ianknight

16 hours ago, richardash1981 said:

The Sixer controller I have is indeed the Strand one re-badged (with a small mod inside so it can take power via the spare pins in the DMX cable). It's useful to know that all of these devices are not the same. It's also triggered the thought that I might know where I could borrow a (number of years old) Transcension SDC 6 from for the period, which might be the way to avoid doing anything else in a rush this year (if it works, which will need to be tried!).
 

The Sixer & SDC 6 will also run off a 9v battery if you're tight on power sockets.

Lightprocessor stuff is rock solid - a lot of their kit was designed by Mick Hannaford so complies with DMX standards, simple but robust electronics too. Lightprocessor got amalgated in to Cooper Controls along with Zero88 & iLight (for the history buffs) and then disappeared as a brand despite some nicely designed kit. A lot of the staff stayed with Zero88 for a while and I think their old office in Watford is still part of the Signify operation.

Support for Lightprocessor is still handled by Keith at Zero88  though mostly these days it's help with circuits & diagnostics.

1 hour ago, sandall said:

Assuming the "Sixer" is merely a rebadge of the Strand version, this appears to be a generic Chinese offering, which appeared with different names, knobs & ridiculously cheap prices, at the same time as the Strand one, so may well be available to hire or on the usual auction site. Probably safer to leave the Sixer where it is.

Can I just add - from the benefit of experience....

"Audition" i.e. try out one of these cheap 6 channel slider DMX boards - they might not work correctly with your existing kit. Sometimes it's true that they output DMX but not the DMX that your kit is expecting. Please... don't start with the DMX is DMX thing - it's not regarded as a "standard" by some chinese manufacturers

I've encountered this with the newer Transcension 6 way desks - they work nicely with Transcension dimmers but not Zero88 or Strand DMX dimmers. Eventually Keith @ Zero88 and myself suspected there was oddness with the mark/space ratio - Prolight were never overly concerned, it worked with their other products :P  Cheap DMX buffers didn't work either as they didn't try to reshape the waveform as some more expensive units do.

The very first Transcension SDC 6 (which was designed & built by Botex) worked fine as did the Strand Sixer which came out of the Botex factory after Philips had bought it - the replacement design (from the guy who sold the Botex factory to Philips) didn't work.

You can still find the "original" SDC6 around (it's got a brown case with orange legending) and there are probably Sixers still in stock around the place too - if you decide to buy then stick out for one of those & save yourself the pain.

13 hours ago, Jupton24 said:

Ive recently come across some analogue dimmers where I work and wondering if such thing exists as a din analogue to DMX adapter? or am I worth binning them? I should of thought such things dont exist but it would be great if you could point me in the direction of one. 

Thanks 

As other folks have said - if you want to control analogue dimmers from DMX then there are some options available - the easiest of which is the Showtec Multiexchanger - it will drive dimmers that need positive or negative going control voltages. The only PiTA is that the outputs on the unit are 24pin D connectors so will need some soldering to make up adaptors (or buy them from 10 out of 10).

If you want a really compact way of doing it then there are some "new build" 6 channel PCB units around that would just need a small case, have a look on eBay.

13 hours ago, sclg said:

We have an Ion which, while currently working, is behaving a little strangely. We'd like it serviced and the firmware updated.

Neither Stage Electric (our nearest agent) nor ETC will even consider booking it in over the next three months and even then suggest they would want it for a month at least!

Any suggestions?
(Can't say we are impressed with this level of customer service!)

Thanks

I'd be tempted to say talk to WhiteLight Service Dept - they should be able to offer a realistic timeframe & possibly a loan/hire desk, they're also a main distributor for ETC so they have manufacturer support. They'll probably be able to offer an onsite option if you're loathe to let the desk out of your sight too.

I've never been inside an Ion nor ever had any ETC service experience so there's no point in me offering to look for you.

19 hours ago, kgallen said:

You don’t need to change the CFT.

When you go to patch the fixture, when you’re selecting it, scroll down to ‘Load from floppy’ then select the IFT file.

The CFT is for the 20 different fixture types you want permanently stored on the desk from a hard reset. You can load as many other fixtures as you need from floppy when creating a show (to the limits of the number of intelligent fixtures supported on the particular variant of the Frog range you have).

