of the current of a single leg or 162 amps Two screw terminals are provided for double neutral wires to meet this requirement It is recommended that the safety ground be equal to the capacity of the hot legs or 108 amps The VX 3000 consists of twelve circuits of twenty seven amps each Nominal line voltage is 115 VAC at 60 Hz Special order models are available for 50 Hz and 230 volt operation 3 4 Over voltage Protection and Power Indicator The VX dimmer system uses a modular control card for each 12 channel dimmer This control card incorporates over voltage detection and shutdown to protect the dimmer electronics and lamp loads from destruction The VX control card features three green LED s fo
42. WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE Lens and Lights Operational Overview Anthony Azersky Matthew Houstle Andrew Wilkins Advisor Professor William R Michalson 5 30 2009 Abstract When learning how to use equipment in the Lens and Lights organization nothing can compete with hands on experience However the training that one receives may vary in quality or in method and over time the training may differ due to the change of personnel These manuals will serve to establish a base reference point from which operating procedures will be derived as well as serving as a reference for members who wish to expand their knowledge of the equipment used Table of Contents DSU 6 LE 2 Table OF SSM DSRS a ARA 2 Chapter 1 Truss 3 Table OF ea MSR 4 OVET EW e 51245022 5 Section 1 Getting Started 5 SECON 2 5 8 Section 3 HOW xci RES 9 Section 4 Care and Maintenance ccscccccccecsssessssesecececessesseaeseceeecesseeeaeseceeecessesauaeeeeeessesseseaaeeas 21 Appendix A Ratings icta Qu tapa cue Fed 22 Appendix B Truss 5 nen nnns stent 23 CDSS 28 Chapter 2 Dimmer Manual
43. _________ 31 MEUM 32 How WONK 32 HISTO OF DII eS ooo 32 THEON 2018 PITCH EP ETUR 32 debe 33 How do CHOOSE a dimmer rack 34 What do we hayve s cc nen En P e n P RC D P LR a 36 Cables and ore ob dates apa E dr va er en d E a ERE Y vue o va ae ra 36 enc E 36 5 C ees 38 51 2 E e 39 Peet COMING sees cee sent AS EEEE 40 hera EE 41 41 2 M 42 Personnel Safety dee 43 MileEiefem MOT 43 What n t to dO ert eco ec a ea E erc o ee ne b e c e 43 5 2 43 What to 43 NOU TO dO cicer ice nhe ioa nee 43 SECTION 3 HOW TOS ERO Ie 43 Wn packing the Rack eee Meda 43 FO OKI EE 44 Packing It UDr EE 45 HOW to I Le RETE TET LTD AEE 46 How to work with 46 Howto Load Test
44. above MPX ADDRESS SWITCH SETTINGS When using any of the multiplex control systems the dip switches on the front panel of the DDS rack dimmer must be set to assign the desired dimmer channels The switches set the dimmer pack s starting address to any channel from 1 to 512 128 for Microplex See the following chart for settings For channels 1 128 set dipswitch 8 and 9 off and 1 7 as below Starting Ch 1234567 Starting Ch 1234567 Starting Ch 1234567 1 0000000 2 1000000 3 0100000 4 1100000 5 0010000 6 1010000 7 0110000 8 1110000 9 0001000 10 1001000 11 0101000 12 1101000 13 0011000 14 1011000 15 0111000 16 1111000 17 0000100 18 1000100 19 0100100 20 1100100 21 0010100 22 1010100 23 0110100 24 1110100 25 0001100 26 1001100 27 0101100 28 1101100 29 0011100 30 1011100 31 0111100 32 1111100 33 0000010 34 1000010 35 0100010 36 1100010 37 0010010 38 1010010 39 0110010 40 1110010 41 0001010 42 1001010 43 0101010 44 1101010 45 0011010 46 1011010 47 0111010 48 1111010 49 0000110 50 1000110 51 0100110 52 1100110 53 0010110 54 1010110 55 0110110 56 1110110 57 0001110 58 1001110 59 0101110 60 1101110 61 0011110 62 1011110 63 0111110 64 1111110 65 0000001 66 1000001 67 0100001 68 1100001 69 0010001 70 1010001 71 0110001 72 1110001 73 0001001 74 1001001 75 0101001 76 1101001 77 0011001 79 1011001 79 0111001 80 1111001 81 0000101 82 1000101 83 0100101 84 1100101 85 0010101 86 1010101 87 0110101 88 1110101 89 0001101 90 1001101 91 010110
45. ach button is a number corresponding to the channel number also to the place you plugged the patch cables into earlier and a switch The switch is a circuit breaker First you will have to flip the switch to on for each light that you want to use The act of hitting the button is called bumping and the button itself is sometimes referred to as a bump switch or a bump To load test push the button Load testing is the equivalent of turning on a light switch in a room you want to see that flipping the switch will turn on a light If there is a load or a light on the circuit the light should turn on and a green light should show up above the button If for some reason electricity isn t getting to the light there will be a red light next to some text that says no load see Figure 16 However pushing the button even with no load the red light will disappear and the green light will turn on 41 DC power supplies also show up as a no load but those should never be dimmed in the first place see below or in the safety section BUMP O BUMP O BUMP sump ON ON ON ON OUTPUT OUTPUT OUTPUT OUTPUT NOLOAD NOLOAD NO LOAD NOLOAD Circuit off Circuit on Circuit on Circuit on Light connected No light connected Power flowing to light regardless of connection status Figure 16 Explanation of various lights on bump buttons Someone asking you to bump channel 6 on dimmer 1 is t
46. ad 105 Max Defl Load Ibs Max Defl ft Ibs ft Ibs Defl in in in in 10 546 5460 0 04 5470 0 06 2735 0 05 1823 0 05 20 269 5380 0 31 3812 0 35 2692 0 42 1795 0 39 30 164 4920 0 98 2471 0 80 1853 1 01 1235 0 94 40 88 3520 1 74 1779 1 43 1334 1 79 889 1 68 50 53 2650 2 71 1346 2 27 1010 2 80 673 2 63 Note Deflections reported in the above tables are maximum expected for full loadings indoors only All loads are based on 10 0 sections Other section lengths are available Load tables are reprinted from engineering reports developed by Parkhill Smith amp Cooper Inc structural engineers and apply to truss fabricated after December 1989 22 Appendix B Truss Manuals Box Truss 40 Jones 8 Ahearn Box 12153 STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS Newport News Virginia 23612 2153 757 877 5104 FAX 757 898 5496 Project Number 06 013 Client Applied Electronics Date May 29 2006 Subject of Analysis Determine the maximum allowable distributed load center span concentrated load two equally spaced concentrated loads and three equally spaced concentrated loads for Applied Electronics 12 x 12 x 120 long heavy duty box trusses at spans of one through maximum feasible units Analysis Methods The individual truss units were modeled using RAM Advanse software The top and two bottom chords were modeled as continuous elements The diagonal bracing members were modeled with pinned end connections The distribut
47. are support structures attached to the sides of minitowers or the Genie to keep them stable Generally four are attached equidistant from each other for maximum effect These are the controls for the chain hoists also food This encompasses all of the truss towers and batons used for hanging lights along with the smaller pieces like shackles and bolts used for holding it all together A U shaped piece of metal that has a bolt across the opening It s used to hold the slings together that will hold truss Slideblocks rest on the inside of the L25 s and are on a track so that they can be raised or lowered on the towers Box truss is attached to it so that the truss can be lifted to a desired height Slings are the ropes wrapped around truss in conjunction with the chain hoists They both attach the truss to the hoists and securely hold it there These are bars used to keep the triangle truss open and also give structure to it Equipment cannot be hung from these Truss is the metal structures used to hang lights Truss condoms are pieces of plastic that clip on to truss under C clamps so that the truss is not damaged by the clamp 28 Chapter 2 Dimmer Manual Table of Contents Fable 2 30 6 31 Section 1 Getting Started a 31 What is a Dimmoetr aite beni
48. ation and Operation Guide Little Neck NY Leviton 1996 Richardson Stephen Scott WPI Technical Theatre Handbook Worcester Worcester Polytechnic Institute 1996 Wikipedia Dimmer 28 May 2009 29 May 2009 lt http en wikipedia org wiki Dimmer gt 52 leprecon PRO LIGHTING EQUIPMENT LD 360 Users Manual LD360 MPX LD360 MPX HP Document number 21 1044C Software Version 1 0 February 2 2000 CAE Inc 10087 Industrial Drive P O Box 430 Hamburg MI 48139 USA 810 231 9373 FAX 810 231 1631 Introduction The Leprecon LD360 MPX dimmer was designed as high quality low maintenance dimmer Reliability is enhanced by the use of dual SCR s and magnetic circuit breakers With proper use the LD360 MPX should provide years of trouble free service Please read and observe instructions for safe and reliable operation Illustration MPX Input MPX Address O leprecon O LD 360MPX HP POWER 2 X 15 AMPS 105 125 50 60Hz 2 X 20 AMPS W 20 AMP POWER PLUG LOAD 1800 WATTS MAX CHANNEL 1800 WATTS MAX 22 2 OUT IN TOTAL PER CHANNELS 1 3 OR 4 6 START ADDRESS 2400 WATTS WITH 20 AMP POWER PLUG CHANNEL NUMBERS POWER 4 6 Breaker Specifications Power Capacity The LD360 MPX is unique in the market of small portable dimmers A single breaker is used on the pac
49. ay from the person yelling What NOT to do Don tride the truss No one should be under the truss while it s being raised or lowered Don t attempt to set up L25 s without at least 6 people Don t operate truss prior to going through training from TD e Don t use equipment if it s damaged e Don t operate the Genie SkyJack or other equipment without getting trained by the TD Equipment Safety What to do Check the hang points every month to be done by the TD to make sure they are secure before using them The boards that they hang from should be settled in place so that they shouldn t move or slip while hanging truss from them Always keep track of the maximum loads for the truss as well as all other parts of the rigging setup such as hangpoints slings etc The truss is usually the weakest link but this is not always the case Watch for deflection in the truss The ratings in Appendix A specify the maximum amount of deflection that is acceptable for the truss Inspect the truss before using it checking to make sure there are no severe marks on it that would reduce its structural integrity Always use truss condoms They protect the truss from getting scratched or gauged by the lighting equipment hanging from them Disconnect pickles when not using them Pay attention to wind conditions when using truss outside If it is too windy and the truss is in danger of falling over you will have to take down the truss unt
50. can and then change the height of the truss and tighten with a wrench 1 Figure 11 Attaching the truss to a slideblock 16 Now that the truss is attached to the bases you should proceed to assemble the towers The first step in this unbolting the tower base and attaching the tower truss to it There should be two bolts holding the top of the base together that you should remove to unhinge it Unhinge the top of the base and have two people lift the tower so a third can bolt it to the base Remember that you want the bolts to end up pointing down after the tower is lifted so place them in accordingly Figure 12 Bolting m tower truss onto the unhinged tower Also we must attach the headblock to the top of the tower truss Make sure the pulley is attached in the correct direction if you followed the previous steps correctly the pulley should be attached with one end touching the ground and the other straight up as seen in Figure 13 Figure 13 The headblock attached to the top of the tower truss With the pulley in place the cable must now be run through it and attached to the other side of the tower base right above the hinge There are two pins on the pulleys that the cable must go under when running it through These pins keep the cable from jumping out of the pulleys 17 Figure 14 The aircraft cable on the pulley and the pin holding it there 8 At last it is time to raise the tower a process that should be done w
51. case when a second 12 channel VX is used as part of a larger system The control electronics is programmed to ignore changes to the address thumbwheels until the switches have stopped changing For this reason it will require a moment for the VX dimmer to accept a new address after the switches have been changed This feature is useful when scenes are stored in the dimmer using a DMX source For information about storing scenes see section 5 The LED labeled Match will flash each time a DMX channel equal to the switch setting is received For example if the Start Address switches on the Control drawer are set to 500 and the console is only outputting 256 DMX channels the Match LED will not flash and no dimmer channels can be turned on 4 2 Analog control input The VX control electronics also accepts analog control signals The DC level needed for full output is factory set at 10 volts but can be readjusted in the range of 5 to 24 volts DC The analog control connectors are 8 pin male Jones type The pin connections are shown below Function Channel 1 Channel 2 Channel 3 Channel 4 Channel 5 Channel 6 Not Used Control Common Connector 1 5 7 8 Channel 9 Channel 10 Channel 11 Channel 12 Not Used Control Common NNNNNN NN O FQ N 5 Dimmer Circuit Controls and Indicators Each dimmer chassis contains twelve independent dimmer circuits each wit
