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MAC 250 power needs


timtheenchanteruk

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Do you have to strike them all at the same time - could you strike them one at a time via DMX?

 

To quote the User Manual

Note: A peak of electric current that can be many times the operating current is drawn for an instant when striking a discharge lamp. Striking many lamps at once may cause a voltage drop large enough to prevent lamps from striking or draw enough current to trip circuit breakers. If sending lamp-on commands to multiple fixtures, program a sequence that strikes lamps one at a time at 5 second intervals.
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yes,I will be doing that, there`s no way I could fire them all up at once

 

the problem is this, we only have 2X 13A sockets in the room we will be using, one will be running a few generics, the other 4 or 6 if we can squeeze them in MAC 250s. so if we have 5MACs running at 1.6A each giving 8A draw, if the last one shoves it up too much on strike it will take out the fuse.

 

I`m trying to get them to only use 4 that would ease things a little !

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yes,I will be doing that, there`s no way I could fire them all up at once

 

the problem is this, we only have 2X 13A sockets in the room we will be using, one will be running a few generics, the other 4 or 6 if we can squeeze them in MAC 250s. so if we have 5MACs running at 1.6A each giving 8A draw, if the last one shoves it up too much on strike it will take out the fuse.

 

I`m trying to get them to only use 4 that would ease things a little !

 

If you have a 13A fuse in the multiway socket mains power adaptor, it won't blow instantly even if you draw 20A. There is a delay involved in heating the fuse wire enough to burn it out.

 

Thus, this BS1362 13A fuse is only rated to break its circuit after carrying 24.7 Amps for 30 minutes.
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I usually allow a inrush of double the running current - however depending on the age of the lamp, and how hard the unit needs to work to strike the lamp it could be more than this.

 

If you are worried about inrush - just turn the units on in smaller groups rather all at once - we've done gigs in rooms off a ring main with 10-12 Macs and just turned them on in groups of 2 4 for example - never any problems with trips or fuses.

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Provided that you strike the lamps one at a time, rather than all at once, It should be fine.

13 amp plug fuses are relativly tolerant of brief overloads caused by starting currents.

 

Remember that many d0m3stic appliances have large inrush currents, the fuses supplying such items generaly last the life of the appliance.

Computers, fridges, freezers, vaccuum cleaners and many large power tools draw a lot more than 13 amps briefly whilst starting.

 

It would of course be sensible to conduct a trial before the event, and to keep spare fuses to hand.

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Pretty sure that the Mac250s are clever enough to strike themselves in sequence according to their DMX address so that they don't all strike at once, which would solve your problem!

 

Unless, of course they are all addressed to the same channel?

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Pretty sure that the Mac250s are clever enough to strike themselves in sequence according to their DMX address so that they don't all strike at once, which would solve your problem!

Unless, of course they are all addressed to the same channel?

Which is highly unlikely in reality.

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