Non-Dimmers

Sensor racks have a ‘RED’ beacon light and Sensor + racks have a ‘BLUE’ beacon light…which do you have?

~Mike

I did not write this (I’m guessing that Mr. David North did) but you need to keep this in mind when talking about non-dim

Non-dim vs Switched mode / Regulated vs Unregulate

Quick Summary:
If you've got devices with electronics inside being powered from a dimmer in a sensor rack, set the firing mode to switched. If you're on a Unison rack, a SmartPack, a SmartBar, or a SmartModule, set the mode to non-dim

What those options mean:

  Non-dim dimmers output regulated AC voltage when the DMX512 level is higher than the threshold level.

  Switched dimmers output unregulated AC voltage when the DMX512 level is higher than the threshold level.

If you're wondering why:
Setting a Sensor dimmer to full is not the same as a non-dimmed circuit. Dimming systems that have regulation limit the maximum RMS voltage to the level in which regulation was set. More specifically, you can feed a rack higher than 120V and each dimmer will make sure that the maximum is at 120V (or whatever is programmed to allow for 115V or 120V lamps to not get overvoltage). The side benefit of regulation is that it can keep outputs from changing when input feeds change due to power grid loading or unloading. The downside is if a dimmer is set to full and it is regulating, you may not get a full sine wave which some moving lights and other devices do not like.

There are a couple of ways to deal with this. First, you can use a relay module in place of a dimmer module if your system supports that. (In sensor racks that would be a module whose name begins with R followed by some numbers.) Otherwise, you may be able to set the firing mode of the dimmer to Switched or Non-dim (for Sensor use Switched) which will give you very close to a sinewave and will work for almost any load type.

On a ‘Classic’ CEM (with RED beacon light):

Hit---Setup, #1 (dimmer), up/down arrow to the dimmer # you want to change, Enter, up/down arrow to the Mode that you want (Normal, off, switched, DD, non-Dim), Enter, (1)(2)

1. If you need to change the threshold: (the % of input control that you want to turn the dimmer on at. This will default to 50% so if you are oaky with that you do not need to do anything)right arrow x3 until you see ‘Threshold’, Enter, up/down arrow to change the threshold, enter, exit, exit, exit…I do not how many time

2. If you are using the default threshold of 50% then exit, exit, exit…I do not how many time

For Sensor + / CEM+….I’l let someone else jump in as I do not know that as well.

Cheers,

Mike

Maybe I'm missing something, but my read of the CEM+ manual tells me that while there is a way to select "Switched" mode in "Load-Type", further reading of the explanation indicates that Switched mode is the same as Non-Dim.

In either case, much has been written around the internet, LightNetwork, ControlBooth.com, etc..  about the in-advisability to use a Sensor dimmer set to Non-Dim mode, to power any device that has any type of electronic ballast, be it a moving light, video projector, etc...

The only sure-fired method I've ever read about, to guarantee that the loading device will not possibly suffer catastrophic damage is to use either a Sensor Relay module or a Constant module.  

Steve Bailey

Brooklyn College

Steve writes: “The only sure-fired method I've ever read about, to guarantee that the loading device will not possibly suffer catastrophic damage is to use either a Sensor Relay module or a Constant module.”

I write: YES, YES, YES

I have never used relays before, and have a show coming in that has specified "2 @ 120v 15a non dim independent circuits (not from a dimmer, needs full sine wave)". Is there anything I need to assign to the relays before I use them?

Just plug the relay module into the slot.

If the slot is configured as a dimmer of any kind then the relay will switch at approximately 50%.

Also, this is for use with the ION. Not sure if that makes a difference. Thanks!

dcbam said:

Also, this is for use with the ION. Not sure if that makes a difference. Thanks!

Console doesn't matter.

SB