I did say "It's been a while but if memory serves... " - more than happy for more recent (& frequent) users to tell me better especially @kgallen  - it is about 17 years since I last used a Frog "in anger" or showed someone how to use one :)

...and no - I'm not sure I wouldn't fall of a bike these days either *laughs*

1 hour ago, kgallen said:

Would that be a slightly portly gentleman with a beard? 🤣

Possibly... :P

It's been a while but if memory serves... You need to edit the CFT file by removing a definition you don't need & adding the definition you do need.

I can't remember though whether the fixture editor can do that or if it's a separate utility @Edward- Z88 will be along in a minute with a definitive answer I'm sure.

It might also be worth asking the question here too -  Zero88 Support Forum - someone else might have the answer too :)

50 minutes ago, kgallen said:

They cost what, a couple of quid each?

*gives a knowing wink*

To some people that couple of quid is their "much needed profit" - certainly from personal experience when I was an employee that used to be the case :P

19 hours ago, RussWig said:

 

Hello, I have an old CD80 Dimmer system in my University Theater. (240 dimmers in 3 racks). I am getting an oscilating or pulsing group of instruments who all share the same phase in one of the racks. Moving one of the 03-722777-010 "Power Supply" cards between racks causes the problem to move as well so I'm confident I have found the culpret. I've been looking for replacements or a schematic of the card so I can try rebuliding with new components. There isn't much on the card and aside from the baked R1 I can't find anything obvious. If anyone has a source for parts, or access to a schematic or calibration procedure, it would be most helpful. Strand has nothing in their archive and just want to sell me a digital upgrade...

Talk to the guys at The Service Department @ WhiteLight Link - they've always done Strand servicing & used to have lots of ex Strand Engineers on staff (not sure about these days) - they might well be willing to help with schematics or faultfinding :)

Central Theatre Supplies in Birmingham (yes - I used to work there) they do online and in person sales - you can see prices & stocks here.

I understand from Jo Beaumont-Ward (the owner) that they're having some supply chain issues - not sure how this applies to lamps but well worth giving them a call (and mentioning that Ian Knight said to contact them).

I remember this when the issue was first raised a few years back & now being older & vastly more cynical - I always smile at news headlines about youths in London being escorted off buses with machetes or "zombie killers" in their possession & think "they must be on their way to work at the local plantation..."

In a country now where we ask proof of age for buying a canteen of cutlery over eBay (by using a credit card!) or you get "carded" in B&Q for buying a craft knife/'stanley' knife yet apparently buying a machete in your local hardware store is a doddle?

My Gerber nowadays "lives" in the glovebox of my car & only gets hooked on my belt when I arrive at work & it's the first off my belt before the seatbelt goes on to drive home all for fear of being pulled.... It's a strange old world 😞

I've just had a quick look at the manual on the ProLight website (Transcension is one of their brands) Here - not sure whether that's the same manual you've been looking at or not?

I can't see any mention there about decoding multiple universes presented on the ArtNet only that the unit will take DMX in and encode it to ArtNet (presumably the Device ID plays a part in this?) though 😞

You could try contacting ProLight to check firmware versions against the manual shown - from experience having sold a lot of their kit in the past it's certainly possible that different shipments have different firmware and they wouldn't be aware themselves.

Be prepared though to be told that the feature you're looking for isn't a feature offered by the unit (there's a reason why it's half the price of a Swisson node?)

22 hours ago, sunray said:

Often the members of staff who will be using the kit are not included in the consultation etc and the only people included in the final choice between the 3 or 4 estimates are the bean counters. One junior school we went to survey the only member of staff we met only knew they required a 'microphone system' and access to any of the staff did not happen until installation when we found it was not what they were requiring.

The problem I find is only one member of staff has a clue how to operate a desk (Lights or sound) and the tangle of installation is not documented. When they leave someone is called in to sort out the mess, this often includes adding more, and often very unnecessary, kit and a briefing to a member of staff who may or may not understand etc.