52. d for supplying large amounts of power to equipment Comes in sets of five for use with three phase systems Camloc is technically the name of the connector not the cable A power distribution panel wired to connect to three phase camloc There are two types of channels that are referred to in relation to dimmer racks One is a circuit that contains information about how the dimmer should dim certain lights The other is the path that the electricity takes from the dimmer to the actual light A method of connecting DMX that involves passing the signal through equipment It s often good to think of it in terms of a series connection in an electrical circuit An electrical device used to control the amount of current flowing into a lighting instrument and thus controlling the brightness Sets of two or more dimmers that can slide easily in and out of dimmer racks for easier maintenance A box containing a number of dimmers sometimes portable sometimes permanently installed 49 DMX splitter DMX 512 Edison Gaffer s Tape instrument non dim patch bay patch cables splays starting address Technical Director TF Three phase power twistloc A piece of equipment that splits a DMX signal into separate runs as well as boosting the signal Used as a signal booster when the DMX must travel over long distances and used as a signal splitter when there is equipment that must be controlled by
53. e Softstart should not be used when quick dimmer response is desired such as chasing To activate Softstart remove the jumper block from the pin marked J1 on the firing card or move internal dipswitch S10 to the off position Replacing the jumper block or turning the switch on will deactivate Softstart S1 125456782910 S10 DI DI ID D Dl O loo ko In FRONT PANEL TOP VIEW DIPSWITCH VERSION Pa ay oy gt JUMPER VERSION he J1 gt NOTE The channels of the DDS rack dimmer pack configured for NON DIM operation will not be affected by softstart Non Dim Channels Relay Mode Any of the channels of the DDS rack dimmer pack may be configured as NON DIM channels This will cause the output of the channel to go to full on whenever the input signal is over 15 When the input signal drops to less than 10 the channel output goes to full off This is the equivalent of a zero crossing solid state relay To configure a channel for NON DIM operation simply remove the jumper block from the pins on the firing card as indicated or turn the switch indicated OFF Replacing the jumper block or turning the switch ON will restore dimming operation CHANNEL SWITCH JUMPER CHANNEL SWITCH JUMPER 1 S1 J10 2 S2 J9 3 5
54. e 40 A 9600 120 208 V ac 3 phase 4 wire 40 A or 120 240 V ac 1 phase 3 wire 60 A 9800 120 240 V ac 1 phase 3 wire 80 A Microprocessor digital phase control dimming or Zero crossing relay mode 500us rise time 0 10VDC each channel on 9 pin D connector MICROPLEX multiplex signal 128 channel on three pin XLR type connector DMX 512 digital signal 512 channel on five pin XLR optional Class 2 low voltage NEMA 5 15 or 5 20 duplex per ch standard Several other types are optional Thermostatically controlled variable speed fan forced air with intake on front panel exhausting on sides of dimmer INSTALLATION AND OPERATION GUIDE MOUNTING MOUNTING DDS 86 88 96 9800 DIMMER PACKS Software Revision 1 41 Version C UL Mfg Q3 96 and above The NSI DDS rack mountable dimmers are designed to be mounted in a standard 19 EIA rack The packs are provided with two mounting flanges or ears designed for securing to the front rack mounting rails The optional REAR SUPPORT KIT must be used in all cases where the rack is portable and prone to bumps and rough handling The NSI DDS rack dimmers depend upon forced air cooling The rack enclosure shall allow a 2 in clearance on each side of the dimmer to insure adequate air exhaust In some cases where exhaust air flow is obstructed additional exhaust fans should be used to remove hot air from the rack Free flow of room air to the front of the dimmer packs mus
55. ection covers patching using a patch bay and patch cables which is the most common type of patching on the dimmers that LnL uses A run of socapex that is wired into the dimmer rack splits apart into its component wires in a section of the dimmer called the patch bay see Figure 13 The patch bay is like a telephone operator s board electricity travels from the mains through the cam gets throttled by the dimmers based on what the lighting board is telling it and then travels to a light or set of lights that corresponds to that channel The key to determining which lights are controlled by which dimmer is through the patch bay Each dimmer is given four outputs in the patch bay including some non dim circuits that provide a constant current through it and each run of soc has a bundle of patch cables associated with it As noted in the Socapex heading in the Getting Started section splays are marked with a number from 1 to 8 Each patch cable for a particular run of soc is also marked with a number from 1 to 8 Each number corresponds to each other the light plugged into the cable marked 5 on the splay is connected to the patch cable marked 5 for that run of soc Furthermore to distinguish between runs of soc each bundle of patch cables is either a different color or has a letter telling which run of soc it is or both see Figure 14 To make a particular light be dimmed by a certain channel take the patch cable for that light and plug it
56. ed load patterns and the concentrated load patterns were all applied evenly at the two top chords in each load case Concentrated loads were applied at the center point the 1 3 points and the 1 4 points for the three concentrated load cases For the strength analysis the dead load of the truss was added to the applied live load in each load case Deflections were determined from the total dead and live loads Each live load case was increased incrementally until a unity check of the truss members approached 0 90 or the allowable tensile capacity of the bolts were reached The unity limit of 0 90 was established to account for differences in the steel code and the aluminum code requirements Description of Units Each truss is box shaped with an overall length of 120 inches The outside dimensions are 12 horizontal by 12 vertical Individual units are connected using four 5 8 diameter bolts Chords are proprietary aluminum extrusions of 2 O D x 1 8 thick pipe with a 1 8 thick vertical stiffener at through the center of the pipe Diagonals are 3 4 diameter schedule 40 aluminum pipe Vertical and horizontal chord connectors 1 72 diameter schedule 40 aluminum pipe 007676 No see he amp 23 Material Aluminum Alloy 6061 T6 except bolts Axial yield strength 35 ksi Shear yield strength 20 ksi Modulus of elasticity 10 000 ksi Shear Modulus 4 000 ksi Poisson s Ratio 0 25 Density 165 pcf Coef of
57. eliable and quiet operation of a lighting system is that the neutral and ground are not connected together at any point in the lighting system or in the House Service except at the main transformer or service entrance where the neutral is bonded to earth ground Except at this one point neutral and ground are totally separate totally isolated and very different conductors The hot legs conduct power from the service through the dimmers to the load The neutral conducts any current not balanced between hot legs from the load back to the service The neutral is a current carrying conductor By definition a potential difference exists between any two points of a current carrying conductor Current flows only when a potential difference exists The only point at which the neutral and ground are at the same potential when any current is flowing in the neutral is at the one common point where the neutral and ground are physically tied together Connecting the ground to the neutral at any point other than the single bonding point at the main service causes neutral current to flow through the Ground conductor It is not longer at ground potential It is no longer a ground its function for safety and optimum system operation is impaired Please before you attach your system to main power perform this simple test Connect an ohmeter between your neutral and ground If you read other than infinite resistance you have a ground neutral fault which you
58. elling you to find the first dimmer locate the number 6 on the front and push the button However the potential for confusion exists Bumping channel 23 may throw you off since dimmer racks usually only go up to 12 or less In this case if each dimmer has 12 channels then the channel you would need to bump would be the 11 channel on the second dimmer 12 11 23 Also when referring to dimmer 1 it could refer to either the first dimmer rack or the first dimmer pack within a rack Always ask for clarification if you become confused asking questions is a great way to learn If you have a device that doesn t work when on a dimmer circuit do not plug it into a dimmable channel and leave a bump button on The reason for this is that people will forget to bump the channel or it may accidentally become un bumped The best solution is to patch the device to a non dim channel these channels stay at full voltage and cannot be changed nn S Figure 17 Circuit breakers and bump buttons Section 2 Safety Electricity is a useful tool However like most tools it can be extremely dangerous if used incorrectly This section details specific issues to look out for while using a dimmer rack Always remember use your common sense If a dangerous condition exists let the Technical Director of LnL know and if necessary contact Campus Police 42 Personnel Safety When dealing with plugging and unplugging things from the d
59. er the lighting board will control both of them as one As the board makes a change to that channel both dimmers will register a change This sometimes isn t the intended effect so overlapping addresses are generally considered a bad thing Each dimmer pack can be specified a starting address A starting address of 5 on a dimmer pack with 12 channels would mean the dimmer pack would use channels 5 to 17 Some equipment such as our Trackspots input DMX directly bypassing the dimmer rack completely They can also be specified a starting address as they usually need more than one channel rather than controlling just the intensity of the light each channel may control the pan tilt the color wheel the gobo wheel or any number of other functions depending on what is being plugged in Dimmers can sometimes produce acoustical interference Some methods of dimming produce a buzzing noise inside the lights due to the shape of the waveform used for power The waveform can sometimes produce artifacts with high frequencies that cause the filaments inside the lamps to vibrate LnL events are usually in venues where the lamps are far away enough from the audience so as to be inaudible Fitt and Thornley Another cause of interference is through coiled power cables The coils can cause induction in neighboring cables which can cause acoustical interference if the cables are carrying sound information The best way to avoid this is to not coil cables around
60. front panel thumbwheel and push switches up to ten scenes sent to the dimmer can be saved in non volatile memory for later playback Any DMX or analog controller can be used to set scenes in the VX dimmer 6 1 Recording Scenes Scenes are programmed into the VX dimmer by sending a scene to the dimmer specifying the scene number to be stored and pressing the Enter switch DMX addresses starting with 600 are used to program scenes 1 Set the levels of the dimmer channels with any analog or DMX controller 2 Select the scene to store with the DMX switches Set the first DMX digit to 6 to indicate scene storage Set the next two digit to a number between 1 and 10 For example setting an address of 605 would prepare the dimmer to store scene 5 3 Press the Enter button to memorize the scene Return the DMX switches to the previous start code to resume normal operation 4 To clear all ten recorded scenes set the thumbwheels to address 699 Press Enter to erase all scene memory 6 2 Scene Playback The scenes stored in the VX dimmer can be recalled for emergency backup or for use without a control board The scenes are recalled with the DMX switches set to addresses beginning with 700 1 Set the first DMX digit to 7 2 Set the second two digits to a number between 1 and 10 3 Press the enter button to start a one second fade to the memorized scene If a scene is already being output from memory pressing the Enter
61. g LINE 1 2 3 Green Indicates the respective pole of the input power is energized A blown fuse on an internal power supply transformer may cause one of these LEDs to not light When a 3 pole dimmer is wired for 2 pole operation the LINE 2 LED will not light MPX Green Indicates presence of multiplex signal when steady TEMP Red Steady indicates the dimmer is too hot and is preparing to shut down Flashing indicates the dimmer has reduced levels or is shutting down in order to lower internal operating temperatures See FAN OPERATION and OVER TEMPERATURE CTL STAT Green Indicates the relative control level for each channel NO LOAD Yellow Steady indicates the absence of a load on a particular channel output This may be due to no connection to the output or a faulty lamp Flashing of the NO LOAD LED indicates that the respective channel is in the Focus Test Mode and is forced to full intensity NOTE Load sensing does not operate when the dimmer channel is above 75 intensity or in the Focus Test mode The No Load indicator is only reliable when the dimmer channel control is off or below 75 and the respective circuit breaker is on DDS 86 88 96 9800 DIMMER PACKS INSTALLATION AND OPERATION GUIDE Software Revision 1 41 Version C UL Mfg Q3 96 and above LAMP FOCUS TEST LAMP FOCUS TEST Pressing the FOCUS TEST button for any channel will force the control for that channel to full on and cause the NO LOAD LED to flash
