mkbatten Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Hi guys... looking for some advice reguarding Changing desks and possibly dimmer. Currently have an very old zero88 sirrus desk.. which is literally falling apart.. and needs replacing. The dimmers its linked to are 4 x Light processor Q packs( 6channel @ 10A per channel through pairs of 15A sockets).The question I am asking is reguarding the control method. it comes from a parallel style port on the back of the desk into 4 cables each of which go into one of the dimmer racks in a din style socket...I have been looking at replacng the desk with a zero88 jester 12/24 desk as have used one before and liked it . Can any one shed any lighton the whole linking of the dimmers we have and a jester desk... im used to dmx512... so all this parellel and din sockets doesnt mean a lot to me, and the dimmer packs dont have a DMX port on that I can find(or any way of channel setting) any help greatly appriated! matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Adam Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 sounds like you need a Demux unit, and zero 88 have one that will suit the job nicely. A demux either converts DMX to analogue, or vice versa - depending on which unit you buy.They aren't too expensive, but worth checking out to include in the cost of the desk. Give Zero 88 a call or check out the website for more details. They are very helpful, especially if you are buying one of their desks. Also, quite a few hire companies have them on their "for sale" lists too, as they tend to all be DMX (or other) now. Means you can pick onme up dead cheap. EDIT: should have said, you can get versions that have the parallel ( I think its 19 pin Ds) on the back, so you wouldn't have to change the wiring either. Soldering Ds and Dins is a total pain in the hoop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkbatten Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 ah cool thanks for that... just read up on the demux! cant find the one with the D socket output.. but the zero88 demux24 seems to be the thing for the job... a second question....... Dimmer packs.... 6channels @ 10amps per channel..... should be running on 64amp sockets and breakers each shouldnt they??? currently they are on 32s... im not missing something am I?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themadhippy Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 The botex is a 25 pin d sub,as is the sirus,however it may not be pin to pin compatable.And yes in theory each of your dimmers requires a 63A single phase supply,running on 32A means your limited to around 6kw max load over the six chanels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Adam Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Blimey that's cheap. I agree that the pin arrangement could be different, but Peter (a BR member from Zero 88) or one of the other chaps at Zero 88 would be able to help you out with manuals if yours are missing. (It's old gear, so I'd be impressed if you still had them) Now that it's been mentioned, I remember it being 25 pin D subs now. (rather than 19 pin I mentioned above) I had the pleasure of wiring D-Sub - Din convertor cables for a Glasgow theatre when I worked for NL. I believe it made me crossed eyed for a few days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianknight Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Unless you really are a masochist, don't get caught in the "which Demux has a 25pin D socket to plug my existing cable into?" debate - just buy a short 8 pin DIN M-M cable to connect each rack to the Zero88 Demux and buy a Zero Demux. Although on paper the Botex is cheaper you have to factor in your time in the faffing about making up adaptor cables and so on - so unless you're doing it in your own time because budgets are tight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springgrove Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Blimey that's cheap. I agree that the pin arrangement could be different, but Peter (a BR member from Zero 88) or one of the other chaps at Zero 88 would be able to help you out with manuals if yours are missing. (It's old gear, so I'd be impressed if you still had them) Now that it's been mentioned, I remember it being 25 pin D subs now. (rather than 19 pin I mentioned above) I had the pleasure of wiring D-Sub - Din convertor cables for a Glasgow theatre when I worked for NL. I believe it made me crossed eyed for a few days. It is a 25-way D-type. I replaced mine with 4x 8-pin DINs. I can't remember, but I suspect it was pin1 = ch1, ... pin24 = ch24, pin25 = 0V. The Botex may come with D25 connectors, but many demuxes come with 8-pin DIN. You can get a Sirius 24 manual via this Zero88 page. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Adam Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Unless you really are a masochist, don't get caught in the "which Demux has a 25pin D socket to plug my existing cable into?" debate - just buy a short 8 pin DIN M-M cable to connect each rack to the Zero88 Demux and buy a Zero Demux. Although on paper the Botex is cheaper you have to factor in your time in the faffing about making up adaptor cables and so on - so unless you're doing it in your own time because budgets are tight... Agreed, but just double check that the pin out is the same at each end. I'm sure there is a standard pin arrangement for Analogue signal on dins, but I have been surprised in the past. If you can get everything onto Dins, and get rid of the D-subs altogether, you'll be a much happier person if anything needs repaired. Dins aren't pretty either, but D subs are awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themadhippy Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 if you dont fancy making your own cables there avalible ready made from the likes of 10 out of 10,even buying 3 sets and the botex unit will cost less than the 24 channels jobby,and youve got room for adding more dimmers of either flavour in the futer.One tip if you dont fancy soldering D Subs is to buy a fully wired D sub cable double the length required,cut it in half,as if by magic youve got 2 d subs to bare ends the correct length waiting for the addion of suitable connectors fior your dimmers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Now before you run off and start to get a demux which version of the Qpack dimmer do you have? the reason I ask is having spent time as the service manager for the manufacturer and having had to build and rebuild many over the years I can tell you that the Qpack is still made although it has had many updates over the years and is more commonly known as the Paradigm. these are DMX controllable and you may well already have the option to control your units this way, if not you may well be able to update them to make them compatible with future systems etc. Let me know what versions you have, if you are not sure send me a pic and I will be happy to help. Ben Former Light Factor and Light Processor Service Manager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhuson Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Just to add my 2p. The botex is a 25 pin d sub,as is the sirus,however it may not be pin to pin compatable.As others have eluded to the Botex and the Sirius 24 use a different pin configuration to each other. The Sirius used the more logical system of Ch1=Pin 1, Ch2=Pin 2, Ch3=Pin 3......Ch24=Pin 24 & 0v=Pin 25. Where as the Botex (and many other units including the Strand S72) goes Ch1=Pin 1, Ch2=Pin 14, Ch3=Pin 2, Ch 4=Pin 15......Ch24=Pin24 & 0V=Pin 25, a system which only really makes sense when you look at the physical layout of pins on the connector. However... Unless you really are a masochist, don't get caught in the "which Demux has a 25pin D socket to plug my existing cable into?" debate - just buy a short 8 pin DIN M-M cable to connect each rack to the Zero88 Demux and buy a Zero Demux. Although on paper the Botex is cheaper you have to factor in your time in the faffing about making up adaptor cables and so on - so unless you're doing it in your own time because budgets are tight...I'm sorry Ian but I'm not seeing your maths here. A Botex Demux and a new correctly wired 25-pin D to 4x 8-pin DIN adpater cable can all be had for around £200 where as a Zero 88 Demux and 4x ready made 8-pin DIN-DIN cables is going to set you back at least £375 as an end user. I'm sure there is a standard pin arrangement for Analogue signal on dins, but I have been surprised in the past.Although there is a configuration that most manufacturers follow there are in fact two different configurations to 8-pin DIN connectors, much like there is for 25-pin D connectors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springgrove Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Although there is a configuration that most manufacturers follow there are in fact two different configurations to 8-pin DIN connectors, much like there is for 25-pin D connectors.There is what I think of as the 'Zero88 protocol' and the 'Pulsar protocol'. See this Wiki reference. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhuson Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Correct. Most manufacturers use the 'Zero 88' configuration, as far as I'm aware Pulsar are the only people who use the 'Pulsar' configuration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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