GreatBigHippy Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Hi all, I am wondering if anyone has found a dimmer that works well with the source 4 mini LEDs.My situation is that they are going into an animation studio. Thus I cannot use a dummy load lantern and they need to be on separate channels. Also, we are looking at 6 stations with 2 of the fixtures each so I would rather not use a centralised solution like sensor dimmers etc. Discrete units would be preferable.I have tried a strand single channel dimmer and an alpha pack, both struggle, with the fixture just not working between 40ish and 70ish percent. I don't need a smooth dimming curve as such, but I do need flicker free performance. Has anyone found anything that works? Thanks,Anthony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinntec Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Have you checked Source Four Mini LED Dimming Performance on the ETC website? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsabre Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 You will not get good 0-100% dimming performance from any dimmer. However, a trailing edge (IGBT) dimmer such as this one from Varilight (not to be confused with vari*lite) will be better than a triac dimmer. http://www.varilight.co.uk/products/vpro.html I haven't worked with the S4 LED specifically but this will dim most dimmable LED drivers better than a normal triac dimmer. It will snap on at about 40% but if you then dim back down you'll get down to a lower power before it snaps off again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatBigHippy Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Hi. Thanks for replies do far. I did look at the website but as they only look at their own dimmers it was of limited usefulness. I'll have a look at the trailing edge solutions thanks. As it is for stop motion I don't need smooth dimming, I just need it to be able to reach all levels (If you see what I mean). Keep em coming. Thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistermorton Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Without knowing the S4 mini LED well, would it be possible to replace the driver with one which takes DMX to dim it directly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocfe Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Oddly ETC do not offer a DMX dimming option for the Mini LED. We've achieved dimming with them by using a third party constant current driver (can't remember the current right now). We removed the driver that was supplied with the fitting and used an eldoLED DMX driver that we stock to achieve perfect dimming. This was placed remote to the fitting as it was quite a bit larger than the one that shipped with the unit, but it was 4 channel.I suspect we lost any warranty from etc doing this modification, but it worked beautifully. PM me if you need any further info/ prices Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyro_gearloose Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Why not forget the idea of dimming altogether and just use varying shades of neutral density gel? Isn't that what its meant for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreatBigHippy Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 OCFE - PM sent, thanks :) Gyro - In this application I am trying as much as possible to recreate the user environment that the students are used to. They are animators not LX techs and so if I can keep it on a nice simple fader I would be happier. cheers :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinntec Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Gyro - In this application I am trying as much as possible to recreate the user environment that the students are used to. They are animators not LX techs and so if I can keep it on a nice simple fader I would be happier.Sounds like the original tungsten S4 Mini would have suited this environment. better as 50W super birdies? Then all you had to find was a dimmer that was ok with a 50W load. AlphaPack min load is 0.2A min = 46W @ 230V, 48W @ 240V (OK), BetaPack III 0.1A min so also OK. Pity as I presume the S4 Mini Leds are not cheap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyro_gearloose Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Gyro - In this application I am trying as much as possible to recreate the user environment that the students are used to. They are animators not LX techs and so if I can keep it on a nice simple fader I would be happier.Not sure I see your point. I'm assuming that we're talking about 3d stop motion, kind of like an Aardman film? If thats the case then the idea of swapping gels to achieve a desired 'look' is as important as pushing faders, and surely is something your students should be learning? Edit : SPAG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oovis Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Gyro - In this application I am trying as much as possible to recreate the user environment that the students are used to. They are animators not LX techs and so if I can keep it on a nice simple fader I would be happier.Not sure I see your point. I'm assuming that we're talking about 3d stop motion, kind of like an Aardman film? If thats the case then the idea of swapping gels to achieve a desired 'look' is as important as pushing faders, and surely is something your students should be learning?Plus it removes the chance of messing up continuity on hours of animation by knocking a fader which happened to a friend of mine, only once though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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