62. g the male and female ends of the top of the truss Next you can use the spacer bars which are stored with the truss to hold the triangle truss open Four 4 spacer bars should be used on each piece of truss one at each end and the other two evenly spaced in the middle and placed next to vertical pieces as shown in Figure 5 Spacer bars are to be pushed into place by hand and if they are not locking in place use a rubber mallet to push them into place more firmly Avoid using metal objects such as hammers or crowbars as this will cause stress on the pins See the troubleshooting section if you continue to have problems Check each spacer bar to make sure it is securely locked into place before proceeding to hang the truss Note that equipment cannot be hung from the spacer bars Before hanging the truss you can elevate it on 2x4s also found in the subbasement to make it easier to sling and lock the spacer bars in place 10 Die 3 gt 2 27 f SPACER BARS Figure 5 Space How to hang the triangle truss in Alden REMEMBER You cannot operate the truss without being properly trained by the TD This How To section assumes that you ve already assembled the triangle truss below the hang points in Alden Figure 6 Sling wrapped around truss 12 Figure 7 Sling wrapped around triangle truss close up Before starting you should inspect the slings by feeling along them to make sure
63. gure 3 Signal chain of a dimming system esinin enne nnne 33 Figure 4 Example of addressitng ettet I bete Ses 34 Figure 5 Cam pushes together then rotates half a turn clockwise to lock 4 sass 36 Figure 6 Cam connectors both female above and male 37 Figure 7 Scorch marks on the floor in Harrington resulting from damaged cam connection 37 Figure 8 Socapex screws together at the CNdsS ccccccsscccsssssececsenecesseceececseaaececseaaeceeseaaeeesseaaeeeeseaaeeeeseaaeeeeeaas 38 Figure 9 Female Socapex CONNECtOM ccceceesseceesensececseeaecesseaaececseaaeceseeaaececeeaaeceeseaaeeeseeaaeeeeeeaaeeeeseaueeesseaaeeeeeeaas 39 Figure 10 Male Socapex sten nnne teneis 39 Figure 11 DMX pushes together with an audible click when it is seCUrE sass 39 Figure 12 Female left and male right DMX connectors sess nnn nnns 40 Figure 15 Dimmer starting address set to 013 nns 41 PIGUFE 13 Patch DAY ERE 41 Figure 14 Patch cable C1 soc C light 1 nennen nennen nnne nnne rnnt 41 Figure 16 Explanation of various lights on bump buttons enne n
64. h the following controls 5 1 Circuit Breaker The channel breaker is the first line of defense against shorted lamps or load circuits A special type of magnetic breaker has been chosen for the VX system This breaker allows only a fraction of the energy to pass through the system in the case of a short in the load or load wiring as compared to conventional magnetic breakers The performance of this breaker contributes to the reliability of the VX system In the VX 2400 current in excess of 20 amps in any single output will cause the channel breaker to trip In the VX 1200 the maximum is 10 amps and the VX 3000 is 27 amps The breaker toggle will flip to the left indicated on the front of the breaker as OFF If a breaker trips it is an indication of a problem on that load circuit Reset the breaker only after finding and fixing the fault that created the overload Resetting the breaker repeatedly with a shorted output stresses the breaker the dimmer channel and load wiring Channel breakers can also be used to turn off a single circuit Pushing the breaker toggle handle to the OFF position will disconnect power to the dimmer circuit and load 5 2 Test Switch The proper connection and operation of the dimmer circuits can be tested without a control console by using the Test switch Pushing in the Test switch will turn on the dimmer channel to allow lamps and load patching to be verified Push the Test switch again to return it to the
65. hat explain proper use such as instructions for setting them up and maximum loads for the truss that must followed at all times for your safety and the safety of those around you It cannot be overemphasized that you should not be using this equipment without proper training from the Technical Director beforehand One should also keep in mind that like a tool each piece of equipment has its own specific purpose and truss should only be used for what it was meant for While reading this manual if you come across terms you do not know check back in the glossary and see if it is defined there Section 1 Getting Started Triangle Truss Figure 1 Triangle Truss The triangle truss more specifically the Tomcat 26 folding spigotted triangle truss located in the subbasement of Alden Hall is most frequently used in Alden to suspend lights in the air during events There are hang points in the ceiling of Alden meant for holding the truss While it is usually attached to two hang points in front of the stage occasionally it is necessary or more useful to hang the truss diagonally to be able to light up the entire hall instead of just the stage While the box truss described below is rigid and cannot be collapsed the triangle truss is folding so that it takes up less space in the storage closet it resides in To keep the truss open spacer bars are used to give the truss its shape and structure which can also have lights hung on them like the res
66. he front panel This is done by turning the four quarter turn fasteners to the left counterclockwise Pull the front panel straight out 3 Disconnect the six pin control connector from the suspect module 4 Pull the module straight out It will require a tug to unseat the power connector located at the back of the module 5 Position the replacement module on the plastic guide 6 Connect the six pin control connector 7 Gently slide the module into place It may be necessary to wiggle the module into alignment with the power connector The click of the contacts mating means that the connector is completely seated 8 Replace front panel Gently push in the quarter turn fasteners while turning until they drop into place Push the fasteners completely in against the spring and turn to the right clockwise to lock 11 8 Appendix A DMX 512 Standards The following information is a summary of the USITT 1990 standard for dimmers and controllers A complete copy may be obtained from USITT 10 W 19th ST Suite 5A New York NY 10011 4206 The DMX 512 standard is designed as a simple reliable system for connecting digital dimmers and controllers The protocol allows up to 512 dimmers to be connected to a single control console With 512 dimmers in a system DMX 512 allows each dimmer level to be updated as fast as 44 times each second As far as the users of DMX equipment are concerned three things matter more than the electr
67. hung Special training is required to use these These are on all of the lights and are used to attach them to truss They can dent the truss if tightened too much so truss condoms are used to avoid this Crew Chief This person is in charge of the event they are CCing Campus Center Generally this refers to the LnL office in the campus center located on the top floor in the back These are motors that are used to lift truss in Alden Chain runs through them to lift the truss while the motor itself is attached to the ceiling Deflection is the measure of how much truss is bent from being perfectly straight It occurs because of the weight of what is being hung on it This is the lift stored in the subbasement of Alden It requires special training from the TD to use The mechanism hanging below the chain from the hangpoint in Alden These are the several points in the ceiling of Alden from which truss can be hung Typically the two closest to the stage are used This piece is attached to the top of the tower truss of the L25 s It has two pulleys on it for the aircraft cable to go through These are small portable minitowers that have a horizontal bar at the top that can be lifted to the desired height These are portable minitowers made out of truss that can be used to lift the box truss Minitowers are small towers that can be moved to a desired location and then raised to the needed height with lights hanging off of them Outriggers
68. ical isolation at the DMX input This design greatly reduces the chances of failure in the dimmer causing incidental damage to the control console or other dimmers in the system The load presented to the DMX line is greater than non isolated dimmers The DMX standard allows for up to 32 receivers per DMX line The optical input stage of the VX dimmer limits the DMX line to ten dimmer packs If additional packs are to be driven from a single DMX line buffers manufactured by Leprecon or other suppliers can be used to amplify and distribute the DMX signal For more detailed information about DMX 512 see the appendix at the end of this manual 4 1 2 DMX Indicators and controls The VX Control card located at the top of the pack contains all electronics needed to decode the digital DMX signal and translate that information into signals to control 12 dimmer channels On the front panel are the indicators and controls for DMX inputs The green LED labeled signal is lighted whenever a DMX signal is being received This indicates that the controller cable and DMX input to the VX dimmer system are functional The three thumbwheel switches labeled Start Address are used to select the board channels that the VX dimmer will respond to For instance a switch setting of 001 will assign VX dimmer channel 1 to the board control channel 1 Setting the switches to 13 will cause the first VX dimmer channel to follow board control channel 13 This would be the
69. ical specifications contained in the DMX description The most important items are connectors cable and how to wire the two ends together DMX 512 currently uses 3 pins of a 5 pin connector The two unused pins are reserved for future use some manufacturers are using these pins for communications back from the dimmer to the control console or as a redundant data line At this time DMX cables are being used that only contain 3 wires If you wish to include the capability to use the extra pins it is suggested that you buy or make cables with all 5 pins connected The connectors to be used for DMX 512 are as follows Console end transmitter Female 5 pin XLR Dimmer end receiver Male 5 pin XLR The 5 pin XLR is very similar to the 3 pin connectors used for microphone cable Some manufacturers of XLR connectors are Switchcraft ITT Cannon and Neutrik Cable type Shielded twisted pair approved for EIA 422 EIA 485 use Either one pair with shield or two pair with shield may be used Examples of such cable are Single pair Belden 9841 Alpha 5271 Two pairs Belden 9842 Alpha 5272 The Pin Designations for DMX 512 are as follows Pin1 Signal common cable shield Pin 2 Data 1 Pin 3 Data 1 Pin 4 Spare optional Data 2 Pin5 Spare optional Data 2 12
70. ide of the dimmer Use the larger 8 screws provided and tighten securely The Rear support brackets attach to the back of the dimmer using the screws that fasten the backpanel to the sides Locate and remove these 6 screws two on each side Discard the original screws and attach the rear support bracket with the new longer screws supplied Warning Do not use screws longer than those provided for attaching hardware Longer screws may contact live parts inside the dimmer and present a shock hazard 2 2 Stand Alone Kit For applications when the VX dimmer is not rack mounted accessory handles and feet may be installed The VX Standalone Kit CAE 90 04 0011 contains these parts 1 Handles 2 pcs 18 1034 2 Screw 8 32 x 3 8 6 pcs 16 3012 3 Lockwasher 8 split ring 10 pcs 16 3802 3 Rubber Foot 4 pcs 18 3012 4 Screw 8 32 x 1 2 4 pcs 16 3014 To attach the handles locate the three holes in each side provided for the handles Use the six shorter 8 screws with the lockwashers to attach the handles Tighten the screws securely The rubber feet attach to the bottom side of the dimmer with the longer 8 screws Tighten the screws securely Warning Do not use screws longer than those provided for attaching hardware Longer screws may contact live parts inside the dimmer and present a shock hazard 2 2 1 Power Input The VX dimmer is designed as a component for use in large high power stage lighting systems It is the resp
71. il it is safe to put back up What NOT to do Don t overload the truss Don t dent the truss Don t drop any rigging equipment Don t use force when working with rigging equipment Section 3 How To s How to connect the triangle truss REMEMBER You cannot operate the truss without being properly trained by the TD 1 Get the triangle truss from the subbasement of Alden Only two lengths of truss can be brought up at a time in the elevator They need to be laid down in the elevator from door to door when doing this you ll notice that one end will stick out of the open door This end should be lifted up so that the door can close Once you get the truss to the first floor you ll want to unfold them and line them up on the ground below where they will be hung Of course you should be sure to line up the male and female ends with each other so that they ll be able to connect see Figure 4 Figure 4 The male and female connectors on the triangle truss After they re lined up and you re certain that it s where they will be hung you can connect the pieces and insert the pins to hold them together There are two different sized pins that will be used the smaller ones are for the two ends that pull apart and the bigger ones are for the hinged part at the top You should note that it is typically easier if you put in the bigger pins first You can see a close up of one of the larger pins in Figure 4 connectin
