/skn Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I'm a little out of my depth! I help a local theatre group with props and sets plus part of one of my units has become storage for the same - or that's how it started. Over time the place has become rammed with stuff that never moves. I don't know much about the technical side, but I'll see some fancy-looking bit of gear and ask why it's being kept. "oh, that cost x-thousands of pounds new". Off I go to google and am greeted with forum threads from a decade ago! I'm a hoarder myself, so I know how it works, but my rules (in one of my units!) don't apply to others. I want to see the group do well and using space for out of date gear doesn't seem to be an ideal way of using available space. Today I had to move a flight case to make space for something else (a human-sized bird cage!!) and thought I'd have a quick peek inside. I'm certain it's the first time it's moved since it arrived and inside were 6 IES Executive 1210x dimmers slotted in. I'm sure these were all the rage back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, but seriously? I imagine any second hand value is on a boat long since sailed, so how do you guys discipline yourselves when it's time to get new gear? And is there a rule of thumb for getting rid of stuff before it becomes obsolete? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Dimmers that have DMX input and still work definitely have value. To someone. Its just a matter of finding them, and thats what can take time. Lighting desks become obsolete (but I am always on the lookout for a funky old analogue desk to make a coffee table with) but dimmers - they just have one job to do. Dim a resistive load. They may need a bit of a clean and maybe a trim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musht Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 ...inside were 6 IES Executive 1210x dimmers slotted in. I'm sure these were all the rage back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, but seriously? I imagine any second hand value is on a boat long since sailed, so how do you guys discipline yourselves when it's time to get new gear? And is there a rule of thumb for getting rid of stuff before it becomes obsolete? IES, of the Netherlands, got taken over by ETC. 6 dimmers racked in a case, with power distribution? 72 way rolling rack of any description is worth very real money even now. Information on specific model seems sketchy , but the one pic found looks like nice modern dimmers, one reference makes me wonder if they are IGBT dimmers, which are unusual and probably of even greater interest and value to some buyers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanhill Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 If they are IES dimmers, they could be sine wave dimmers, as that was what IES specialised in. You can pretty much plug anything into a sine wave dimmer and control it. I used to use IES sine wave on opera tours for stage lighting, MD monitors, RAT stands and anything else we needed to control from a board. The real beauty of them is that they do not generate filament 'sing'. They definitely will have value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryson Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 According to the ETC site, they are indeed Sine dimmers: Here's the manual: https://www.etcconnect.com/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=10737460843 They're only from 2002, they're hardly old. My dimmers in use every day are the same vintage. They're totally saleable. To answer the wider question here: I have an attic at the theatre with various strata of Kleigls, CCT Sils and Altman Lekos. The really fun stuff we put in the "museum" which is in my office. Currently several boxes of carbon arc rods, a reevox and a desklamp that we can see in the original 1966 picture of the lighting booth up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glyn Edwards Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 They're worthless, ship them to me and I'll dispose of them safely :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Given that sine save dimmers are the dogs what sits, one wonders what they are "making do" with while these rot in storage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/skn Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 Thanks for the replies guys. Maybe I picked a bad example as a google search didn't return a lot. The wider point being there does seem to be a lot of gear kicking around not doing much. I know all too well how easy it is to fill available spaces, but if something has a value (either sale or rental) and is not being used then seems daft to see it stuffed in a corrner. I guess it was (or sounds like maybe still is!) a decent touring rack. Now I want to rummage some more, see what else is hiding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owain Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 That can't be old, it's got LCD displays ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musht Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 TBH we are all now wondering what else is hiding! ;-) Sine wave dimmers main trick is silent lamps, they create a new sine wave rather than chop it, so there is no filament rattle. They can also be trimmed to output any voltage without needing a transformer, 110V lamps , no problem. They were some multiple of cost of normal dimmers new. Secondhand they will certainly hold some value, have used Gearsource to shift stuff before succesfully: http://www.gearsourceeurope.com/catalog/listing/81257 That`s a lesser brand, 9 year old, 36 way conventional dimmer for around 2 grand, would think that yours is worth at very, very least double that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 That can't be old, it's got LCD displays ... Hmmm, I was designing LCD character display into equipment at least 25 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alistermorton Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Indeed, I was putting custom LCDs in units back in 1980, and they were hardly the new kid on the block then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/skn Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 TBH we are all now wondering what else is hiding! ;-) I found a Mackie 32 8 last week which are a few hundred on a well known auction site - the one I couldn't find out much about on google turns out to be the crown jewels! http://www.gearsourc...g/listing/81257 That`s a lesser brand, 9 year old, 36 way conventional dimmer for around 2 grand, would think that yours is worth at very, very least double that. Yikes! Looks like it's about time I start charging rent! http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musht Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Some theatre groups have ,er, well heeled patrons obviously ;-) Only concern would have with putting a rack like that out on hire, is that they are fiendishly complex should they ever require repair. Ebay is OK for shifting items with a known market value as buy it now, days of starting things at 99p and letting them find their own value has long gone. Gearsource attracts buyers who know what they are looking at, but it might take time for the right buyer to come along. For sale ads here are widely read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owain Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 That can't be old, it's got LCD displays ...Hmmm, I was designing LCD character display into equipment at least 25 years ago.Exactly, not old. :-) "old" is mahogany with brass terminals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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