In my previous "incarnation" with CTS - we usually found it was a well meaning parent who spec'd the kit in smaller schools or an IT technician who'd spent an afternoon "googling" kit (which proved interesting) - sometimes it was a drama teacher who just didn't really have a clue. As Hire/Service Manager it was often left to me do the handover training or refresher training - the good days were those when I sat down at the new desk with a bemused/confused teacher or technician, showed them how it all worked and that they didn't need us on site every week :)

Sadly, I left back in 2017 just as FLX was making it's mark (before then it was Jester, Solution or CT Incognito) - patching a couple of small moving heads & a dozen or hex LED's is a lot easier and useable on the FLX :)

17 hours ago, sunray said:

This is starting to remind me of a school system where they had (IIRC) a Jester 12/24 and a TL wih a screen connected (Hopefully TL is a thing) with seemingly identical powersupplies, Except they were labled for each device and wouldn't work if plugged into the wrong device.

Now this is where I'm really clutching at straws, do I recall they use din plugs for the PSU and one pin was bent over.    If that is so then could it indicate one device uses 12V and the other doesn't?

I'm digging this out of the grey matter from far enough back that I could be hopelessly out of kilter.

 

As far as I remember - the Jester range all used 4 pin XLR's - again following the "universal" power supply concept. The same PSU could be used on Frog/Fat Frog, Leapfrog/Solution, Illusion 500 & Jester. The Frog 2 PSU was chunkier because that desk drew more current on the 5v rail (and it had a power switch). The Diablo used a locking DIN for it's PSU I think - it was a half way house between the Alcora/Elara & Jester - it was also sold badged by American DJ or Chauvet (can't remember which).

Not sure why two desks from the same range needed separate PSU's - the CPU might he slightly different to accommodate the extra LCD's and encoders - but this is probably limited to an additional header for these to plug in to and that's it.

There's often some odd "folklore" in schools/colleges around the more complex desks - my most memorable was the college that had all 30 brand new Selecon LED's operating off two faders from a Solution - apparently the desk wasn't capable of handling all 30 fixtures... until I supplied them with a patch & showfile that "unlocked" them all. Just goes to show that Acme AV Services might be fab at projectors but like Disco Dave's Technical Services - they're rubbish at lighting technology :P

15 hours ago, Brian said:

Thanks,

a look inside shows the 12V input appearing on an unpopulated 2-pin connector. There is 'something' connected to the rail as I measure something with the meter but I've not tracked it down,

Don't forget that the Jester CPU was the first with an ARM processor - the board might have been intended to use inside another desk that never materialised when the Orb series was re-worked, the connector might be there but it doesn't mean the 12v rail is in use inside the desk.

I've just had a look at the schematics I have too and can't see the 12v rail being used - I'm not sure that schematics were ever released for the CPU card (in the same way that they were never released for the STmain and Solution CPU's).

I suspect the 12v rail is there for the desk lamp socket on the Frog (& later Solution) Series of desks as well as on the Illusion series - it was cheaper to source & supply one PSU as the "universal PSU" than try to carry supplies and stocks of 3 different types.

Historically, I think there were issues around the Alcora/Elara series when they produced the Mk 2's - the analogue card needed a separate supply rail to generate the +10v rail but the desks were supplied with a single rail supply whereas the MK 1's had the ugly wall wart PSU that had twin voltage rails.

That image you posted describes setting up the dimmer with fluorescent lighting ballasts that can dim? The unit becomes a DMX to analogue controller...

To change the channel function from switch to dim - you probably need to use the internal menu. I've come across less than 1 dimmer that has jumpers inside to switch between dim/switch.

On 11/15/2021 at 8:58 PM, Robert Williamson said:

I am Having Issues With My Zero 88 Light Master XL

When I power on My Zero 88 Light Master XL only channel 1-7 have the channel lights lit even if the the A &B Preset and Master Faders are all down to 0

Would you have any suggestions?

 

When did you last have the internal battery changed? Whilst probably the second most indestructible desk in the old Zero88 range - Lightmasters don't age well if their internal battery isn't kept track of and changed as it fails because the battery eats the PCB tracks it's mounted on. 😞

If you'd like to eMail me at ian at serviceguy dot co dot uk (done to prevent me getting more nigerian relatives finding me :P ) then I have a scanned copy of the manual for the internal tests that will let you check the analogue encoders in the desk but I suspect it's likely to be the battery - in 20 odd years, I've never had to repair and XL for anything else.

eMail for the test procedure & try that but I suspect that it might be a portent of bad news 😞

1 hour ago, robthirlby said:

Has anyone replaced the led engine in a selecon PL/1 fresnel?  One of ours has failed.  Any ideas where I should go for spares?

