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pritch

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    Huw Pritchard

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  1. As part of some upgrade work we need to sort of the rats' nest of DMX that's on stage. We've got two universes at present, although it's not hard to see us hitting a situation where we've got three in the not too distant future. We're considering a shift to DMX over Ethernet. Someone has raised a concern about what we do with hires who bring their own desk in with them. Now, we don't get many, we're an amateur venue who mainly do our own stuff and most of our hires are local community groups who'll just use our desk - but I've been asked about what we do if someone turns up with their own desk and can't use one of the DMX over Ethernet protocols. My initial response was to dismiss this - if you've got a 2+ universe desk you can probably do ethernet - does that seem reasonable? Failing that, I've been asked if there's an Ethernet node that allows you to plug standard DMX on XLR into the back of it, which to my mind seems to rather defeat the point of using ethernet in the first place, especially once you start trying to throw multiple universes at it.
  2. We've got halogen MR16 12v suspended cable spots in our auditorium - they're run off transformers which are in turn fed from what I think is a 2kW triac dimmer. We're managing to keep them going with new halogen lamps as and when needed, but ultimately we need to look at LED. Changing the fixtures isn't really an option we want to look at - however, lamps, transformers and dimmers can all be replaced. They're currently wired as 3x strings of 20 lamps - if we were to change to 5w LED that would be 3x100W; we could conceivably split the strings in the middle though making 6x50W instead. Most of what I've been able to find out there for dimming MR16s is for d0mestic type use with a fairly standard sort of dimmer switch and using a fraction of the power we're talking about. Obviously we're after being able to dim the whole lot together - ideally we'd have some way of getting DMX into the system although that'd not essential. How would people here do it? Are there specific dimmers/drivers or whatever? I'm getting the impression from what I'm reading that not all dimmable MR16s are created equal, but I've not really found any proper details on just how they vary. I'd just give it a go, but I'm worried that we wouldn't get a real idea of how it's going to work until we get rid of the very last halogen lamp, by which time I'll have bought and changed 60 of them!
  3. Cheers everyone - sounds like it's the right tool for a quite specific situation, but perhaps not what I'm looking for. Conventional sack truck it is, then.
  4. My venue is irritatingly 3-dimensional - the sort of place where you'll walk a few yards on the flat, then come to a flight of three steps, walk a bit further and come to another small flight of steps - you know the sort. Our sack truck has gone walkies, and I'm looking at a replacement - I was wondering if anyone had experience of the stair climbing variety - the ones with two sets of three wheels rather than two conventional wheels. In particular, I'm wondering if they are genuinely useful on stairs, and also if they're still usable on the flat, or if the stair climbing wheels make them awkward to steer. Also, are they any use on curved staircases? Thanks, all.
  5. I was in my local Aldi earlier and noticed these eight-way spanners. Seems to be a combination of a quad spanner and the peculiar spring-loaded head from the Dirty Rigger podgers. I didn't pick one up but had a quick fondle - seemed reasonably well made but no idea how it would hold up in use. https://www.aldi.co.uk/8-in-1-multi-wrench/p/099676348946500 They're out of stock online, but are in the middle aisle in some stores.
  6. You'll have to let us know what you think of it - it's in my list of potentially useful things to buy if I need it, but I probably should have told you when I pointed you to it that I don't have any personal knowledge of what it's like! :unsure:
  7. Just had a bit of a peak at an Optoma HD143 that I've got here, and although it wasn't pronounced there was a definite orange glow that I could make out being reflected off some metal surfaces in there. When I powered it down, after it extinguished the lamp there was a more visible orange glow which faded out over a second or two.
  8. As far as I can make out, VM138 is a ready-built module and K8072 is a solder-it-yourself kit, but they're basically the same thing.
  9. This one from Velleman? http://esr.co.uk/shop/contents/en-uk/p41574_Velleman_DMX_Controlled_Relay_Module.html
  10. I'm afraid I have no idea, but I've been watching this thread with interest to see if anyone pipes up - we might be in the market for a switcher at some point in the next 18 months or so, and they certainly look interesting. If you manage to find anything out about them from other sources, can you report back please? I'd like to know myself.
  11. This thread on the Freestyler forum might touch on something interesting: https://www.freestylersupport.com/fsforum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2060 Although it talks about Windows 7, it does make quite a bit of mention about 64 bit operating systems - there's a strong chance that you're running 64 bit on any recent computer. The drivers on Monacor's UK website seems quite old, however the German site has something which looks a bit more interesting: https://www.img-stageline.de/produkte/DMX-510usb/ There's a software link near the bottom of that page; hopefully that'll get you somewhere.
  12. Have you got a laptop that you can try sending some data to the node with as a test? Something like https://sacnview.org/ will let you see if you can control the fixtures without using the desk - you can also use it to see what data the desk is spitting out (assuming you're using SACN, anyway). Once you've got an idea of that, it should give you an idea where you need to be looking.
  13. We got some ColorSource Cyc units a bit over a year ago and have found them to be really quite good. Cyc bar is about 3-4' away and the cyc is about 14' top-to-bottom. Very impressed with their range of blues.
  14. I've got a set of these, which I'm quite impressed with: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wiha-Slim-Vario-Wallet-Pieces/dp/B004S6S4LE/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=wiha+vde+set&qid=1576516561&s=diy&sr=1-2 A nice touch is that unlike some interchangeable bit screwdrivers, they're rather slim at the end so you can access recessed screws and terminals with them.
  15. I think all of the 192 channel controllers you've mentioned are the same product, with differences in the screen printing on the front panel. The DM-X24 desk that you've mentioned looks like it might be an option for basic two-preset operation, and like the 192 channel desks is available from a number of vendors with different screen printing - as it seems to come in around the £200 mark and that's more than they can afford, it looks like you're in a tricky spot with regards to new desks. You could perhaps look at second hand options, but most theatre type desks seem to come in at £150 for something quite old with a questionable history. Second hand Zero 88 Jesters are out there, and it's quite a nice and simple desk to use for inexperienced operators. There's also a load of Zero 88 Sirius desks out there, but it's nowhere near as user-friendly in memory mode, and many of them don't have DMX cards fitted.
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