Dummy load for 240v fairy lights

[marklew productions]

Hi there I have some mains fairy lights which I need to dim, if I put a s4 jr on the same channel it dims great, is there a dummy load box I can buy that will work on 10a dimmer?

 

Thanks in advance

[timsabre]

I don't think so, think about the amount of heat/power it would have to dissipate.

The usual solution is to do what you have already done and hide the fixture somewhere out of audience sight.

 

[gyro_gearloose]

You could try a lower wattage lamp as well. Is there a rule of thumb for determining the size of a load lamp, or does it not matter as long as you're above the minimum load for your dimmers (if they even require a minimum load)?

[timsabre]

Just whatever works. For pro stage dimmers I've always found a 60W tungsten lamp is enough. But often it is easier to just take a standard fixture you already have which can be hung up out of the way, rather than mucking around with domestic lights with the wrong plugs and finding somewhere safe to put it etc etc.

[gyro_gearloose]

Maybe this time of year a few electric heaters would make an acceptable dummy load. I could do with a few as I sit in prompt corner :** laughs out loud **:

[Yorkie]

something like this might work if it's enclosed https://www.toolstation.com/tubular-heater/p32265

 

Maybe I could put one in a 4U box and sell it for hundreds of pounds

[sunray]

something like this might work if it's enclosed <a href='https://www.toolstation.com/tubular-heater/p32265' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>https://www.toolstat...r-heater/p32265</a>Maybe I could put one in a 4U box and sell it for hundreds of pounds

 

Perfect for the job, back in the 70's we tried dimming a domestic table light on stage at a little theatre using 3KW resistive dimmers, which meant it was basically on or off. there were 4 tubular heaters dotted around the building and all fed from the fusebox in the lighting booth. Much to the disgust of the 'elders' I rewire them into the lighting desk which just (but only just) sorted the problem. It will be much more effective on electronic dimmers where the load is almost irrelevant, once the minimum is exceeded.

[maeterlinck]

Any true resistive load will work. I've used heaters in the past. Load needed will depend on the dimmers being used.

[timsabre]

Yeah but... why would you when you could just plug in a spare light? Which is the safest thing to do?

[sunray]

Yeah but... why would you when you could just plug in a spare light? Which is the safest thing to do?

 

It's all a question of convenience and whichever way works for the venue and situation. In the little theatre we never had enough lights and with the existing circuits it was easier to use the heaters than create another circuit to a store room or something to hide a light.

[gyro_gearloose]

Forget convenience, I want to be able to feel my toes!! :D

 

As I sit here typing this, I can feel a cold draft down the back of my neck. This situation might be affecting my views a little bit.

[kgallen]

A Patt45(*) hung from a boom pointing into the wings with a cut of Congo Blue in it was always my solution for a dummy load!

 

As comments above, most dimmers have a minimum load of between 50W and 100W, so any lamp to get you into that range should work.

 

(*) Because it was the only left-over "proper" light I had that would do the job - because I couldn't bear to put a Patt237 flood into the rig!

[adam2]

For short term or temporary use I agree that a standard incandescent lantern is the simplest and probably safest approach.

 

For long hour use as on a long running show, then one should perhaps consider the energy wasted by lighting a probably 500 watt lantern needlessly. A 500 watt light costs about 8 pence an hour to run, negligible for limited use. In the longer term though it adds up and a lower wattage dummy load might be considered. 60 watts should suffice and could consist of a 60watt incandescent bulb or a low powered anti-frost electric heater.

 

Alternatively, consider do the fairy lights actually NEED their own dimmer channel ? could they be paired with a lantern that needs to be lit at the same time. In most productions, the fairy lights wont be the only lights lit, and they could be paired with another light that is lit for the same scene.

 

 

 

[indyld]

A Patt45(*) hung from a boom pointing into the wings with a cut of Congo Blue in it was always my solution for a dummy load!

 

A Patt45 is ideal - very little light output!

[alistermorton]

Or, alternatively, could the fairy lights snap on and so use a relay channel (assuming you have them available)?