Newsgroups: rec.arts.theatre.stagecraft
Subject: Re: Dimmer Packs and light boards
References: 
[email protected] (Brent Arnold) writes:

> Maybe this is just a late night question, and is dumb... its 2:38am,
> argh.. anwyays...
> 
> I want to make my own light board and dimmer pack... but not really a
> dimmer pack just somethign you can plug stuff in to and you have a
> remote termanal (maybe ran off of cat 5) that can switch them on and
> off.   (dont think I want to run 120v through cat5, though...
>
> So, I was wondering if there any websites on how dimmer packs work...
> or if any of you kind of know how.

You can find my document on light dimmers at
http://www.epanorama.net/documents/lights/lightdimmer.html
Read it and you will understand a lot on how light dimmers
work.

Simple dimmer packs use usually analogue 0-10V control as described at
http://www.epanorama.net/documents/lights/0to10v.html

You can find plans for my design for a simple manual
analogue (0-10V output) light control desks and 
a dimmer pack compatible with it at
http://www.epanorama.net/index2.php?section=circuits&index=light

You can find links to more information and circuits on the web at
http://www.epanorama.net/links/lights.html

> Cause this would just be used for on/off practicals... and we have
> very few dimmers for practicals  I cant use 7 out of 16 dimmers for
> practicals, lol.  So, they are just running to an electrical outlet...
> but some will need to be remotely turned on.  Its not so improtant for
> this show that I make a fake lightboard, but it would be cool to make
> one for future shows... and to amuse myself.
> 
> I think DJs may use something similar to waht I am thinking of to
> control their lighting... maybe not, though...

You can find some information on DJ light controlling at
http://www.epanorama.net/documents/lights/discolight_controlling.html
 
> But.... just help as much as you can please, thanks...
> 
> 
> Oh, yes funny thing, electrican came out today to one theatre, and was
> running something for a fake light board, again, but this is mainly to
> control work lights, and he said "man... that must be why light boards
> are so expensive cuase so much electricity goes through them... after
> he bought a rotary dimmer for $30" I was thinking hmm since almost no
> electricity goes through a light board... or not the 10s of thousands
> of watts being used...

In general lighting system the light board is just a control device
which controls the light dimmer packs. Those light dimmer packs
then control the power to the lights (all the power to lights 
goes through those light dimmer packs).

-- 
Tomi Engdahl (http://www.iki.fi/then/)
Take a look at my electronics web links and documents at 
http://www.epanorama.net/