6KW,12KW and 24KW Portable Dimmers

User Guide REV0

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www.lexproducts.cominfo@lexproducts.com800.643.4460

Lex Products Corporation15 Progress DriveShelton, CT 06484203.363.3738 203.363.3742 Fax

Lex West11847 Sheldon StreetSun Valley, CA 91352818.768.4474818.768.4040 Fax

Table of ContentsIntroduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 3Safety Notice ............................................................................................................................................................. 3Installation ................................................................................................................................................................. 4Set-Up and Operation ............................................................................................................................................ 5Maintenance ............................................................................................................................................................. 6Troubleshooting ...................................................................................................................................................... 6Technical Support ................................................................................................................................................... 6Additional Resources ............................................................................................................................................. 7Extra Notes ................................................................................................................................................................. 7

This user guide is furnished exclusively to support installation and operation of the Lex 6KW, 12KW and 24KW portable dimmers. All concepts and ideas are the sole property of Lex Products and are not to be duplicated or utilized in any manner without written permission.

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Introduction

The 6KW, 12KW and 24KW portable dimmers comprise a unique portable dimming solution that can be used individually or as part of a dimming system. This product range is ideally suited for:

• MotionPicturesets• TelevisionProduction• Studios• On-location

Features and Benefits of the 6KW, 12KW and 24KW portable dimmers

• Worksasadimmeroron-offrelay• Fullydigital,pushbuttonlevelsettingcontrolaswellastraditionalslider for setting control level• DMX512-Acontrolthrough5-pinXLRinputandoutput• Digitaldisplayshowstheselecteddimmerlevelfrom0-100%,lamppre-heatlevelfrom0-25%, relayassignment/functionandDMX512-Aaddressfrom001-512• SeparateLEDsindicateoperatingmodesandpresenceofDMX512controlsignal• LEDindicatorsshowstatusofcircuitbreakerandoutputvoltage• Powerfailmemory–retainsdimmerlevel,pre-heatlevel,operatingmodeandDMX512address• Modularpanelincorporatingmicroprocessor-basedcontrolelectronicsforprecision• 100%solidstatedesignforreliability• 8-bitresolutionallowsfull256-stepdimmingcontroltoensureexactlevelrepeatability• Circuitbreakerprotected• Voltageregulationmaintainsdimmeroutputwithin2%despitefluctuationsininputvoltage• Panelmountstagepinconnectorsforinputandoutput

Safety Notice

EquipmentmanufacturedbyLexProductsisbuiltandtestedwithsafetyasaprimaryconsideration,howeverelectricalequipmentmustbeusedwithcareandinstalledbyqualifiedpersonnel.Observeallnormalprecautionswhenoperatingthis unit.

• Reviewallinstructionsbeforeuseandsaveforfuturereference• Thisproductmustbeproperlygrounded• Thisproductisforuseindrylocationsonly• Ifoperatingthisunitlyingonit’sside,ensuretheheatsinksidefacesup• Unplugunitfrompowerbeforeservicing• Donotmodifydimmerorhousinginanymanner• Do not drop dimmer

Lex Products hereby disclaims any and all liability for any injury or damage caused by the faulty installation or improper operation of this product, including damage from mishandling.

Note: Canadian versions of the Lex FD1 film series dimmers are also available. These products differ only in the use of CanadianindustrystandardJoyandSeries18Cam-typepowerconnectors.

Installation

Location

Place the 6KW, 12KW and 24KW portable dimmers in a ventilated area free of excessive humidity or condensation and accessible only to authorized personnel. Typical ambient temperature should be between 0° and 32° C.

Connecting Power and Control Wiring

TheFD1-6Kdimmerisratedfor6,000Wattsat120VAC.Itequippedwitha60AmpStagePinplug for power input (60 Amp Joy pigtail in Canada) and is protected by a 50 Amp magnetic circuitbreaker.TheFD1-12Kisratedfor12,000Wattsat120VAC.Itisequippedwitha100AmpStagePinplugforpowerinput(Series18Cam-typepigtailinCanada)andisprotectedbya100Ampmagneticcircuitbreaker.

TheFD1-24Kdimmerisratedfor24,000Wattsat240VAC.Itisequippedwitha100AmpStagePinplugforpowerinput(Series18Cam-typepigtailinCanada)andisprotectedbya2-pole,100Ampmagneticcircuitbreaker.

Turn the circuit breaker labeled “Mains Power” off before making any connections to the dimmer.

Line:ConnecttheFD1-6KorFD1-12Kpanelmountedpowerinputplugtoabranchcircuitprotected120VAC,60Hzpower source using a cable that is properly grounded and appropriately rated. Theacceptableinputvoltagerangeforthisunitis95-130VAC.

ConnecttheFD1-24Kpanelmountedpowerinputplugtoabranchcircuitprotected240VAC,60Hzpowersourceusingacablethatisproperlygroundedandappropriatelyrated.Theac-ceptableinputvoltagerangeforthisunitis190-240VAC,soa208VAC,60Hzpowersourcemay be used.

