KevinE

A modern solid state ballast is going to run the lamp at the ballast rated output, whether the lamp likes it or not. Under running a larger lamp may work, it may flicker or not strike properly, overheat, cycle or simply be dim. Likewise a ballast that's too large for the lamp risks over running it. The lamp is in no position to demand exactly what it needs, the ballast gives it and the lamp has to comply...or explode.  Best put the right lamp in for the fixture and leave it at that.

There must be a dozen or more simple sound to light projects lurking in the Practical Electronics or Everyday Electronics mags that were published in the disco craze. Can you make something up out of one of those mags? They're all archived on worldradiohistory.com     I'm sure Tim (sabre) will be along soon as I'm sure he's designed more sound to light circuits than most! The AGC is the more complicated thing if you want to extract the beat reliably, some did it with surprisingly few parts.

Interesting topic and maybe a way of invigorating that old tired moving head with the feeble MSD250 that seems to gather dust in people's sheds! I dont think its likely to be a commercially viable thing but as a DIY job these led conversions are an interesting read.

I'd be concerned with a moving head that the balance is not disturbed too much, I'm sure the maufacturers put much thought into the original centre of gravity.

There's nothing to stop you adding supplementary bonding as an aftermarket modification if you feel more comfortable doing it, but in the world of 'pro-sumer' lighting equipment, you'll be kept busy! Prolight Concepts (isolution) are a uk company, and probably the largest manufacturer of disco lighting and sound equipment in the country, and they're bound to have put these on the market with the relevent standards. Although I can't see any harm in sanding a little area of panel for reliable metal to metal contact, anything more is likely to be a modification to the design that you will ultimately be responsible for. I suspect your experience in industrial automation has led you to expect higher construction standards than those generally seen in the semi-pro stuff sold for disco use and of course they are priced for and aimed at a different market sector.

Modern prolight (isolution) stuff certainly have their panels bonded either by bare parts under the screws or by seperate earth cables. But I wouldn't be too concerned, I've seen it on many things with powder coated steel casings, amplifiers, lights, what-have-you. Maybe those lights originally had a star-washers under one screws that could bite through the paint, and they got lost, unless you're the first to dismantle them.  If the part in question is not designed to be routinely handled while in use, I doubt it presents much risk in reality, no matter what the relevent standards may require.

Alot of people are mentioning liability insurance but depending on the court's outcome, the insurance company might deem that the conditions of the insurance were breached and the insurance is therefore void.

As an example I organised liability insurance for my father's business and the list of prerequisites or endorsements to their off the shelf policy were very comprehensive and I had to get some of them removed, he has a workshop full of circular and crosscut saws, routers, morticers, bandsaws and power hacksaws, and despite the insurer being told what the insurance was for, there was a clause in the initial proposal stating it did not cover accidents involving 'rotating woodworking machinery'. Now that it does, it only covers the machinery if all the correct signage is in place and the correct PPE is enforced. Sounds like common sense but I bet it would be easy for them to wriggle out on a technicality.

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Who is/was it, by the way?

I shan't mention names as I think they're still in business but they are/were in Staffordshire. It was on the midlands news.

There is/was a fireworks company not far from me who were often having fires and explosions, and I suppose it's that type of industry, explosives after all. And, to be fair, it doesn't matter how many special tools or instructions you give employees, they will always find a way around them if it makes their work easier. That includes simple things like safety glasses or gloves. If someone forgets to put their glasses on and gets swarf in their eye, its the employer's fault for not training them properly in the error of their ways, not the employee's fault. And the papers will report it so and the courts will find it so.

difficult to glean exactly what happened from a newspaper. They're not the most accurate source of facts, believe me.

In my experience the ones from the usual DJ brands ie brands that make everything to do with DJ'ing eg smoke machines, cd players and flashing lights are best avoided, they're aimed at a particular end of the market. I've seen a few so-called high-end DJ models and they don't fare much better.

I like the Martin (formerly Jem) machines, Le Maitre and Look! / Smoke Factory.

But you'll find a leap in price between these and the DJ brands.

PS The fluid also makes a difference to the longevity of a machine. CHeap fluid is mostly water which will require your DJ to lean more on the smoke button and for longer periods as the machine billows out steam with a bit of smoke in it. I'm also curious how calcium deposits get into machines if the fluid is supposed to be made with distilled water...either way it can't be good for the capilliary tube in the core.

Good smoke fluid produces nice white smoke at the touch of the button which lingers far more. Coupled with the tighter temperature control of a good machine and it'll be a better effect overall. Some cheapies give a couple of puffs of white smoke then the rest comes out a sort of transluscent grey - which I suspect means it's too cool.

my android has the 'emergency alert' notification on/off option greyed-out. So someone wrote the operating system to allow it to be turned on/off and someone else removed the option after. I've turned off all alerts. It means I dont get pinged for a text message either, which is a good thing.