72. imes as many as 90 or 100 As such the dimmer needs will change accordingly based on what type of event you are running An L1 is a simple setup not many lights and all at a constant level These events are usually done by plugging lights into a small wall powered dimmer called an Edison dimmer these small dimmers use Edison receptacles similar to the type of plug found on consumer electronics equipment The Edison dimmer can be controlled through DMX usually plugged into a small lighting board the Medium Lep is the most likely to be used as it s easy to set up The levels are adjusted and the event can usually run without supervision L2s are one of the most common types of lighting events Most of the time any dimmer can handle the necessary power and channels required as L2s have up to 24 lights The limiting factor is for the most part based on whether the Campus Center office or the Alden office is closer to the venue you re using L3s are where it starts to get somewhat tricky L3s can have up to 36 lights but some of the dimmers we use can t support 36 channels In this case you would need to either find a dimmer that can or link two dimmers together with DMX LAs will require multiple dimmers as they can have up to 72 lights Two or three dimmers will have to be used Although it does not technically exist L5 is sometimes used to describe event setups that would otherwise be described as over the top An example of the equip
73. immer the standard disclaimers apply don t mix with water don t touch live cables and things of that nature This section will cover things that may or may not be immediately obvious as dangerous What to do Get someone else to help you if you need help moving or lifting any equipment What not to do Don t plug or unplug cam while power is on Don t plug or unplug soc while any channels associated with that run of soc are turned on Don t bump channels while anyone is working with their faces close to any lights unless they re expecting it Equipment Safety Personnel safety is our number one priority Our number two priority is equipment safety What to do Pack and unpack the dimmer racks correctly Have someone else check cam or make sure it s plugged in correctly If you find a problem put TF tape on the dimmer and let the TD know about it Occasionally check for rogue sources of heat Heat implies resistance usually caused by a loose connection or other faulty wiring If you smell or see smoke sparks or fire immediately disconnect power and step away from the dimmer What not to do Don t plug or unplug cam while power is on Never dim DC power supplies Don t overload a single circuit with more than 20 amps Don t mix the dimmer with water Section 3 How To s This section describes the finer details of using a dimmer rack Unpacking the Rack 1 Remove the covers fro
74. immer channels Most of the NSI lighting control consoles can optionally use this interface Connect the DMX 512 cable from the control console to the male input connector Another cable may be connected from the female connector to the male connector on another pack Many dimmer packs may be daisy chained and connected together in this manner Be sure to set the Channel Address dip switch as required see MPX ADDRESS SWITCH SETTINGS WE 550s CH 2 Q mo DDS 9800 mo Q CH 8 y 2 apex 6 C g O TEMP O or LINE 20 MPX EI 3 m4 oo CH 7 CES Foous No DIGITAL DIMMING SYSTEM WEST STAT LOAD epe 07 E 1 EI 4 CI 1 1 2131 4 CE mo DDS 9600 oo CH 4 a 2 eS Ea appress PWR 5 C g Exe LINE 2 C 7 TEMP rx pl O ons LINE CI MPX 3 D cc es 6 NO DIGITAL DIMMING SYSTEM rogue TEST STAT LOAD LOAD STAT TEST 1 1 1 LED INDICATORS PWR Green Indicates the 5 volt power supply of the dimmer is operatin
75. ith at least 6 people a Rope should be run through the upper part of the tower and a person should hold each end of it Those two people should pull slowly on the rope to lift the tower un COMO Figure 15 The rope is threaded through the tower so it can be pulled up b Also two more should push the tower up and the final two should foot the tower to make sure it doesn t slide as it is being lifted They should place their feet behind the outriggers coming from the side of the tower to keep it still One of the final two should also make sure the aircraft cable doesn t get pinched while the tower is being raised c When the tower is upright the two people that were footing the tower should begin to bolt it in place Once the two bolts opposite of the hinge are finger tightened the tower is stable enough to be released by the other four people 18 9 Next the aircraft cables should be tightened because they get loosened in transportation The cable should be fully unwound and then one person should put tension on the other end of the cable while the other cranks it as shown on the left Make sure that the cable fills in nicely without crossing or looping and looks like Figure 17 The cable should be cranked until it has tension on it without the other person pulling on it Figure 17 The aircraft cable should fill in smoothly while being cranked 19 10 You must level the towers at this p
76. k instead of individual fuses per each channel As a result the limits of the dimmer are pack limits not channel limits The following guidelines should be followed LD360 MPX Pack Limit 15 Amps 20 Amps with approved plug LD360 MPX HP Pack Limit 15 Amps per line cord As indicated the total pack power of the LD360 MPX can be increased to 20 amps by changing the factory supplied 15 amp power plug to a type approved for the higher power Some of the choices are Plug Mating Socket Type Nema 5 20P Nema 5 20S Tee Blade Hubbel 5364VY Hubbel 5369VY Hubbel 5366C Hubbel 5369C Nema L5 20P Nema L5 20S Twist Lock Hubbel 2311VY Hubbel 2313VY Hubbel 2311 Hubbel 2311 Control input The LD360 MPX uses a multiplexed control signal that is common in the industry The Microplex signal is carried on standard 3 pin XLR microphone cable allowing the use of audio cables for dimmer connection Simply connect a 3 pin microphone cable between the console being used and the LD360 MPX dimmer control input For convenience two connectors are provided on the LD360MPX This allows easy connection to additional dimmer packs Installation and Use Mounting The LD360 dimmers are passively cooled using no internal fans or other noisy cooling devices The heat generated by the dimmer is dissipated by the metal chassis For this reason it is necessary to mount the dimmer so that air is free to circulate around the dimmer The dimmer should be mounted
77. ly quite adequate The important thing is to trim to a standard rather than by eye or guess The eye is a very relative instrument Notes on Preheat Some systems with short cable runs or extra high cold filament inrush currents such as seriesed low voltage aircraft lamps exhibit inrush high enough to trip load circuit breakers when a channel is bumped from cold to full Setting the preheat so the dimmer delivers 2 to 5 volts to the lamps with console down will solve this problem Leprecon CAE Inc Box 430 Hamburg Michigan 48139 313 231 9373 Sjd 91 10128UUO0 01 19 9 1 4 p3J2412 XIS SEU 0092 510 OM juo SEY 0021 01 910 y Od Jonuo 1 311 0 1200 2400 PICTORIAL Page 8 uey 24 10199uuo2 eines dang uonnquisiq J9MOd 0 jeueg peo 1o0jonpu indu 57 10129uu02 BUJU JEN 19114 1 Power distr board layout 7 POWER DISTRIBUTION HOT PARTS LIST LINES TO INDUC TORS 2 1 4 PARTS PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION F1 2 3 15 4046 2A 250V Flatpack Fuse C1 2 02 1019 39 630 V Mylar Movi 2 15 9006 250V 0 TO A ON HOT NEUTRAL CONTROL PCB TC INDUCTORS TC OUTPUT v3 tH b fH 1 3 MAIN POWER IN TO FAN N A ON CONTROL CB 4 6 CHASSIS Ye outer GROUND CH 4 6
78. m the roadcase The covers are held on by latches on the side see Figure 18 There is one 36 channel that doesn t use panels and instead has a cover that slides on top of the entire road case 43 Figure 18 Roadcase latch 2 Make sure the dimmers are zeroed Zeroed is usually a term used for sound boards after a show all the faders are set to zero On a dimmer it means the following Bump buttons should be off Breakers should be off Patch cables should be unplugged Hooking It Up 1 Wire the cam Insert the connector and twist to lock in place Make sure that the female end goes into the dimmer rack see Figure 19 and the male end goes into the camtap Match up colors Have someone else check your wiring before you turn on power Figure 19 Connectors for ground green neutral white and the three phases of power blue red black 2 Turn on the cam tap Quickly check to make sure that nothing is noticeably broken before and after you turn on power To alert members of the crew that power is being turned on shout Lighting power going on and wait for people to yell Clear before turning on 44 Figure 20 Breaker for the Y phase out of shot to the left is the X breaker to the right is the Z breaker After power is on you can turn on the dimmer by flipping the large breakers usually located on the back of the unit see Figure 20 There are usuall
79. ment used would be every light we own in addition to rented equipment The use of multiple dimmers is required LS is used to describe a coffeehouse setup which is some speakers in addition to a simple stage wash One dimmer is enough to light these events Table 1 Recommended dimmer racks for various events Event Description Recommended Dimmer Type Racks Up to 8 lights non dimmable lectures comedians Edison dimmer 000000 Up to 24 lights L16s speakers comedians small theatre productions 41 43 44 Up to 72 lights truss L16s large dances musicals 40 and 42 Coffeehouse setup 41 43 Table 2 Power ratings at various venues Alden Memorial Great Hall 125 amps 75 amps Harrington Auditorium 7 __ eT 225 amps 125 amps campus Center Food Court ____ ___ 35 What do we have See Table 3 for the current inventory of dimmers that LnL uses Remember just because a dimmer is on this list does not guarantee that it will be useable Things break and new equipment is often added Table 3 Current stock of dimmers Co askeen 138 E 51 005 8800 42 E 3x CAE Leprecon LD 2400 a4 Leprecon 10 360 Cables and Connectors We have our dimmer rack and we have our lights Our problem now is making the dimmer work for us Fortunately we have the use of several types of cables that can help us out Camloc First we need t
80. mmend powering up and performance checks be done one unit at a time This can be a real time saver should problems arise thus eliminating unnecessary isolation techniques to resolve the problem Technical Support If addition help or service is needed contact your dealer or the NSI Technical Services Hotline 503 682 6228 DDS 86 88 96 9800 DIMMER PACKS INSTALLATION AND OPERATION GUIDE Software Revision 1 41 Version C UL Mfg Q3 96 and above WARRANTY NSI Corporation Limited Warranty NSI Corporation warrants new electronics products to be free from defective materials and workmanship for a period of one 1 year from the date of purchase to the original owner when purchased from an authorized NSI dealer The purchaser is responsible for completing and mailing to NSI within 15 days of purchase the warranty registration card enclosed with each product NSI products that have been subject to accident alteration abuse or defacing of the serial number are not covered by this warranty The normal wear and tear of items such as knobs jacks and switches are not covered under this warranty If your NSI product requires service during the warranty period NSI will repair or replace at its option defective materials provided you have identified yourself as the original owner of the product to NSI or any authorized NSI dealer Transportation charges to and from an authorized dealer or the NSI factory for repair shall be the responsibility of
81. mmer is the lowest address number a dimmer will use For example a 12 channel dimmer with a starting address of 3 will make dimmer channel 1 respond to DMX channel 3 dimmer channel 2 respond to DMX channel 4 and dimmer channel 12 respond to DMX channel 14 One of the officer positions in Lens and Lights in charge of purchasing and maintaining equipment To Fix a pink gaffer s tape used to notify the Technical Director that a piece of equipment is broken A method of power transmission used primarily to cover long distances See Three Phase Power in the Appendices for more information Similar to Edison twistloc is a three pronged power connector To plug two ends of twistloc together they must be pushed together and then turned clockwise to make 50 the two ends lock together Zeroing Setting a console or board to the default values zero unity or otherwise after it is finished being used Index address 41 48 DMX 33 35 39 45 46 49 breakout box 45 Edison dimmer 35 bump 41 42 47 patch bay 40 45 camloc 36 patch cable 40 44 46 camtap 36 44 48 roadcase 43 46 dimmer 31 32 34 36 44 47 socapex 38 40 45 dimmer rack 31 35 twistloc 38 Table of Figures Figure 1 Frontof a typical dimmer rack ec hende te eie tte bee 31 Figure 2 Rear of a typical dimmer rack ccccccccesssesecsessececssssececsessececsesaececsessececsessececseaaeeseseaaeeseseaaeeeeseaaeeeensaas 31 Fi
82. must correct for your own safety and for the proper operation of your system Track it down and correct it It s also a good idea to test all outlets fixtures and other powered devices for sound safety ground connections on a regular basis Leprecon CAE Inc Box 430 Hamburg Michigan 48139 313 231 9373 lemRecon Pro Lighting Equipment LEPRECON DIMMERS IN CABINETS amp RACKS Leprecon dimmers can be mounted in most cabinets with rails set up for standard relay rack panels 19 wide Care should be taken to assure that cooling air can enter the rack interior and exit the front No fans are required as the dimmers contain their own fans and heat build up cannot occur as long as this the back out the front circulation pattern isn t inhibited or contained Fresh cooling air not recycled warmed air must be provided For racks used in touring applications rear bracing must be pro vided to each dimmer A rack rear brace kit CAE RB K is available for this Rack shock mounting is recom mended and if dusty environments are encountered an air filter for the intake cooling air would be desirable When assembling your own rack system be sure electrical code and safety provisions and weight capacities and ventilation are adequate CAE manufactures a complete line of racks components accessories and turnkey systems Con tact factory for details NOTES ON LEPRECON DIMMER POWER amp LOAD PANELS