When the power connections are secure, the dimmer may be energized by turning on the MainsPowerbreaker.Shouldthebreakertrip,checkthepowersourceandcablesbeingusedbefore resetting. Do not power any of the units from a dimmed circuit.

Load: The 6KW, 12KW and 24KW portable dimmers can control incandescent and inductive loadsincludinglamps,fansandmagnetictransformersinthedimmode.Intherelaymode,itprovidesafullsine-waveoutputandcancontroladditionalloadtypes,howevercaremustbetakentoassurethatnondimmableloadsareonlyoperatedintherelaymode.Besuretoinclude transformers in load calculations.

Forsafety,andtoavoidthewearandtearassociatedwithhotpatching,theMainsPowercircuitbreakershouldbeswitchedoffbeforeconnectingtheload.Toprolonglamplife,setthecontroloutputtozeroorapre-heatlevelbeforeenergizingtheload.Plugload(s),uptothecapacityofthedimmer,intothepoweroutput receptacle using properly grounded and appropriately rated cables.

Control:ForcontrolusingUSITTDMX512-Adataprotocol,plugcontrolcablesconstructedforthisuseintothe5-pinXLRconnectorslabeled“DMX512In”and“DMX512Thru”(ifcableruncontinuesbeyondthisunit).DMX512rulesrequiretheuseofaplug-interminatoronthelastunitinaDMXdaisychain.Theterminationplugshouldbepluggedintothe“DMX512Thru”receptacle.Note:FD1unitsarenotself-terminating.TheLEDonthecontrolpanellabeled“DMXData”willIlluminatewhencontroldataispresent.

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Set-Up and Operation

The control panel will be operational once main power is present to the dimmer, regardless of the position of the main circuitbreaker.Thisfeatureenablesoperatorstosetappropriatecontroloutputparameterspriortoenergizingthedimmedload.

The6KW,12KWand24KWportabledimmersoperatorinterfaceconsistsofathree-digitLEDdisplay,threemomentarypushbuttonsandfourLEDindicatorstoreporttheset-up/operatingmodeselected.Modesare:Manual,Relay,DMXandPre-heat.Eachmodeisexplainedbelow.

Mode selection:Toselectamodepressthecenterpushbuttonlabeled“Function.”TheLEDindicatorsabovethedisplaywill incrementally illuminate to indicate the mode selected. Press the button again to step to another function.

Manual: The manual mode allows the unit to be used as a selfcontrolleddimmer.Whenthe“Man”LEDisilluminated,usethe“Inc”and“Dec”pushbuttonstoraiseandlowerthelightingtothedesiredlevelfrom0to100%outputvoltage.A60mmsliderisalsoprovidedtosetadesiredoutputlevel.The%outputlevelwillbereportedonthedisplayover-ridinganypre-set(pushbutton)level,toincrementby1%usepushbuttons(highesttakesprior-ity).

DMX:TheDMXfunctionallowstheunittobeoperatedremotelyusingUSITTDMX512-Adataprotocol.Whenthe“DMX”LEDisilluminated,usethe“Inc”and“Dec”pushbuttonstoassignaDMX512address(001to512).Theaddresswillbedisplayedandheldinmemoryuntilchanged.Thedimmer’soutputwillbeasquare-lawdimmingcurvepropor-tionaltotheDMX512controlsignalbeingreceivedatanymoment.Ifthecontrolsignalisremovedorinterrupted,theunitwillholdthelastlevelreceiveduntilthecontrolsignalisrestoredoruntilpowerisreset.TheGreenDMXDATALEDwillilluminate with the precence of data at the input connectors.

Relay: Therelaymodeallowstheusertoswitchany120VAC(FD1-6KandFD1-12K)or240VAC(FD1-24K)fixtureor device (up to the capacity of the unit) on and off. The relay function may be controlled locally by the pushbuttons or remotelyviaDMX512.Toactivatetherelaymode,whenthe“Relay”LEDisilluminated,pressthe“Inc”pushbuttononcetoturnthefunctiononandenableremotecontrol.ThedisplaywillindicatetheDMX512addresstowhichtheunitisassignedtorespond.Toswitchtherelaylocally,pressthe“Inc”pushbuttonagain.Thedisplaywillindicate“ON”andtheloadwillimmediatelyturnon.Toswitchtheloadoff,pressthe“Dec”pushbuttononce,returningtotheDMX512address.Pressthe“Dec”pushbuttonagaintoturnofftherelayfunctionentirely.Whenturnedoff,thedisplaywillbeblank.