I'm looking for a device for a client, he has a video source that outputs RGB analogue video with seperate TTL syncs (15.625/50) and he wants to put it into a TV that only has composite (CVBS) and HDMI (like most modern tv's!)

In the past I've tried the 'gonbes' chinese boards aimed at the video games market but I've had very mixed results regarding the quality and repeatability of them.

Cost is the key as there are 40-odd tv's to convert (they're all showing different pictures!).

The usual bargain places like ebay and amazon have little boxes that claim to output HDMI from PAL but although they come with a scart input, it's not fuilly implemented and the boxes only use the composite input pin, which we don't have.

pardon my graphical skills but I'm sure you get the gist

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My question is, how will the pump be triggered with only one thermostat? This thermostat will normally cut 120V supply to the heater when it reaches operating temperature but how does the pump receive 120V via the same feed when this thermostat cuts power? If it's wired before the thermostat the pump can be triggered at anytime via the switch/remote which is not normal operating procedure. If it's after the thermostat it won't receive 120V to be triggered. How is it wired?

as per my last post. The pump circuit is wired across the thermostat. When the thermostat is closed, the heater is on and you can't pump. When it's open, the pump (and switch) has power and can be operated. 

The ultra-cheap disco-grade machines do use these as the control stat, I'd say the temperature depends on where it's mounted, some are direct, some on a little aluminium bracket. The temperature will be stamped on it somewhere, but could be either in C or F without any indication of which.

There's usually only one in series with the element and safety thermal fuse (the thermal fuse may or may not be present depending on the reputation of your supplier), the pump and switch are connected across the normally closed contact, and when it opens at temperature, the pump can effectively be operated with the heater in series, and of course it gets shunted when the block cools too much.

I think the fibre providers will be providing a sort of set-top box to allow access from analogue systems.

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Switched to Plusnet, can`t speak highly enough about their customer service, fast to answer and empowered to get things done

 

I spent ages getting our lines at work changed over to plusnet from watchdog's very own 'Unicom'. It took me a long time because Unicom had entered the wrong address into the openreach database when signing us up years ago, which meant that when plusnet tried to adopt our line, openreach reported that no phone line existed at our address!

After a couple of years of trouble free service (except for noisy openreach line problems) we had an email from plusnet saying they were going to pull out of the business market, and we had a year to find a new supplier. Cheers! :-/

There are certain lighting manuals that state something like.. 'in an emergency, mic cables can be substituted for DMX cables, but you must snip the link between pin 1 and the plug shell'.

I've seen many commercially sold xlr (audio) cables with pin 1 linked tothe shell, at least at one end,

And a few installations where horrendous hum on a long cable run (balanced) was only cured by adding an absent link at one end, for example where a double insulated DJ mixer was connected into a DLM unit and the entire signal ground was floating.

I'm happy to be corrected but isnt the MS16 a computer speaker (pair) ? The manual does not say if it's balanced or not, but the mini 3.5mm TRS jack would suggest to me a standard PC microphone pinout, ie screen, signal and possibly DC bias. It just doesn#t say. 

I'd be tempted to use a local pre-amp at the mic end and then run the signal at line level into one of the phono inputs. I suspect the cable's just getting induced hum.

These are also sold under the ADJ brand, so I assume they will suffer similar problems. First I would change the capacitor on the secondary side of the dc-dc converter, this supplies the logic on the board, the capacitors are not the best quality. It's the small electrolytic below the inductor in the picture and any ripple can confuse the micro. Secondly as rob has already said, do check your work. It's always suspicious when a repair attempt makes something worse! It's easy for example to get the plugs in the wrong headers because they all look the same. There should be tiny inkjet-printed numbers on each plug matching the pcb markings.

I have a vague recollection of a blown stepper driver IC killing one of the micro output lines, so your suspicions of the micro may be right 😕 

DS Sound (discosmash) of Antwerp make properly weatherproof speakers, aimed at installations on funfair rides in all weathers. I haver a client who has a system and is very pleased with it.  I can vouch they're the real deal, very heavy and well made. Ignore ther slightly tacky-sounding name, they're Belgian. Customer support is reportedly excellent.

DS Sound Antwerp

These have a Linea X-POD-HP don't they, I think? In which case you would log-in via Turbodrive (?) or Podware (?) and view the settings from there. Just guessing, I've never tried it. 

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how did you resolve it

The obvious answer is to fault-find the amp module and replace the faulty parts. Is that what you're looking to do? Are you ok with fixing pcbs?

I've run them off DC supplies before now, however I remember some early led MR16's with the multiple led pcbs had half the led string on one half the mains cycle and half on the other, I suppose to simplify the dropping arrangements while avoiding flicker. Obviously these wouldn't work on your leisure battery but things have moved on a bit since then in the world of led replacements!

make sure the insulating washers between the heater module and the mounting plate are intact and corretly positioned. I think they supply new ones with a new heater. Leakage here will upset the thermocouple circuit

from memory these are belt drive so the first port of call would be a new belt. They may just be slipping.