David in Devon Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 I've inherited a village hall with conventional lanterns (Acclaims etc) but no dimmers! I have opportunity to buy Betapack 2s or Betapack 3s but can't work out the difference. Is it just MCBs or non consecutive DMX addressing - or what am I missing? Vendor doesn't know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrV Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 The threes also have 4 (I think) different curves including a switch curve (non-dim) and they have both pre-heat and top-set on a per channel basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgallen Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Betapack2:http://support.zero88.com/Legacy-Products/Legacy-Power/975535501/Betapack-2.htm Betapack3 (current until the 4 comes out shortly):https://www.zero88.com/products/dimmers/betapack3/index.shtml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pritch Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 The Betapack 3 has some nice-but-probably-not-essential features such as: Adjustable preheat per channel (Betapack 2 has preheats set for each pair of channels)Adjustable dimmer curvesMemoriesDMX address per channel Unless you actually need one of these features, then it's not a compelling reason to go for the Betapack 3 - there's also the possibility that wandering fingers will alter settings on the 3, whereas the 2 has little more than the individual channel test buttons available without taking covers off - obviously that depends on where the dimmers are installed and how you control access to them. The fact that they have MCBs instead of fuses is nice, and assuming that the Betapack 3s weren't significantly more expensive I'd consider them on that alone - that said, changing fuses every now and then on a Betapack 2 isn't a terrible job. They're both good, solid dimmers - if you go for the Betapack 3 then you will of course be buying slightly newer kit but there's no guarantee that the 2 won't have had an easy life while the 3s will have been thrown around and abused. For the majority of users, either is a good choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgallen Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 For the majority of users, either is a good choice. The Betapack1 is still also a solid dimmer - and some consider easier to maintain than the later versions (slightly larger, more space inside). With the Betapack1, finding a DMX version is harder, but on the basis many users would have a bank of 2 or 4 at least, an external demux works just as well (as is indeed the situation in the venue my group uses - a mixture of analogue B1s and B2s with a DEMUX48). The Betapack1 also uses the "standard" MK/Cliff 15A sockets (early B2 do too, later B2 and B3 use a custom design). http://support.zero8.../Betapack-1.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junior8 Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 Buy the ones that have done the least work if you can ascertain this. For community hall use either would do admirably - as would the Green Ginger or indeed Pulsar equivalents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandall Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 The old Green Ginger 4-channel racks are pretty noisy; you wouldn't want them anywhere near your audience, but they are pretty robust & very easy to maintain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBoomal Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 - that said, changing fuses every now and then on a Betapack 2 isn't a terrible job. The number of times I've had a fuse weld itself in on a Betapack 2.If cost is not an issue, then I would choose the 3 every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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