BUYERSGUIDE
By JustinLang
Portable Dimmer Racks and Rack Mountable Dimmers
W
elcome to a decidedly un-sexy
product category: dimmers.
They may not be front-and-center at trade exhibitions, drawing crowds
and generating industry buzz. But we all
use them, and despite all the industry’s
technological advances, there’s nothing that
quite matches the warm and fuzzy quality of
a nice, power-guzzling tungsten light fixture.
Controlling those “energy hogs,” as
some might call them, requires a dimmer
of some sort. Being out on tour, you need
something that will either fit into a rack or
serve as a self-contained system to take
charge of the lights.
This month we turn our focus (silly pun
Lightronics RD121
intended) to portable dimmer racks and
rack mountable dimmers. Most systems
available from the manufacturers listed
above are highly configurable to suite
your needs. We offer here a sampling of
the various types available. If you are in
the market for one, we encourage you
to talk with these companies to find the
best product to suit your needs.
Just remember, these can get heavy.
Don’t even thinking about lifting one. Be
smart and make sure to keep the casters on
the ground, your weight behind it and have
a sure footing. Smashed toes are a good way
to get off the road sooner than you hoped.
Philips Strand Lighting ProPack Dimmer
Mole Richardson 3781
Applied Electronics SA12/1200 & SA12/2400 Omega Racks
Swisson XSD-R
Leprecon VX & MX Touring Racks
ETC Sensor3 Touring Rack
TMB ProPower RPD Series
Techni-Lux PD-DX1220TB
Company
Model
Max Dimmer
Count
Dimmer Types Available
Enclosure Construction
Power-in Connection Types
Power-out Connection Types
Dimensions
Weight
Compliances
Retail Price
Comments
Applied Electronics
appliednn.com
SA12/1200 or SA12/2400
Omega Racks
24-72
1.2k or 2.4k SCR
Rolling ATA style vented rack
Cam I/O w/ dual neutral
& Aux. Edison
Any combination of patchable
19pin, Stagepin or Edison
30” x 48” (depending
on dimmer count)
250-500 lbs
(depending on
dimmer count)
UL
Varies by
configuration
Individually breakered packs, 24A rated round touch safe patch pins,
Lighted patch bay, Custom built in power distribution available
Steel
E1016 single pole
Full selection upon order request
30” x 30” x 50”; 34” x
45” x 50”
650 lbs; 1000 lbs
UL
Varies by
configuration
A workhorse dimmer for touring applications. Now with ThruPower
modules, any dimmer can become a true relay or a constant hot output. Additional 208V branch circuits can also be provided to power
moving lights.
Steel Frame or ATA Style
Camloc
Camloc
Variable
Variable
N/A
Varies by
configuration
Options include top accessable hot patch, meter panels, load panels including 19 pin-Multis, Stage pin, Twistlock and Edisons. Non-dim load
panels and digital meters.
$2,272.10
The Portable Single Dimmers represent a durable package for the rigors of location work, based upon the company’s other portable distro
designs. Features include an onboard fader, DMX512 control, digital
display, non-volatile memory and lamp pre-heat.
$2,030
The RD121 is a 14,400W, 12 channel, rack mount lighting dimmer. The
unit is fan cooled. he unit is over temperature and over voltage protected and has a magnetic circuit breaker for each channel.
$2,030
The RD82 is a 19,200W, 8 channel, rack mount lighting dimmer. The unit
is fan cooled. he unit is over temperature and over voltage protected
and has a magnetic circuit breaker for each channel.
$3,139
The RD122 is a 28,800W, 12 channel, rack mount lighting dimmer. The
unit is fan cooled. he unit is over temperature and over voltage protected and has a magnetic circuit breaker for each channel.
Varies by
configuration
6-DMX controlled 6 x 2.4kW Socapex Outlets. 2 Socapex paralleled per
6-channel and 1-20 Amp Duplex Outlet. All outlets feature indicator
lights and are breaker protected.
$ 2 ,025
Propack promises high-density, high-power dimming in a compact
2U rack mount package. Each Propack features 12 dimmers connected to Socapex or terminal strip outputs for 230V markets and adds a
stage pin output for 120V markets to meet a wide range of applications. All Propacks feature flat front circuit breakers that provide clear
tripped-status indication and have no toggle handles that can break
off. Control is supplied with an easy to use digital processor.
ETC
etcconnect.com
Sensor3 Touring SP3-48;SP3-96
48;96
ThruPower, Forward Phase,
Reverse Phase, Relay, Constant
Leprecon
leprecon.com
Variable
48
MX Series Dimmers, VX
Series Dimmers
Lex Products
lexproducts.com
Portable Single Dimmers
One
6kW, 12kW or 24kW SCR
RD121
12
1200W
Steel and HDPE
Stage Pin
Stage Pin
16.0” x 8.75” x 14”
Lightronics
lightronics.com
RD82
8
32 lbs
UL
2 - 120VAC single/three phase
60 amps
19” x 3.5” x 13”
Metal
2 - 120VAC single/three phase
80 amps
27 lbs
Stage Pin, Socapex, Patch Bay,
Duplex, Terminal Strip
UL-508
2400W
RD122
12
3781
48
Mole Richardson
mole.com
Philips Strand Lighting
strandlighting.com
30
Lex Products FDK-12k
Propack Dimmer
12
2 - 120VAC single/three phase
120 amps
2.4 kW
SCR
Metal
Compact 2U High Rack
Mount design
Cam-Lok 960 amp three phase
100 - 120VAC, 3 phase
Socapex
12 Stage pin or 2 Socapex output
configurations
19” x 3.5” x 17”
43 lbs
36” x 18” x 19”
N/A
3.75” x 19” x 18”
34 lbs
N/A
CE & CSAus
Swisson
swisson.com
XSD-R
12
Sine Wave
Steel & Aluminum
CEE32, CEE63, Terminal
CEE32, CEE63, Terminal
19” x 19.1” x 3U
68.4 lbs
CE
$7,780
No disturbances on Audio and Video equipment. Filament sing on the
lamps disappear completely. Increase lamps durability and life. Fast access to each channel with potentiometer. Fast Flash function. DMX-512
Controlled and RDM ready. Short circuit & over voltage proof (100%).
USB Port for software upgrade. Silent operation around 30 dB.
Techni-Lux
techni-lux.com
PD-DX1220TB
12
2400W
Metal
90-240VAC, single or three phase
Terminal Strip, Stage Pin, Edison
19” x 6.9” x 10.25”
43 lbs
N/A
$1,687
Hot swappable pull-out modules. Selectable dimming or switching
per channel, LED display for function status, voltage and temperature
readings.
TMB
tmb.com
ProPower RPD Series
60
ETC SmartPacks
ATA Flight Case
Single-pole
19-pin, Edison, Stage Pin, Twistlock
Varies by
Configuration
Varies
cULus
Varies
Custom configurable including ETC SmartPack Dimmer Packs - 12x10A
or 6x20A, Edison, stagepin, PowerCon, or 19-pin outputs.
DECEMBER 2013 • plsn.com
plsn.com •
2013 DECEMBER
31