 

Rob Thirlby, Leicester Little Theatre

Rob - my understanding from several conversations with Keith Rogers (yes I know he's Zero88 but also notionally Strand too nowadays!!) would be to talk to the Service Dept at White Light in London. Keith seems to believe that they're the chosen main service centre/parts distributor for Strand these days now that Strand is part of Signify.

They might be able to recommend a service centre close to you - perhaps Hawthorns/Encore?

Push comes to shove - I might be able to source the part if we can find a parts number as I have a Signfy parts account but I don't have any documentation for the PL's (I'm in Coventry). However, I would give the guys at the Service Dept a call first - from experience they're always keen to help :)

15 hours ago, Edward- Z88 said:

Hi Mike,

All faders on the Elara are the same type. If you wish to order one from a Zero 88 distributor, these are part code 4417000.

As per @kgallen's suggestion it may be worth dropping @ianknight a line. End of play Friday may be a little tight but worth asking.

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Edward

I've been in touch with Mike (oddly - another old customer from my CTS days) but whilst I have genuine original faders in stock, I can't make his deadline for this side of the weekend. Apparently these particular faders are also proving tricky to get hold of according to Keith @ Zero - I might have to start stripping old Alcora/Elara's :P

If anyone's ever stuck then a very brief squirt of Servisol Super 10 will often save the day and get a show done but ultimately, the solution is to swap the fader.

I find my self wondering how a live round was anywhere near the set, let alone in the weapon. Surely the armourer would have checked the weapon was loaded with the correct ammunition immediately before handing it to the actor. I smell negligence (assuming it was not murder).

We DO need to be careful with speculation until everything is revealed but some news reports this morning would indicate that a live round was in the weapon which allegedly wasn't checked before handing to the actor.

In any event - a real tragedy and a salutary lesson to check it, check it & check it again.

Pretty sure there were various models, all superficially similar but different connectors, fuse positions etc. I remember (late 70s) our school had the 5A version, but the community hall next door inconveniently had the same things with 15A.

 

maybe you're thinking of https://www.theatrecrafts.com/archive/albumviewer.php?id=1&page=12&type=a

 

The later ones had 8 pin Bleecon/DIN connectors for the 6ch analogue input; the earlier ones had a big 8 pin Bulgin octal connector that looked like a valve base. Until my last clear-out, I had a set of adaptors out in the garage...

I've never seen Mini 2's with Bleecons fitted except as "home mod's" - I've always had to use the Octal adaptors (and yeah - I've still got a couple somewhere 'just in case'). I think the fuses were moved on to the individual modules as it simplified the wiring internal to the rack so it was easier to swap out & repair faulty modules.

As a side note, I'm still finding it amusing that Strand & Zero88 are now part of the same group and that Keith @ Zero might have to go on a course to repair Strand gear :P

The Fursine is probably Cinemoid anyway - it was all produced at the Courtaulds plant at Spondon.

I had a friend who took over as the production manager for the line who casually asked one day if it might be of any use (it turns out it wasn't called by their trade names in the factory itself so he didn't realise what it was) - I ended up with a roll of assorted colours that lasted a couple of years. It was a "died in the mass" product that was then rolled out to thickness - new gels are clear polyester that is dyed to suit which I suspect is why some colours don't quite match - the dyes probably react slightly differently with the base material?

Strand & Zero88 are now "sister" companies under the same owner so it's very likely that it's a rebadged FLX.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen...

Indeed - Strand went from world leader in controls (there wasn't a venue on the planet that at one time didn't beat a path to Strands door for desks & dimming) to not having an original control of it's own design (I think Genius on the 300/500 platform was the last). They let their lead slip to ETC & MA and appeared to lose the will to offer mid range but powerful hardware to control fixtures leaving a hole for Zero88 to slide in with very innovative and intuitive software (Jon Hole has done some stunning work on that).

The Strand/Botex link was never going to work longterm except by providing some low cost hardware for entry level users but FLX eclipsed even that - I'm not sure where Botex is in the new company (if it figures at all) but I do know that the Zero factory in Wales is now producing PCB's again as they bring production (and not just assembly) back in house so I suspect that at least by buying Strand, people can be content their desks are built in the UK.