LSC Lighting iSeries - Manual (Page 14)

V1.21 September 2007 iPAK/iPRO Dimmer Operator Manual
LSC Lighting Systems (Aust) Pty Ltd 10
4.3 Test Function
4.3.1 Driving Channels
A very useful feature found on most LSC dimmers is the ability to individually or group select
channels and drive the outputs from 0 to 100%, without a control device being connected. This is
particularly useful when doing onstage focussing, pre-heating of lamps or general dimmer
testing.
To activate, press the Mode Select Switch until the “Channel” LED illuminates. Press the Scroll
Buttons until the desired channel is reached. The corresponding channel number will be
displayed in the Status Display. At this stage all channels can be activated by pressing the
increment Scroll Button once quickly and then pressing and holding until “ALL” is displayed. The
“ALL” mode will stay active until either the increment or decrement Scroll Button is pressed.
Press the Mode Select Switch to move the function to “% Drive”. Again use the Scroll Buttons to
adjust the channel(s) output level. The output is displayed as a percentage of the total output,
that is “60” is 60% of the output. To adjust another channel, repeat this process by pressing the
Mode Select Switch to “Channel” and selecting the next channel. If loads are not to be driven
during this stage, they can be isolated by switching the channel MCB off.
The Scroll Buttons can be used to scroll quickly through the “Channel” and “% Drive” levels by
either of two methods:
i)
Pressing and holding down the increment or decrement button will move the channel
number or output level by a rate that begins slow and then speeds up.
ii) Pressing the increment or decrement button once quickly and then pressing and holding
will snap the output level to either its maximum or minimum setting.
4.3.2 Chase Test Mode
Another useful test feature, is the ability to set the dimmer to sequentially fade through all its
channels. In essence, it appears as a single channel chase that fades each channel up and then
down. To activate this, select “Channel” on the Mode Selection Switch and then press both Scroll
Buttons for less than two seconds and release. The Status Display will show the last known
channel number entry and will then automatically scroll through the channels. The “Channel”
LED will pulse to indicate that the dimmer is in this chase test mode. The output level will default
to zero, however pressing the Mode Selection Switch will activate the ”% Drive” mode. Use the
Scroll Buttons to adjust and set the output level. Press either one of the Scroll Buttons to stop the
chase and subsequent presses will increment or decrement the channels. To resume the chase,
press both Scroll Buttons quickly.
4.3.3 Pre-Heat
Prior to a show’s performance, it is highly recommended to pre-heat the filaments in the fixtures
to prevent sudden thermal shock to the lamp, thus reducing the possibility of damage or
shortened lamp life. To activate the pre-heat function select “ALL” on “Channel” mode and then
drive the outputs to around 8 to 10%. This level should allow sufficient current through the
filament to glow slightly, but not produce any noticeable light output on the stage. A time span of
10 to 15 minutes should be enough to warm most types of theatrical lamps. To set a permanent
pre-heat, refer to section 4.4 Scene Storage and create a scene that will activated when the
dimmer is powered up.
Two things to consider while in the Test Function mode. If a DMX512 controller is connected to
the dimmer and begins to transmit, the incoming signal will work on a HTP (Highest Takes
Precedence) basis with anything that is set on the dimmer’s control panel. That is, if the dimmer
is currently set for pre-heat at 10% and the incoming signal has channel data greater than 10%,
then the dimmer will output the higher value. Likewise, if the incoming signal drops to 0%, then
the output will be at 10%, the pre-heat level. Secondly, if power to the dimmer drops out and is
then restored, the dimmer will automatically start at the DMX512 Address mode. All previous
settings will be lost.