willjam39

Thanks for the tips guys :)

 

Think I have found a bag that holds two at a time which would be perfect for our needs. Wish I had enough to warrant a full flight case though ;)

Hi guys,

 

Thanks for the responses, I must admit I don't know if we have any tent makers around here so shall look it up.

 

Hi Dennis, Thanks for the tip, I have similar problems on old LCD screens on the desk. Issue is limited space in the house so hoping if properly dressed the other half wont mind them hiding in a dark corner as much.

 

Will

Hi Guys,

 

We recently got some LEDJ pixel battens and are are now trying to find a storage case/bag to keep the dust out etc. Pro light recommend a bag but it only takes one unit per bag and I would prefer more per case/bag if possible

 

Any recommendations for places to look?

 

Will

If more venues cast their name into them I am sure someone would turn it into a game of who could collect the most names

Hi Guys,

 

an update on the problem. I borrowed a second Showtec demux and it did the same as the first so it appeared to be a pin out issue.

 

the in house system has two desks, a very odd manual and a "digital" one that works with a little box plugged in to the D plug.

 

Aha! I thought they have a demux which works, but it turns out their system is running a different protocol to DMX. Luckily it turns out the trusty 520 has a port for that protocol aswell :S

 

It was a fun experience and at least the showtec is still going strong

 

Thanks for all your help guys

Agree with the above, whats the Desk?

 

Check the patch address matches the Lights DMX address

The second hand point is a good one I had not thought about. nearly all of my kit is second hand picked up for not too much as usually the older stuff is that bit more robust in nature (betapack 1s to name an example). But LEDs having a fairly fixed lifespan before becoming uneconomic to repair will we see the drip down effect at all?

But I find the floods don't replace a Fresnel when you need accurate and focus-able lighting in a theatrical setting. A decent LED Fresnel or Profile is needed aimed at amateurs budgets, even if just a white or amber which can be gel'd up

Well yes but I wouldn't be able to count the number of halls of various kinds visited where Strand and indeed Furse and even in some cases Major equipment over forty and sometimes fifty years old is still in regular use. (Leave alone the thousands of 243s that must still be working away in professional houses) It is still there a) because it was built like a battleship but mainly b) because back then someone was wiling to pay what in today's money would be seen as unrealistically high purchase prices. This stuff was not cheap; ever. Some of it will probably be on its fourth control. It has stayed there quietly working away while everything else around it has been replaced more than once. Ir owes nobody anything and may be it is time to bite the bullet and start fund raising.

 

I totally agree about how well the current lighting rigs have soldiered on and will continue to do so until the bulbs run out but most groups don't seem to realise the cost of replacement because they haven't had to for years. The people who spent the cash on the expensive strand systems 30-40 years ago are rarely still around to remind people how big an investment it was then. Also people see the price of a cheap DJ par and wonder why your saying a light costs 3-4 times as much when you need to replace the Fresnals.

I agree with the cost to Amdram groups being too high atm. I recently started investing more into LED for my various groups but its only viable because I work with so many groups doing multiple shows a year.

 

Also add the costs of changing the cabling in the smaller venues and most groups will need a desk update to use LED effectively and I don't see many smaller groups changing anytime soon

Thanks Alan

The dip switch is set for 10v and the switch on Negative

I shall have a look inside when I can get at it in the week. It has been a great unit and would be a shame if it is done.

Will

Hi guys,

 

The Dimmers are Strand Act 6s and the desk is a Strand 520i.

 

I have used the Demux before with the dimmers But on a much shorter time scale so may have assumed any issues were bulb issues as the in venue kit isn't maintained often.

 

The talk of pin outs has reminded me of another symptom which might guide, when channel 2 is selected up on the 520 I get multiple channels on the stage come up.

 

Thanks for the quick responses and hope my answers help

 

Will

Hi,

 

I am doing a local amdram show, and to take control of their analogue dimmers I use the above unit. Yesterday when flashing through to see what was working I found that the channels were out of sync with no pattern.

 

I have checked the internal patch on my desk is right and the lights behave as expected with the analogue desk. I have also checked the correct polarity and voltage level for the dimmers .

 

Has anyone had experience of a Showtec demux jumbling up channels?

I have seen the Showtec version as a friend had both sizes on demo. they really are a cheap pearl copy with added crashes.

 

The supplier didn't want to pick them up after the demo as they were that bad.

For Amdram use I go for Multi play as it has good control and is quite easy for people to work. It also has a warning to show when its not the top window or not the computers focus which is quite handy.

Does this update also cover the Compact version? -----Ignore, brain now in gear and seen it does

Wonder what the long asked for changes are in the update

Still using a 520 as a good solid desk for amdram/ low level shows. Also it is hard to find a desk with the features of one for a price amateurs can pay.

I didnt know we had bowling in Stansted :o

Shame I missed the offer as have an analogue Beta1 that would be perfect for conversion

Thanks for the info. Won some spare bits yesterday.

Has anyone here used the Lightshark LS-1 for Theatre? Seems an interesting desk for the price point.

I find it interesting you mention the level of ops in a church. One of our locals has titan mobile running their lighting which for 6 generics and 6 led back lighting floods seems overkill but it was so they could program set scenes and put them on labelled buttons on screen so anyone could get the service running.

I shall try there. Thank you.

HI,

 

I have bit of a blast from the past to repair. My Jands Hog 250 has packed up and having tracked the fault I've replaced a programmable chip. Sadly I cant find the operating software anywhere and the one Jands have doesn't appear to work. Would anyone have a disk with it on sitting in a store room somewhere?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Will