Pre-heat:Thepre-heatfunctionallowstheusertowarmthefilamentofalargeincandescentlampby providingasmallACvoltagefromthedimmeroutput.Thelevelforthisfunctionmaybesettoavalueof0-25%oftheinputlinevoltage.Whenthe“Pre-heat”LEDisilluminatedusethe“Inc”and“Dec”pushbuttonsto assignthepreferredpre-heatlevel.Thenreturntheunittomanual,DMXorrelaymodeforoperation.The Pre-heatlevelwillremainattheprogrammedlevelunlesschangedbytheoperator.ThePre-heatLEDwillremainillumi-natedtoremindtheuserthatthereisaPre-heatlevelisassignedinmemory.Toremovethislevel, visitPre-heatmodeonceagainandusethedecreasebuttontosetto0.

Operating:Beforeoperatingthedimmer,checktoseethattheMainsPowercircuitbreakerison.WhenthedimmerisinmanualmodeitwillignoreanyDMX512signalthatmaybepresent.Forremoteoperation,besuretheunitisinRelayorDMXmodeandthatavalidDMX512controlsignalispresent.Thedimmerisdesignedwithpower-failmemory.Whentheunit is powered up, it will return to the last mode of operation and will retain previously programmed information.

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Maintenance

The 6KW, 12KW and 24KW portable dimmers are designed to be low maintenance; however, several precautionary steps will prolongthelifeoftheelectroniccomponents.Wheneverpossible,limittheunit’sexposuretohighambienttemperatures.Takecarenottodropthedeviceandalwaysprotectthecontrolsandconnectorsfromdamage.Donotallowliquidofanykindtoenterthe unit.

Allscrewsandconnectionsshouldbechecked,andtightenedifnecessary,onaregularbasis,especiallyinrentalandlocationapplications.Iftheunitaccumulatesdust,disconnectitfrompowerandcleanitusingcompressedair.Alwaysdisconnectdimmerfrom power before performing any maintenance operation.

Troubleshooting

Iftheportabledimmerdoesnotoperateasexpected,checkthepowersourceandcheckallcablesandconnectors.BesuretheMainsPowercircuitbreakerison.Confirmthatthecontrolledloadoperatesfromaconstantpower supplyandconfirmthatanyremoteconsoleissendingvalidDMX512-Adata.

Control indicators do not illuminate: Confirm that power is present to the unit.

Inc and Dec buttons do not raise and lower the lighting level:MakesurethedimmerisinManualmode (pressandholdFunctionbuttonuntilManualLEDilluminates).

Unit does not respond to remote DMX512 input:CheckallcontrolcablingandcheckthatDMXDataLEDis illuminatedtoindicatepresenceofcontrolsignal.MakesurethatdimmerisinDMXorRelaymode(pressandholdFunctionbuttonuntiloneoftheseLEDsilluminates).

Connected load switches on and off instead of dimming:ConfirmthatRelaymodeisactivated.PressandholdFunctionbuttonuntilRelayLEDilluminates.IfaDMX512addressisdisplayed,Relayfunctionisactive.TodeactivateRelayfunction,pressDecpushbutton.Displayshouldgoblanktoindicateareturntodimmingoperation.

The dimmer does not respond to the user controls – Inc, Function, Dec:ResettheelectronicsbypressingtheResetbutton on the rear of the unit.

Connected load is ghosting and will not shut off:Apre-heatlevelhasbeensetandisretainedinmemory.CycletheFunctionbuttonuntilthepre-heatLEDilluminatesandusetheDecbuttontoresetthepre-heatleveltozero.Usethe FunctionbuttontoreturntoManualorDMXmode.

Load is stuck on and does not dim or switch off:ChecktoseeifRelaymodeisactivatedandtherelayhasbeenturnedonmanually.PressandholdFunctionbuttonuntilRelayLEDilluminates.Ifthedisplayshows“ON”therelayhasbeenturnedonmanually.PresstheDecbuttontoturntherelayOFF.Iftheloadremainson,thepowerdevicemayhavefailed.ContactTechnicalServicesat1.855.LEX.1002

Technical Support

ThestaffatLexProductsiswillingandavailabletohelpinanywaypossible.Ifyouhavequestionsorneed technicaladviceorsuggestionsregardingthisproduct,pleasecontactLexat1.855.LEX.1002ore-mailLexat support@lexproducts.com.BusinesshoursareMondaythroughFriday,8:30am–5pm.Inaddition,TechnicalServicesis available 24/7 via phone.

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Additional Resources

ForadditionalinformationregardingtheDMX512controlprotocol,properlyknownas“ANSIE1.11- 2004EntertainmentTechnology-USITTDMX512-A-AsynchronousSerialDigitalDataTransmission StandardforControllingLightingEquipmentandAccessories”visitthefollowingsites:

• ANSI(AmericanNationalStandardsInstitute),www.ansi.org• USITT(UnitedStatesInstituteforTheatreTechnology),www.usitt.org• ESTA(EntertainmentServicesandTechnologyAssociation),www.plasa.org

Extra Notes

1-800-643-4460 • www.LexProducts.com • info@LexProducts.com8

Lex Products Corporation15 Progress DriveShelton, CT 06484

203.363.3738 203.363.3742 Fax

Lex West11847 Sheldon StreetSun Valley, CA 91352

818.768.4474818.768.4040 Fax