83. n the truss is at the top of the tower someone must use a ladder and attach the brake to the top of each tower The brake goes through the slideblock and only needs to be finger tightened It is also wise to secure the winches with safeties to make sure they aren t moved when they aren t supposed to be Attaching the final outrigger To do this you must first lift the truss a couple feet above where the brace of the outrigger gets attached so that you can access them Then fit them in as you did the other outriggers in the beginning Often in this process the outriggers can get stuck so you should use a rubber mallet to hit them in if this happens Do not kick the outriggers Also do not forget 20 the leveling pad in the middle to give support to the tower You can also tighten the outriggers at this point Setting up on the quad or anywhere outside When using the L25 s outside two important things should be considered First plywood must be put underneath the towers before setting them up to make sure they are on a flat surface Additionally the towers must be tied to the ground to help brace them against wind Section 4 Care amp Maintenance Troubleshooting Possible Solutions Chain motors won t lift Make sure power is on triangle truss Make sure power is connected to the motors Make sure pickles are connected to the motors Make sure cam is plugged in Spacer bars won t lock in Use rubber mallet to push
84. nal protection Coding same BL Has 7v x 2 available panel space 1 deep PL Patch Load Panel provides 4 paralleled AMP powerlock single contact connectors per channel 24 total For patching loads in the rear of an approved enclosed rack only as above Tails with powerlocks on their ends are wired to the desired load connectors This makes alteration of dimmer channel to load connector wiring easy and is particularly useful in many circuit systems with multi pin load connector setups Color coding is suggested rather than numbering because it s easier to spot in a crowded rack A wide strip for the tens and a narrow one for the ones using electrical tape or heat shrink tubing works well We recommend the EIA resistor color code LOAD WIRING Black 0 Yellow 4 Gray 8 Brown 1 Green 5 White 9 2 Blue 6 Black 0 Orange 3 Violet 7 NOTE 3 phase service is shown 120 208v 39 i e 120vac from any hot leg x y or z to neutral 280vac between any 2 hot legs A single phase 110 220v service would have only hot legs X and Y with 120vac between either hot leg and neutral and 240vac between the two hots A Discussion of multiphase power systems is beyond the scope of this manual and is largely irrelevant because all entertainment lighting power is used as single phase 120vac and loads are wired from a hot to the neutral Be sure to avoid industrial services with one or more legs over 120vac rela
85. nd male below If you have a long run of cam such as one running across Harrington or from the Harrington power closet up to the quad occasionally check to make sure that the wire isn t heating up Heat usually results from excessive resistance in a circuit Resistance in a run of cam would come from a broken or defective connection perhaps from having been run over by a vehicle When excessive heat is discovered the power should be turned off and the offending cable should either be removed or fixed Otherwise fire or damage could result in the surrounding areas See Figure 7 Figure 7 Scorch marks on the floor in Harrington resulting from damaged cam connection 37 Socapex With our dimmer powered we still need some way of getting the power to the lights Furthermore there are a lot of lights While we would like to control many lights individually it wouldn t make much sense for us to have a large number of cables sprawling all over the place For this we use a thick cable with a number of wires tightly bound together in it acting as a bundle of extension cords Each extension cord is actually a channel and can provide power to one or more lights The connectors on either end of this cable are called socapex connectors or soc These are also the names we use to refer to the entire cable Figure 8 Socapex screws together at the ends We use 8 channel soc This makes a difference when renting equipme
86. ne 42 Figure 17 Circuit breakers and bump 5 42 Figure 18 Roadcase latch e tese uda een iu de gen acea ea ded ea eue dee un dd det aa 44 Figure 19 Connectors for ground green neutral white and the three phases of power blue red black 44 Figure 20 Breaker for the Y phase out of shot to the left is the X breaker to the right is the 2 breaker 45 Figure 21 Patch bay located in a panel on the top of a dimmer sess 46 References Baldwin Tom Stage Lighting Tech Pages Data 19 Pin Socapex 10 December 2001 29 May 2009 http business virgin net tom baldwin pinout 19socapex html CAE Inc LD 360 Users Manual Hamburg MI CAE Inc 2000 51 Leprecon LD 1200 LD 2400 amp LD 6000 Installation amp Service Manual Hamburg MI CAE Inc 1993 VX Dimmer User s Manual Hamburg MI CAE Inc 1994 Engdahl Tomi Light Dimmer Circuits 2000 29 May 2009 http www epanorama net documents lights lightdimmer html ETC Sensor Sinewave Dimmer Modules 29 May 2009 lt http www etcconnect com product overview asp ID 20041 gt Fitt Brian and Joe Thornley Lighting Technology Second Edition St Louis Focal Press 2001 Harris Tom How Dimmer Switches Work 29 May 2009 lt http home howstuffworks com dimmer switch4 htm gt NSI Corporation NSI Digital Dimming System Install
87. nt because the industry standard is 6 channel The connector is the same but the assignment of pins is different There are ground pins and an unused pin on the 6 channel that are used for providing power to more circuits on the 8 channel Plugging 6 channel soc into an 8 channel dimmer in itself is not a particularly bad thing however if the dimmer is addressed such that power is sent to the seventh or eighth channel a possible fire could result The solution to this problem is to either not use 6 channel soc or to avoid addressing the dimmers to use the seventh and eighth channels 8 channel soc can be used in 6 channel dimmers without problems It may not be immediately obvious how to connect socapex connectors together One end has a large number of tiny holes with threading around the entire connector see Figure 9 and the other has a large number of pins with a screwing mechanism around the entire connector see Figure 10 The pins go into the holes and the connector is screwed in place see Figure 8 However there is a tab that must be lined up in order for the connector to screw in properly As our lights take twistloc connectors as power inputs we use breakout boxes or splays which are basically soc to twistloc adaptors As our soc is 8 channel the splays and breakout boxes have eight different twistloc connectors that stem from one soc connector 38 Figure 10 Male Socapex connector Figure 9 Female Socapex connector DMX
88. o provide power to the dimmer However a standard wall outlet wouldn t provide us with the power we need For this job we turn to a very high capacity power distribution box which we call the camtap Camtaps look like big metal boxes with colored plastic cylinders poking out of the bottom and have a giant on off switch on the side The switches are padlocked in the off position when not in use In some of the venues we use on campus there are multiple camtaps One is usually designated for use by sound equipment while the other is for lights They are usually designated as such if one has a larger power capacity than the other as lighting setups consume more power than sound setups B I Re Figure 5 Cam pushes together then rotates half a turn clockwise to lock The cylinders on the camtap are connected to similar looking objects on the dimmer rack through cables with camloc connectors usually just referred to as cam Cam is a beefy wire with a large colored cylinder on the end of it Camloc is the brand name of the connector This cylinder slips over or into depending on which end of the cable it is the cylinders on the camtap and the dimmer rack Then to lock it in place it is turned clockwise a half turn see Figure 5 In addition the colors must be matched up there are five colors green white red black and blue on the camtap the dimmer and each of the cables The green cable is the ground 36 the white is the ne
89. of the chain first Carefully guide the chain through the motor until the motor is hanging from the chain Repeat steps 3 and 4 on the other hang point as well and then you are ready to connect the chain motors to the truss To connect the chain motors to the truss which you ll have to do on both motors you have to clip the hook on the motor onto the shackle that is holding the sling together Be sure when connecting that the pin of the shackle is either at the top or bottom of the shackle not on the side see figures below 13 Before actually lifting or lowering the truss there should be LnL members at each doorway to make sure that no one enters the venue while the truss is moving It s unsafe to have someone near the truss in the event something was to drop The truss should be checked to make sure it is balanced front to back because this cannot be changed while lifting it The person operating the truss generally will stand on stage and may choose to have someone else on the other side of the truss help to judge whether the truss is level while moving it The truss is operated by two controls referred to as pickles that each control a single motor After moving the truss be sure to disconnect the pickles so that the truss cannot accidentally be moved when it is not supposed to How to set up the L25 s REMEMBER You cannot operate the truss without being properly trained by the TD Setting up the Box Truss 1 Line
90. oint to make sure they are parallel Use a level to check how level it is and the outriggers to adjust the direction the tower is leaning 11 The only thing left to do is to attach the final outriggers However it cannot be done until you start to raise the truss so you will find the instructions for this in that section Figure 18 Using the rubber mallet to fit the outrigger into place Raising and Lowering the Truss There are a few points that should be noted when raising or lowering the truss Three people are required to raise or lower the truss One at each winch one of them leading the other following and one person watching The leader should crank the winch at a reasonable rate and the follower should attempt to match this speed One way of trying to do this is to try have both handles of the winches at the same height at the same time Always keep the truss level To do this you ll need to have a third person watching the truss and gesturing to the two people cranking whether to speed up or slow down The cranks on the towers are often loud so verbal directions are not always heard or heard correctly If the truss becomes unlevel and jams it is important to keep tension on the cables and follow the instructions given in the troubleshooting section By keeping tension the truss will not drop once it becomes unjammed Failure to do this will most likely result in the truss jamming again after fixing it IMPORTANT Whe
91. on is to use them in Alden although with a slightly different procedure see the How To section for more details if the CC does not wish to use the triangle truss or needs something in addition to the triangle truss While L25s provide additional options remember that they are not required to use the box truss in Alden What kind of truss should I use for an event There are a lot of options out there for rigging lights and it s important to make a good decision for the job mainly one that can safely support the lights you want to hang There are some situations where there is only one option or only one option is reasonable One example of this would be on the stage in Alden if you need light coming from directly above it The batons there are the sensible choice but if you want light coming from the direction of the audience which is most of the time you have a 7 lot more options Generally hanging triangle or box truss is the most practical for the larger events but if you find that you ll only need a couple lights from a certain direction then you might decide that it s useful to break out 116 or two and hang the lights on those A third option for that particular venue would be the L25 s and box truss This allows for more lights as one can hang lights directly on the towers in addition to the truss but it also takes significantly more time to set up and you have to make sure that the towers are not in the way of
92. onsibility of the user to understand and properly follow guidelines and regulations for the use of equipment of this type It is beyond the scope of this manual to fully explain all requirements and implications of connecting and operating dimming systems in general and Leprecon VX systems specifically If you have any doubts of your ability to specify safely connect and use high voltage high powered equipment please employ a qualified electrician 3 VX Power Requirements 3 1 VX 2400 Power The VX 2400 with the standard Terminal Power inlet requires 80 amps per leg of 3 phase power Because of the neutral currents that can occur with phase control dimmers the neutral must be capable of carrying 150 of the current of a single leg or 120 amps Two screw terminals are provided for double neutral wires to meet this requirement It is recommended that the safety ground be equal to the capacity of the hot legs or 80 amps The Leprecon VX dimmer systems are primarily designed for three phase four wire with ground power systems Because of the variation in service from location to location and the possibility of improper connection it is strongly suggested that the service is checked for proper voltage with a meter before the dimmers are connected The VX 2400 consists of twelve circuits of twenty amps each Nominal line voltage is 115 VAC at 60 Hz Special order models are available for 50 Hz and 230 volt operation 3 2 VX 1200 Power
