LSC Lighting EKO - Manual (Page 43)

EKO Dimmer
Operator Manual V2.3
LSC Lighting Systems (Aust) Pty. Ltd Page 39
11 FAQ
11.1 FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
Q . How do the EKO’s go with a load such as a
mirror balIs. Is there any trickle?
A . No problems. We use a circuit called PTFD
(Pulse Transformer Fired Dimming), which
means that we can control virtually ANY type of
load (Resistive, Inductive, Strobes, Motors, ELV,
etc), without the need for dummy loads. This is
one of the key differences between LSC and
most other brands of dimmers.
Q . Do the dimmers work on HTP or LTP when
the ePlate wall stations are connected.
A
. The ePlates work in LTP mode. So if you
activate Memory #3 it takes control. Then if
another user activates Memory #7 and it
contains the same channels saved in memory
#3 then Memory #3 is de-activated.
Each Memory can contain any combinations of
channels, so Memory #1 can turn all the lights
on at full, whereas Memory #2 may only control
the odd channels. This allows the client to have
a very flexible configuration that is powerful,
whilst remaining simple to use.
Q
. Can you disable the ePlates so that no one
plays with one while a console is in use?
A . Yes. You can setup a few different
configurations for how DMX and the ePlates
interact. The most common configuration
is “Auto Switch”. In this mode as soon as
the dimmer sees DMX (after the console is
turned on) then the ePlates are disabled, so no
one can 'accidentally' turn the lights on/off whilst
the console is in use. When the console is
turned off there is a preset delay (1-999
seconds) and then the ePlates are re-enabled.
The other modes allow a button on a specified
ePlate/s to be programmed to manually change
between DMX and Memory (architectural) mode.
Q . How do the ePlates connect to the dimmers
and how do the dimmers link to each other? Is it
all your LSCnet?
A
. The ePlate wall stations and EKO dimmers all
connect in a daisy-chain, just like DMX. We use
Cat5 cable, as it is cheap and easy to install.
This Cat5 cable carries the LSCnet data and
power to the ePlates.
Q
. How many ePlate wall stations can I have in
one system?
A . The limit is 65,535 “devices” on a network.
These can be made up of EKO dimmers and/or
ePlates. Depending on the physical distances
involved and the quantities of ePlates and EKO's
you may need data repeaters and power supply
boosters to make it work.
There are two simple rules
1) Data Limit. You can run up to 800m of Cat5
cable and 32 devices before a data repeater is
needed.
2) Power Limit….A single EKO dimmer can
provide enough power to run 4 ePlates. If you
need more ePlates then you will need either
another EKO dimmer or an LSCnet PSU
booster.
Q
. Is there a max cable length for the LSCnet?
A . No. You will need a data repeater every
800m, but there is no limit as to how many
repeaters you run. If you need to cover very long
distances (for example, greater than 2km) then
you can use the LSCnet-ethernet bridge to
convert the LSCnet data into standard TCP-IP
ethernet and then use existing computer
networks (including the internet) to carry the
data.
Q
. Will the following scenario work?
The client wants a single EKO324 installed in
their theatre. The first 20 channels (stage
lighting) need theatrical control via a DMX
lighting console as well as control via 4 buttons
of an 8 button wall plate downstairs (for
replaying of internal memories of those 20
channels).
The last 4 channels are for Auditorium house
lights and will be controlled only from the other 4
buttons of 8 button wall plate.
Can we stop the lighting console from accessing
the 4 House light channels? (Can we tell
channels 21 - 24 not to respond to DMX)?
A.
The answer is YES! This complex scenario is
actually quite common and the EKO is designed
to handle this with ease. Each channel can be
configured to ignore or respond to DMX, so
channels 21-24 will be told to ignore DMX
always. Channels 1-20 will be configured for
Auto switch (to DMX), so that whenever the
lighting console is turned ON and DMX is
present these channels will only respond to
DMX. When the lighting console is turned off
there is a programmed delay (e.g. 30sec) and
then the wall plate takes control.
In addition each button in a wall plate is
completely independent of the other buttons. So
a single 8 button plate can be programmed to
talk to 2 separate groups of channels, as is
required in this instance. Even when DMX takes
control of channels 1-20, the last 4 channels
(house lights) are still under control of the
relevant wall plate buttons.