[SML] Distributed power, was Leviton Dimming Racks

[Ford Sellers]

There was an interesting discussion of distributed power (and dimming) vs centralized dimming at the NATEAC conference.

Some interesting points (I thought):
Cons:

·         With large PD (think 30 or 50amp plugs), you have to hide the breakouts… a lot of venues (especially “flexible” ones) have hanging positions in direct view of the audience, and do not like having bundles of cable visible.

·         If you’re using distributed dimming, you need to hide the dimmer racks (sticks, or whatever)… see above

·         Since Dimmer Racks aren’t generally powered with their full potential load, you can’t just swap a rack with a breaker panel.

·         Many modern LED units have PowerCON plugs, which cannot be installed as a panel mount because it is a dual voltage connector (120 and 240v), so there is no way (other than either testing, or plugging in) that you can determine what the voltage is.
Pros:

·         Many modern LED fixtures have power linking (so you can daisy chain power and data), which can help keep things neat.

·         Since the load of LED fixtures is typically far below 20amps, fewer individual circuits may be needed in any given physical location.
Also Consider:

·         If you’re redistributing power, you had better also redistribute Data.  Not just DMX, but (isolated) TCP/IP Ethernet.

o   1gb networks look like they will be suitable for entertainment systems for the next decade, at least, and are far more affordable than 10gb networks (right now).

Lots to consider when thinking about updating a venue to take advantage of current and emerging technologies…

-Ford

From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft-bounces at theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Bill Conner via Stagecraft
Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2016 7:42 PM
To: Stagecraft
Cc: Bill Conner
Subject: Re: [SML] Leviton Dimming Racks


I agree with that too.

On Jul 24, 2016 6:06 PM, "Kim Hartshorn via Stagecraft" <stagecraft at theatrical.net<mailto:stagecraft at theatrical.net>> wrote:

It might be time to reconsider large investments in conventional dimming.  200K would buy a decent inventory of smart LED fixtures.  Distributed power and control might be worth looking into.

Kim Hartshorn

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