93. ormer ST4 36 A B C D E F Power 4 6 Valet Powerlock P 0 1 4 vh 525 E 825 1 z 250v T gt o5ev AT EU Swi Power 1 3 C33 Q8 c30 U12 6 R82 1 U15 6 R67 84020 4020 100 100 Y N Y N Off Board Inductors H G 92g 2 RF 4 gt 020 855 ga Q1 S4020 gt 3020 3020 gss 0828 Eg 8 1N4005 72 1N4005 i i i i i D28 D22 0 2 5 YS 525 t gt reo 250 8 Lo 250 NaF a Y5 2 2 Q10 C29 1 Uis R77 1 U16 R62 6 4020 6 4020 100 N H 100 N H 4 82 2 R l Y 54020 a 9354020 m 99 mE 3020 3020 5 5402 coc Roo 2 os elu 2 2 1N4005 2 1N4005 145 1 026 D20 3 6 wo wo M 5S H eil 2
94. otivational speaker or anything else it s generally nice to be able to have some way of adjusting the brightness of the lights There could be several reasons for this to decrease power consumption to reduce the glare on a performer s face or just to make it look pretty The good news is that there exists an electrical device whose sole purpose is to dim lights Its name is a dimmer and multiple dimmers together are called a dimmer pack Multiple dimmer packs together make a dimmer rack if they re rack mounted The specific electrical circuit that the dimmer controls is called a channel Dimmer racks are frequently referred to as dimmers for the purposes of this document we will refer to dimmer racks as dimmer Figure 1 Front of a typical dimmer rack Figure 2 Rear of a typical dimmer rack racks Dimmers are essential when producing an event Not having dimmers would mean that lights would be either completely on or completely off There would be no ability to adjust the brightness if the performers were distracted by the light or if the lights were getting too hot Dimmers help the lighting designer get more control over what the lights will look like on stage Dimmer racks are at the heart of lighting events and as such it is important to know how to use one from how it gets electricity to how it distributes that electricity how one controls it and how to make sure it works properly That information
95. ou can usually use a higher rated connector than required but never a lower rated one Remember that the required connector rating is determined by the maximum current capacity ampaci ty of the source i e the dimmer circuit breaker not the actual current drawn by the load TL Terminal Strip Load Panels have a that can be punched to accomodate a connector or a cable clamp If the dimmer rear is enclosed in an approved metal outer box the back box may be remov ed and load wires terminated direct to the strips This is the most popular arrangement There are terminals for hots 1 6 neutrals 1 6 and a couple of parallelled grounds BL Blank Load Panels can be punched for connectors or cable clamps The internal connector is provided with 18 wire tails These may be terminated to connectors or to a cable with butt splices wire nuts quick connects etc as required Oranges are hots greys are neutrals greens are ground Leads are numbered DL Direct Load Panel with a 14 contact AMP powerlock connector and handle which plugs direct ly into dimmer through access hole in metal cover plate included OL Open Load Connector provides easy plugging and unplugging of the load connector and is the least expensive option The connector is provided with 36 tails to be terminated as required The dimmer rear must be enclosed in an approved metal enclosure if you take this route for fire and per so
96. ould be 30 AMPS pole for the LD 1200 or 60 AMPS pole for the LD 2400 Be sure all wiring meets any applicable code requirements and is properly installed Any open wiring must be fully enclosed carefully routed and protected from abuse and personal contact Wire sizes suggested by The National Electrical Code N E C are 30 AMP 60 AMP Type THWN 75 C insulated wire in free air 12GA 8GA same in conduit 10GA 6GA EE Type SO 60 C 600 volt portable cordage 4 conductors 2 carrying current 8Ga 4 con 4GA 4 con 8 450 4 450 Note The equipment safety ground is the single most important conductor All metal parts in the system should be securely attached to it See Proper system grounding See the N E C for ground wire size requirements Terminal Strip Power Panel has screw terminals for X Y Nx Ny and ground protected by a back box with covers Punch the back box hole to the required size for cable strain relief or conduit amp wire according to labels The back box may be removed and wiring done if the rack rear is enclosed with metal and protected per code requirements Blank Power Panel includes a blank panel and an internal connector with 24 wire tails Punch the panel for desired connector or cable Cut and strip wires as required and terminate as required for your application Two wires parallelled per circuit Black X Red Y White and White Red X 8 Y neutral
97. ow to set Up EME L25 Sie FR Vn Rn 14 Setting up the Box USS sissies ood ien tee rote eta Bode Foe 14 Setting UD Ssss oet aer 15 Raising and Lowering the TruSS c cccccssccccsssnececsesnececseseeecseaeeecseaeeeeseaaeeecseaaeeeeseaueeeeseaeeeseeaaes 20 Setting up on the quad or anywhere outside sessi 21 Section 4 Care amp Maintenant ssni ass 21 21 21 Ratings 22 TiPUSS eL 22 LOSS O A O O EN EE 22 TRUSS iicet eme tod ut miens iE rco e 22 Appendix B Truss Manuals ota reato ste ie Reo 23 BOX I 23 Wig NL 26 28 Overview Trusses are metal structures that are commonly used in productions for hanging lights Truss can come in a variety of shapes and sizes most commonly as either a triangle truss or box truss each named for their shape At the time that this was written LnL primarily used L25 s or chain motors for lifting the truss to the desired height LnL also utilized batons and L16 s for hanging lights in situations where setting up truss was unnecessary All of these tools have guidelines t
98. p Schematic Control PCA Layout Control PCA Schematic Drive PCA Layout Drive PCA Schematic LD 2400 Wiring System LD 6000 Wiring System Leprecon CAE Inc 10087 Industrial Drive Box 430 Hamburg MI 48139 USA 810 231 9373 FAX 810 231 1631 Before 12 1 93 dial area code 313 Copyright 1993 CAE Inc All rights reserved This document is the property of CAE Inc and is provided for service and instructional purposes only Possession does not imply or convey rights to use any information herein This information is proprictary and may relate to patents or patents pending that are the property of CAE Inc other than the use of products manufactured by CAE Inc lepRecon Pro Lighting Equipment INTRODUCTION We have attempted in this manual to provide as much information as we can on the operation anc plication of Leprecon dimmers This is a very complex and potentially dangerous field Dealing with powe voltage and currents that have the potential to cause great harm to people and property is serious business and you the installer or user bear the responsibility to see that all proper precautions are taken If you unsure of any of this please seek qualified help Though we have made every effort to present inform atio that is accurate we accept no responsibility for it s accuracy or completeness as we have no contro it s interpretation or implementation We recommend these books for fu
99. p 2 pole 3 wire plus ground use minimum 4 AWG 9800 120 240 VAC 80 amp 2 pole 3 wire plus ground only use minimum 2 AWG Unit set up for 3 pole 4 wire for 2 pole 3 wire operation see Service Manual Input wiring must be copper wire rated at least 90C and must be protected by a suitable branch circuit breaker Wire sizes show above in parenthesis are for type S SO or similar cords Other types of cords or cables should be sized according to local electrical codes All wiring should be done by qualified personnel only WARNING Do not connect chassis ground to NEUTRAL or operate without a chassis ground To do so may allow exposure to potentially lethal voltage levels and will void the warranty on this product 2 POLE 5 WIRE PLUS GROUND FUSES 3 120 V SB GND elle AAP a RI INSTALLATION AND OPERATION GUIDE DDS 86 88 96 9800 DIMMER PACKS Software Revision 1 41 Version C UL Mfg Q3 96 and above 5 POLE 4 WIRE PLUS GROUND FUSES 3 AMP 120 V SB 96 GND Ole ion NEUTRAL Fe
100. r power indication These indicators show that each phase is connected and within normal limits If all three LED s are not lighted power is not applied is out of range or a fault is present in the VX system The internal protection takes effect at 140 volts AC Voltages of this level or above will light the red Over voltage LED on the power supply drawer front panel and disable all dimmer control Input from a controller or from the channel Test switches will be ignored and no voltage will be output from any dimmer channels As soon as the applied voltage is reduced to a safe level the Over voltage LED will be quenched and the dimmer will begin to operate normally 3 5 Temp LED and Fan Control Each channel of the VX rack system has its own temperature sensor If a problem occurs that causes a channel to overheat the entire dimmer shuts down until a normal temperature is reached This overtemp shutdown is indicated by lighting the red Temp LED VX racks are cooled by temperature controlled fans mounted in each 12 channel section The same temperature sensor that is used for thermal shutoff also determines the fan speed This arrangement allows for the lowest possible noise level from the cooling fans while still providing proper cooling for the hottest module Noticeable airflow and fan noise will only occur when the dimmer is loaded and channels are turned on long enough for the internal temperature to start to rise 3 6 Connection to Te
101. r use a DMX splitter See Cables and Connectors in The Basics for more information 46 3 Run two DMX cables in parallel if you have more than 512 channels One DMX cable can carry information for only 512 channels Any more than that requires multiple cables This only applies for the biggest shows with multiple automated lights How to Load Test 1 Locate the channel you would like to bump on the front of the dimmer Make sure that the power is turned on and that the circuit breaker for the channel is turned on 2 Push the bump button 3 To turn circuit off push the bump button again Section 4 Care and Maintenance It is always a good idea to take proper care of the equipment In addition it is good to be able to notice problems and take steps to correct them as well as knowing a proper method for doing so Preventative Maintenance When packing and unpacking the roadcase take care to use the latches correctly all of the latches that hold a cover on must be removed before the cover can be opened This seems a silly thing to hear but that means that you cannot only unlatch one side and swing the cover open this is bad for the latches which are expensive to repair Also to prevent damage to the dimmer when casters begin to look worn replace them Every so often the Technical Director should test each circuit on the dimmer to see that everything is in working order While there aren t many user serviceable parts in
102. rminal Power Inlet The most common power input connector for the Leprecon VX 2400 dimmer is the Terminal Power inlet This option provides an insulated terminal strip with 7 screw connections for 3 phase power The block is labeled to identify the three power phases X Y Z neutral connections and a safety ground Because of the large neutral current that can exist in phase control systems two Screw terminals are supplied for neutral connection It remains the responsibility of the user to determine the correct cable type to properly connect VX dimmer racks and the need for overcurrent protection in the power supplied to the dimmer system For more information see the appendix of this manual 4 Control Input 4 1 DMX 512 One of the best features of modern lighting equipment is the use of digital communication between control boards and dimmers The low cost of the cable and connectors in a digital system makes a substantial difference in system cost With the adoption of DMX 512 by the industry compatibility is assured between products offered by different manufacturers All Leprecon VX dimmers are compatible with DMX 512 To connect the VX dimmer to a DMX controller simply use a standard DMX cable and plug the two devices together A parallel wired female connector is supplied to allow output to additional dimmers or other devices 4 1 1 DMX Load VX dimmers along with other digital dimmers manufactured by Leprecon includes opt
103. rther information 1 National Electrical Code Handbook for code amp safety in electrical wiring From National Fire Protec tion Assoc 470 Atlantic Ave Boston Mass 02210 or your local electrical supply or I B E W Union office 2 Your county or city electrical inspector for local code books 3 GTE Sylvania Lighting Handbook for technical theory information on lamps dimmers light from CAE or GTE Sylvania Lighting Center Danvers Mass 01923 4 Lighting the Stage By Willard Bellman Chandler Publishing 5 Theatre Crafts Magazine Box 630 Holmes PA 19043 0630 6 Lighting Dimensions Magazine P O Box 425 Mount Morris IL 61054 0425 PROPER SYSTEM GROUNDING The ground serves two purposes Its primary purpose is to connect all conductive parts of the system which can be touched by a person to earth ground potential so that a person with some other part of his body grounded will not become a conductor of electrical current get hurt or killed because of electrical leakage perfect insulation doesn t exist or because of a fault in equipment wiring Its secondary purpose is to shield the current carrying and electrical noise generating components in a system by connecting chassis and enclosures solidly to ground potential In a situation where lots of sen sitive audio equipment much of it improperly grounded co exists this function is very important An essential ingredient to safe consistent r
