Controlling Halogens via DMX

[HolyPhish]

Hello I'm looking for the best possible solution to this problem.

 

 

I have 4 Halogens in the roof of our stage used for a generic white wash on the stage. Configuration across the truss is as follows

 

2m - 150W -1m - 500W - 2m - 500W - 1m 150W - 2m

 

They are currently on 16A connectors down to a Distro with the 2 150W lamps paired.

 

My problem is:

 

That I cannot turn the lights on and off from the lighting desk. I have to run to the distro and turn them all off at the trips.

 

The 2 options I know about and am considering is a dimmer or a switch pack.

 

I don't actually need to dim the lights but dimmer is more adaptable to work with extra fixtures.

 

A switcher will give me exactly what I need but I can't find one with suitable connections. Is it acceptable to go from IEC Female to 16A?

 

My questions is this:

 

What is the best and cheapest way to control the lights using DMX?

[musht]

Presume you mean IEC male to 16AF ;-)

 

Showtec Multidim or Soundlab thingummy, 2 lowest cost dimmers available, ideal for the application.

[paulears]

I rather like these.

 

There are quite a few similar products that can be fitted with 16A outlets as an option.

[niclights]

There is no problem with changing connectors/pairing up etc. as long as the cable, connectors and dimmer channel can handle the load.

 

As a rough guide you can approximate 1000W = 5A, therefore with your existing lamps you have 1300W.

IEC connectors are rated at 10A and 1300W doesn't need anything particularly special cable-wise, so no problems there.

The majority of dimmers/switchpacks have 5A or 10A channels. You will need a minimum of either one 10A channel or two 5A channels. Or, alternatively, you could consider changing the 500W to 200W lamps if that would still provide enough light.

 

I use an Anytronics 4x5A dimmer/switch unit which gives me desk control of worklights, houselights and other auxiliaries. This works very well. However, you might want to consider the need to turn these on locally without the console. In this case look for units that also have manual control options.

[powersolve]

I suggest one of these.

 

It's a single channel 10A DMX dimmer with local manual slider control. We use one in a similar situation with 4x500W halogens. It costs around the same as a 4-channel Multidim, but having the local control is great.

 

The only problem is that the dimmer's fuse nearly always goes when a (500W) lamp blows. Get some spare fuses in.