Testing Dimmer Circuits With The Rotary Potentiometer; Dmx Control - ETC SMARTRACK User Manual

Version 1.2

5.6. Testing dimmer circuits with the rotary potentiometer

Using the rotary pot on the control panel, you can test any or all of the dimmers
in a Smartrack, without requiring external dimmer drive signals (DMX). This is the
next stage of commissioning:
a) Check that the level pot is turned anticlockwise (off position). If the control
panel is locked (enter LED off), press enter for three seconds to gain access.
b) Press dimmer, to enter dimmer mode.
c) Use the
d) Turn the level pot clockwise to raise the level of the selected dimmer. In
modular Smartracks, the green level LED on the module face panel mimics
the level set at the level pot. This indicates that control signals are reaching
the power device in the module.
e) If desired, leave the level pot at a level (say around 50%), and step through
the dimmers in the rack, using the
dimmer, the dimmer previously under control is set to zero.
Important Note:
In Dimmer mode, the display only scrolls through dimmer addresses used in the
rack. This means that a rack with one each 12, 6 and 3 channel dimmer assem-
blies would have a total of 21 dimmers, and, if its starting address were to be set
to 201, would only scroll through the range 201-221 in Dimmer mode.
When selecting dimmers in Dimmer mode, a notional ALL position is inserted
between the highest and lowest number in the rack. Thus, in the example given
above, when incrementing addresses, ALL follows 221 and precedes 201.
When decrementing addresses, ALL follows 201 and precedes 221.
5.7. DMX512 control
Having established that the rack itself is working correctly, the next stage is to verify
DMX512 reception from the lighting control system. USITT DMX512 (1990) is an
internationally accepted digital protocol for dimmer level communications between
lighting consoles and dimmers, and is output from virtually all currently available
lighting control consoles. If you are unsure about the output from your console,
please consult your dealer.
and keys to select the dimmer to test.
and keys. As control passes to a new
Smartrack User Manual
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