104. seating or sightlines for the event hanging the truss from the hang points removes those problems In events outside Alden your main two options are the L16 s and the L25 s depending on the size of the event Always keep in mind the number of lights that will be used as that is essential in choosing the truss You want to make sure that you have enough room for all of the lights and also make sure that the truss and towers you re using can hold all of the equipment without getting damaged from holding too much weight you can see the ratings section for more information about this Section 2 Safety Safety is very important when dealing with truss During an event there will be a lot of heavy equipment hanging over people s heads so failure to follow proper safety procedures can result in not only damaging the equipment but seriously hurting the people at the event Personnel Safety What to do e Always follow safety instructions given by TD during training e Speak up if something doesn t look right Talk to the CC or TD if something doesn t look safe so that it isn t used e Gothrough the safety checklist when using the truss e When assembling the L25s be sure to consult the guidelines if any questions arise Check with the TD to get the most up to date version e Make sure pickles the controls for the chain motors are disconnected from truss after moving it e f someone yells Heads do not look up at them get aw
105. side the dimmer the TD should take care to isolate or repair damaged components as quickly as possible in the rare chance that the damage might cause other parts of the dimmer to stop working correctly Troubleshooting When troubleshooting keep in mind that the show must go on if a light were to break it would be a lot simpler to use a new light than it would be to fix the light on the spot It s broken how 4 fix it The following table lists some common symptoms as well as procedures both the crew chief of an event and the TD can take to fix the problem Actions that only the Technical Director should take are shaded 47 Table 4 Troubleshooting symptoms and solutions Symptoms Actions Light doesn t turn on Check breakers Check patching Try patching a different light into the same channel Check connections Visually inspect dimmer for damage Light doesn t turn off Check board settings Reset breaker Breakers trip Unplug light call TD Send in the dimmer for repairs Board won t communicate with Check that DMX was run dimmer Check that DMX isn t plugged in backwards Check board settings Place a DMX splitter in the middle of the run of DMX if it is a long run Check for internal and external damage on DMX connectors Dimmer won t turn on Check breakers Check cam Visually inspect dimmer for damage Dimmer shuts off randomly The dimmer may be overheating cool it down for a bit
106. sound equipment Runs of cable traveling long distances 100ft generally work fine if they re carrying power However cables that transmit data such as DMX do suffer from degrading signal quality For this reason DMX splitters can be used as signal amplifiers for long runs Running cables for power over long runs brings up a new set of problems however A 500ft run of cable used to power two mole lights which are among the highest power drawing lights that LnL owns will start to have a noticeable resistance in the wires As a result it will heat up Under normal circumstances it s not much of a concern Cam is designed to withstand high amounts of power without heating up approximately 400 amps For Lens and Light s usage where we do not have any venue that can supply 400 amps cam can safely be run for hundreds of feet the most usual instance is running cam from Harrington Auditorium to the Quad How do I choose a dimmer rack An individual light that Lens and Lights uses can draw anywhere from 500 watts to a kilowatt How does one choose a dimmer rack that is appropriate to the number of lights that one wants to use See Table 1 Furthermore what power can be supplied at various venues See Table 2 34 The lighting events that LnL produces are categorized according to size ranging from an L1 a small event usually amounting to no more than one or two lights to an L4 a large event using upwards of 60 lights and somet
107. spacer bar down place Take spacer bar off and test locking mechanism Use a different spacer bar instead if necessary Box truss is stuck while Keep both lines in tension raising lowering on L25 s Raise lower side that can still move until it is at the same level as the side that is stuck Slowly attempt to raise lower the truss again Pins won t fit into triangle Lift one or both pieces of truss to line up holes truss Move pieces closer or further apart Pins can t be removed from Get someone strong to attempt removal the triangle truss Gently tap the other end of the pin with the rubber mallet Wiggle each individual stick of truss to try to remove tension on the pin Inspection Information in this section is taken from Aluminum Structures in the Entertainment Industry All trusses should be inspected periodically by eye checking for damage All inspections should be done by someone qualified to do so i e the Technical Director Before each use the truss should be inspected for any serious damage in which case it should not be used and should be marked properly with TF tape for the TD to inspect Some things that warrant not using the truss include a significant decrease in the diameter somewhere on one of the chords or on a diagonal a bent chord diagonal or deformations at the connection points where the pins are placed through Never use truss that looks unsafe 21 Appendix A Ratings The ratings for a truss give the maxim
108. st is to substitute a known good dimmer in place of the suspected unit Make sure that the address switches are set to the same address Specific problems and solutions are listed below Problem Indication S Solution E oos If a problem is verified in the dimmer pack contact your Leprecon dealer for service Because of the high voltages present inside of the dimmer it is important that all service be done only by qualified personnel Substandard repairs can create a dangerous potentially life threatening situation Warrantee Information CAE will repair any defects in materials or workmanship on the LD360 MPX for a period of one year from the date of sale The equipment must be returned postpaid to a Leprecon Dealer or authorized service center CAE is not responsible for incidental damages or for damage as a result of misuse or abuse It is the responsibility of the owner to determine the suitability of the console for any specific application Any return to the factory must first be authorized by our service department Do not return any equipment without calling for an authorization number The CAE service department may be reached at 810 231 9373 during business hours or a message may be left after hours Our fax number is 810 231 1631 Spare parts list Line Cord 19 9007 Strain Relief Circuit Breaker IC Opto Triac MOC3020 Address Switch Assembly Description Order Number Connector XLR Male Duplex Outlet Transf
109. t be insured Any front cover on the rack must be removed during operation Keep the air vents located on the front and each side of the dimmer pack clear of dust or any obstructions If units are to be operated in a small enclosed room adequate ventilation must be provided to prevent the room temperature from exceeding 100 degrees fahrenheit AC Lighting Loads Only For Indoor Use Only Utilizer Dans Un Endroit A L Abri TOP i 16 14 0 CHASSIS DEPTH 1 2 4 5 16 75 CHASSIS WIDTH 18 344 HOLE CENTERS gt d 3 5 em 5590 3 0 Em c FRONT 20 ADJUSTMENT OPTIONAL REAR SUPPORT KIT DDS 86 88 96 9800 DIMMER PACKS INSTALLATION AND OPERATION GUIDE Software Revision 1 41 Version C UL Mfg Q3 96 and above INPUT POWER WIRING The NSI DDS rack dimmers must be provided with a proper electrical service as listed below 8600 120 240 VAC 20 amp 3 pole 4 wire plus ground use minimum 10 AWG or 120 240 VAC 30 amp 2 pole 3 wire plus ground use minimum 8 AWG 8800 120 240 VAC 40 amp 2 pole 3 wire plus ground only use minimum 6 AWG 9600 120 240 VAC 40 amp 3 pole 4 wire plus ground use minimum 4 AWG or 120 240 VAC 60 am
110. t electronics and computer supply houses Connect each of the positive channel control wires to the desired dimmer channel input pins see diagram below of the plug Connect the common ground control wire to the pin indicated on the diagram Consult the documentation of the analog control console or device you are using for the proper connections The control input impedance is 4 7K ohms When using analog inputs Dipswitch 10 should be in the up position to disable Channel Level Memory 116 1217 318 4 9 5 Analog input Microplex DMX 512 3 female female 1 common 1 common 9 common 2 15v 2 data 1 chan 1 3 data 3 data 2 chan 2 3 chan 3 4 5 not used 4 chan 4 5 chan 5 6 chan 6 7 chan 7 8 chan 8 INSTALLATION AND OPERATION GUIDE DDS 86 88 96 9800 DIMMER PACKS DMX 512 multiplex control wiring Software Revision 1 41 Version C UL Mfg Q3 96 and above DMX 512 multiplex control wiring DMX 512 is the United States Institute of Theater Technology USITT standard for the digital control of dimmers NSI DDS Dimmer products can be converted from Microplex to DMX 512 digital multiplex with a simple kit available from your dealer DMX 512 is the preferred type of control wiring when many dimmer channels are used because of the high update rate and the resistance to interference It is recommended in locations subject to electrical noise DMX 512 only requires 3 wires to transmit lighting levels for as many as 512 d
111. t of the truss Also used with triangle truss as well as any other type of aluminum rigging are c clip truss protectors commonly referred to as truss condoms Their purpose is to avoid making marks on the truss where c clamps are attached as this will lower the rating of the truss More information on truss condoms is located in the safety section of this manual Box Truss Figure 2 Box Truss The box truss owned by LnL I tube 12 box truss also located in the subbasement of Alden is primarily used along with the two L25 towers Made by Applied Electronics these 10 sections of truss are connected together by bolts and can be used with the L25s chain hoists L16s or independently They are generally easy to assemble although more time consuming than their triangular counterpart L25s Figure 3 L25 Tower These mini towers are able to suspend the previously mentioned box truss in the air which is particularly handy in places that have no hang points to hang the truss from They also have the useful feature of having the tower itself being composed of truss so that lights can be hung from it as well The downside to these towers is that they are complicated to setup and require a decent sized crew to do so safely Regardless of where you use them you must have sufficient room to lay out the towers and lift them They are most useful in Harrington and on the Quad where there is no way of hanging truss normally Another opti
112. t too solid but inexpensive Beyond suggesting these lines we cannot make recommendations or give instructions for multi pin load connector systems Each case is different L precon CAE Inc Box 430 Hamburg Michigan 48139 313 231 9373 as ee ee ee ee Pro Lighting Equipment SETTING UP LEPRECON DIMMERS POWER WIRING Notice Power and load wiring are critical elements in any lighting system With the voltages and power involved lives and property can be endangered by improper hookups You must be fully qualified and certain that you know what you re doing or have a qualified electrician do it Do not under any circumstances attach a dimmer to any circuit of higher current capacity than it re quires without adding protective circuit breakers 30 or 60 amp This information is believed to be accurate but CAE accepts no responsibility for the proper installation of this equipment It is the responsibility of the installer to insure that all safety precautions are taken and all applicable code requirements and standards are observed and met Power two 120 volt 60 HZ Circuits X amp Y must be provided to each dimmer along with a neutral Nx amp Ny normally tied together and a safety ground G A two pole or two single pole circuit breaker must be provided to protect the branch circuits Their ratings sh
113. the DMX that is scattered across various areas It s good to think of it in terms of a parallel connection in an electrical circuit A data communication standard for controlling up to 512 separate channels for lighting The cable used to carry the information is usually referred to as DMX but is really a 5 pin XLR cable The two ends of the cable slide together by lining up the pins To remove a tab on the connector must be pushed down while pulling apart A three pronged power connector commonly used on household appliances A black tape often used when working with lighting equipment Holds things together but is easily removed without leaving residue Another name for a lighting fixture Channels on the dimmer rack that stay at a constant 120V 60Hz sine wave Often used to power equipment that runs off of DC power supplies A telephone operator type location on the dimmer rack that allows lighting instruments to be connected to the various dimmers in the rack Cables in the patch bay that are associated with various channels in a run of socapex and can be plugged into specific dimmers A cable used for supplying power to lighting instruments from the dimmer rack LnL uses 8 channel but the industry standard is 6 channel Socapex is technically the name of the connector not the cable Splays take socapex connections and allow them to have twistloc or Edison connectors connected to them The starting address of a di
