Matthew Robinson Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Hi, Is it possible to dim a SIL25 followspots through 'normal' dimmers? IIRC, SILs are basically a generic with a handle, so there should be nothing wrong with them. The dimmers are LSC EKO24s. Thanks Matthew Robinson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 I would say a pretty confident yes.As long as the lantern has no ballast attached (either integral or external) then you're fine - ie it's a normal incandescent lamp. AND your dimmers are beefy enough to cope with the lamp load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Robinson Posted October 10, 2010 Author Share Posted October 10, 2010 IFAIK there is no ballast on the dimmer. Also, the LSC website seem to suggest that the output of their dimmers is 13A or more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Hmmm...I thought that was a bit of an odd figure, but indeed, as per the LSC web site they do in fact spec 13A or 25A dimmer circuits - odd, as most will normally only spec 10A channels, which will comfortably drive up to about 2.5kW each. What lamp do you have in the Sil?Did you mean it was a 25 degree lantern, or a 2.5kW lamp house? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Robinson Posted October 10, 2010 Author Share Posted October 10, 2010 It's a 25 degree lantern with a 2000W lamp, so it should be pulling about 8.5A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatman Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 IFAIK there is no ballast on the dimmer. Also, the LSC website seem to suggest that the output of their dimmers is 13A or more. I don't think you read Ynot's first answer correctly. Dimmers don't have ballasts, but lanterns do if they are discharge luminaires. A discharge luminaire must not be connected to a dimmer channel. It's a 25 degree lantern with a 2000W lamp, so it should be pulling about 8.5A. Ah, that's OK then well within the 2.4kW capacity of a 10A dimmer channel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I thought that was a bit of an odd figure,Heading a bit OT, but there are a fair few 12.5 and 13A dimmer ranges around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Robinson Posted October 11, 2010 Author Share Posted October 11, 2010 IFAIK there is no ballast on the dimmer. Also, the LSC website seem to suggest that the output of their dimmers is 13A or more. I don't think you read Ynot's first answer correctly. Dimmers don't have ballasts, but lanterns do if they are discharge luminaires. A discharge luminaire must not be connected to a dimmer channel. Sorry, it was late. Yeah, the lantern doesn't have a ballast is what I meant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I thought that was a bit of an odd figure,Heading a bit OT, but there are a fair few 12.5 and 13A dimmer ranges around.My experience is limited therefore as before now I'd not seen a modern range in that bracket.Ho hum - learned something today then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyJ Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Just a thought,isnt 25 degrees a bit wide for a follow,I was under the impression follows are normally narrow angle.I suppose if its a short throw it might be ok.Perhaps someone can put me right, I also echo whats been said allready about the suitability for dimming.Regards Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_the_LD Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Just to confirm that the CCT Sil can be dimmed - we had a Sil as a Followspot at my last school. Cheers! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Just to confirm that the CCT Sil can be dimmed - we had a Sil as a Followspot at my last school.A rather broad generalisation, and one which could get you into problems. Not all CCT Silhouette followspots can be dimmed - if you plugged our two old CSI ones directly into dimmers, for example, you'd end up with a rather large repair bill. The short answer to what seems to have turned into a rather long-winded thread is this : if the lanterns have a tungsten lamp (i.e. they plug directly into a mains socket without the addition of any additional control gear, ballasts, etc.) then yes, they can be dimmed ; if they have a discharge lamp (i.e. they require an external ballast) then no, they can't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LXbydesign Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 and finally, if your 25 degrees lens is too wide for the throw, then rather than change the lens tube (which you could do), just buy an iris and drop that into the gate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swampman Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Simple quick answer: you can't use dimmers on anything but halogen filament followspots (there are DMX controlled shutters etc... for HMI/CID... Pani's etc) but watch out: some have a fan to cool the iris and other parts - if this is the case it might not cool adequately since the fan may stop or not start at low light levels.To modify the followspot with a seperate fan feed is possible but it could lead to excessively quick cooling ot the lamp etc.: this may have consequences like shortening of lamp life and fatigue due to rapid temperature changes, so careful study and care would be advisable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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