114. the owner All products returned to NSI must have factory authorization for return prior to shipping NSI Corporation is not liable for any incidental or consequential damages resulting from defect or failure other than repairs of the NSI product subject to the terms of this warranty This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may have other rights which vary from state to state This warranty is expressly in lieu of all other agreements and warranties expressed or implied except as may be otherwise required by law INSTALLATION AND OPERATION GUIDE DO NOT INCLUDE THIS PAGE WITH THE COPIES Software Revision 1 41 Version C UL Mfg Q3 96 and above Date Revision 6 28 Mdanual update for external temp cal as per rel 1 41 DO NOT INCLUDE THIS PAGE WITH THE COPIES lepRecon LD 1200 LD 2400 AND LD 6000 INSTALLATION AND SERVICE MANUAL Fey how qr ecu RE P Wow and EI M T ge Te E eR Re ee arr PALETTE E Nn ee e re rra T LEE EE NER RT TR m a Le 2 gs V ARREST Caen vu NR on TS LEPRECON LD 1200 LD 2400 amp LD 6000 Installation amp Service Manual Table of Contents Introduction System Grounding Dimmer Cabinets amp Racks Notes on Power amp Load Panels amp Connectors Control Inputs Control Cable Connectors LD 1200 2400 Pictoral Flow Chart Power Distr PCA Layout am
115. there are no breaks or kinks in them Once you ve inspected them you can continue by putting the two slings around the truss as seen in Figure 6 and Figure 7 Take careful note of the way it is wrapped around the truss because doing it differently than this may damage the truss or reduce the reliability of the slings which is a safety hazard Connect these at the top with a shackle Next you ll want to hang the motors from the ceiling The TD should have checked the hang points prior to this point so if they haven t it should be done now One person should go up in the Genie below the hang point with the rope which can be found with the chain motors The rope should go through the middle of the hammerlock which will act as a pulley both ends of the rope should be dropped to the floor REMEMBER You cannot use the Genie without being trained by the TD Someone on the ground should tie one end of the rope to the end of one of the chains about 6 1 from the hook with a reliable but easily removed knot and pull the other end of the rope until the chain reaches the hang point While doing this be sure to stand away from the hang point so if the chain drops you re out of the way The rope should be held steady until the person on the Genie is able to attach the chain to the hang point and drop the rope Once this is done the chain can be fed through the motor with the excess chain going into the attached bag be sure to put in the end
116. tive to neutral i e 220 420 3 phase delta with no neutral or 120 240 208 wild leg services with one leg 240 volts relative to neutral This information is for educational purposes only Only qualified electricians should work with electrical power systems and installer is responsible for seeing that all installations meet applicable code and safety requirements 4 Leprecon CAE Inc Box 430 Hamburg Michigan 48139 313 231 9373 CABLE DATA Note that the connector and cable ampacity required is determined by the ampacity of the breaker or fuse _ protecting the circuit and not by the current drawn by the load attached to it Standard Color Code for Electrical Wiring Green Safety Ground White Neutral Black Hot Leg X Red Hot Leg Y Blue Hot Leg Z of 3 phase systems Be sure to check all capacities and code requirements with the application engineering and code books This table is for reference only Long rungs may require larger gauge to minimize voltage drop Code ratings are generally based on wire temperature rise not voltage drop ARTICLE 520 53 SECTION F Each conductor shall have an ampacity not less than the rating of the circuit breaker which it supplies ARTICLE 520 53 SECTION N In portable equipment designed for 3 phase 4 wire with ground supply the supply neutral terminal shall have ampacity equal to twice the ampacity of the largest ungrounded supply terminal Code article numbers
117. trol commons This won t be a problem in itself but will aggravate other possible faults The dimmer chassis must be tied to the safety ground If the control commons are also tied there any grounding errors or faults can cause large currents to flow in the small control cable leads causing damage including burnt out cables and dangerous voltages in the control system CONTROL CABLE CONNECTORS FOR LEPRECON PRODUCTS CAE sells cables for Leprecon dimmers but some customers prefer to make their own for their specialized applications Here are the connection details on Leprecon products 22 gauge stranded wire is fine for con trol runs of any length Note Consoles have recessed male deep connectors Dimmers have 1 each male and female We suggest you use females on cables whenever possible to minimize bent pins 1 DIMMER 8 pin Jones pin 1 6 channels 1 6 pin 8 control common cable female C J S308 CCT CAE 07 1089 cable male C J P308 CCT CAE 07 1038 2 DIMMER with ribbon cable header input option Pin 1 6 channel 1 6 pin 9 amp 10 control common Cable female 3M equivalent CAE 07 0050 Crimps to 10 conductor 050 CTR 28GA stranded ribbon cable color coded 3 LP250 same as 1 above but pin 7 has 28 vdc behind a 470 resistor to drive fan on off relays on some dimmers 4 LP 500 and LP 1001 15 pin Jones 1 12 channels 1 12 pin 15 is common
118. um load it can hold Be sure not to exceed this weight when using the truss because it could damage it and or collapse from the weight There may be times that more than one type of truss is used at a time for example if additional box truss is rented for an event In such a case you must use the lowest rating different trusses in order to keep a safe environment Box Truss MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE POINT LOADS UNIFORM LOADS Center Point Third Point Quarter Point 14 Span Load Load Load lbs Max Defl Load Ibs Max Defl Load Ibs Max Defl ft Ibs ft Ibs Defl in in in in 10 620 6200 0 14 4800 0 20 2510 0 16 1640 0 15 20 266 5320 0 55 3560 0 67 1988 0 58 1420 0 58 30 116 3480 1 07 2316 1 27 1302 1 14 928 1 12 40 62 2480 1 78 1661 2 10 932 1 90 664 1 87 50 32 1600 2 46 940 2 51 540 2 37 404 2 44 L25 s Maximum weight 1200lbs at any height Triangle Truss Note that because of the current condition of the triangle truss at the time of this being written it is not safe to go above 50 the declared rating for the truss MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE POINT LOADS MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE UNIFORM LOADS Center Point Third Point Quarter Point 2 ook Span Load Load Max Load lbs Max Defl Lo
119. utral and the rest are a different phase of power See the appendix for more information on three phase power One good habit to get into that can help prevent damage to equipment is the order in which to plug and unplug cam There are five colors of connectors green ground white neutral black red and blue all live When connecting start with the ground then the neutral and then the live wires in any order When unplugging start with the live wires in any order followed by the neutral and saving the ground for last This way if any internal wiring problems were to occur the electricity would be able to flow out the ground wire Plugging and unplugging in this fashion allows one to theoretically plug and unplug cam while the circuit is still live However due to the potential risks involved cam should never be fiddled with while it is still live If multiple dimmers are being used at the same time then the passthrough connectors can be used Most dimmers in addition to having a set of male cam connectors to connect to the camtap often have a set of female cam connectors just above them see Figure 6 Male and female refer to the shape of the connectors male ends have prongs female ends have sockets One can plug another dimmer rack into the female connectors continuing along in a chain assuming that the camtap is rated to provide enough power for all the dimmers Figure 6 Cam connectors both female above a
120. which also created a fire hazard Wikipedia Theory of Dimmers Modern dimmers tend to still use variable resistors but also contain other circuitry designed to increase the efficiency of the circuit Capacitors diodes inductors and triacs a type of semiconductor are often used in these circuits Harris These new circuits dim lights more efficiently Engdahl Some newer dimmers such as the Sensor SineWave able to dim a wider range of lights such as LEDs ETC A single light such as the ones Lens and Lights owns SourceFour ellipsoidals and Pars etc can draw anywhere from 500watts to up to a kilowatt Lens and Lights owns some VX 2400 dimmer racks The VX 2400 dimmers can provide 2 4kW per channel Thus one channel can power two to four lights safely However you should always look up the exact wattage of the instruments you plan on using if you plan on connecting multiple instruments to a single channel These wattages are usually located somewhere on the instrument If you can t find it ask the Technical Director for guidance Unless an excessive number of lights are hard wired 32 together using twofers a short cable that one can use to plug two lights into one outlet running everything it can handle at full light output will not overload the dimmer Dimmer racks can draw around 120 amps Note that 0 8 amps is enough to kill someone Each rack can distribute 20 amps to each of its socapex channels resulting in 2
121. will be covered in depth throughout this manual The front see Figure 1 of a typical dimmer rack will have bump buttons small push switches and circuit breakers large blue toggle switches The dimmer pictured in the figure above also has the circuit breakers for 31 the mains or the main source of electricity large switches at the bottom of the panel The rear see Figure 2 has numerous Socapex and Edison connectors as well as cam connectors All of these things are covered in greater detail further on in the Getting Started section The Basics This section will give you a basic run through of everything you need to know to work with dimmers While it s not an in depth guide it does serve as a good starting point for learning about some topics that are covered in greater detail further in the manual When in doubt ask the Technical Director for a tutorial How does it work Physics professors often explain new concepts in a world where surfaces are frictionless everything is spherical and the entire world is in a vacuum To explain the concept of the dimmer in a simple manner let s travel to this Physics Land where we shall compare electricity to water Think of the electricity powering your lights like a river of water turning the wheel of a gristmill The more water flowing down the river the faster the wheel will spin Likewise with more voltage your lights will increase in brightness To dim the lights you
122. with other Leprecon dimmers Channel Breakers The circuit breakers used in the VX dimmers are fast response magnetic breakers The quality of the breaker contributes to the reliable operation of the dimmer pack even when shorted lamps or cables are plugged into the dimmer The front panel toggle also allows the breaker to be used as a switch for the dimmer channel Fan Cooling Two fans are used in the VX dimmer to keep the electronics at a safe operating temperature The fans are controlled by a thermostat to keep fan noise to a minimum When the pack is lightly loaded the fans turn at a slower rate and are accelerated to full speed when the temperature inside the pack increases Ten Scene Memory Non volatile memory in the VX control card retains 10 scenes for backup or use without controller Scenes program via front panel controls and may be set individually at any time 2 Installing Options The VX dimmer can be shipped with user installed hardware for the intended application If your order included either Rack mount or Stand alone kits the hardware is included in the package for the VX dimmer 2 1 Rack Mount Kit The Rack mount kit CAE 90 04 0012 for the VX dimmer includes the following items 1 Rack mount ears 2 pcs 20 2710 2 Rear support bracket 2 pcs 20 2725 3 Screw 6 32 x 1 2 4 pcs 16 2112 4 Screw 8 32 x 3 8 6 pcs 16 3105 To install rack ears simply screw the brackets to the left and right s
123. y three one for each phase marked X Y and Z There may be extra breakers but those are only used if there are less than three phases of power running 3 Make sure lights have been hung and connected Plug lights into splays or breakout boxes Plug socapex into splay Insert the soc so that the tabs line up and twist the connector around the threading Plug other end of socapex into the dimmer 3 Patch the dimmer see below How to Patch 4 Wire the DMX from the dimmer to the lighting board The female end of the DMX will plug into the dimmer female talks male listens 5 Turn on breakers The breakers are usually rocker switches located on the front of the dimmer Packing It Up 1 Un bump any channels that may have been bumped and turn off all the breakers 2 Begin unplugging DMX and socapex To unplug soc twist the connector off the threading until you are able to remove the cable 3 If power is no longer needed for rigging turn off power Never unplug cam while the power is still on you run the risk of breaking the equipment and run an even greater risk of injuring yourself Before powering off flip the large breakers on the back of the dimmer to the off position Shout Lighting power going off to alert the crew that power is going off and wait for a Clear before proceeding 45 4 Unwire the patch bay The patch cables are organized in bundles which are bundled with

Lens and Lights Operational Overview

Contents

Download Pdf Manuals

Related Search

Related Contents