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Author Topic: Help With Tripping Dimmer Breakers  (Read 14944 times)

Cailen Waddell

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Re: Help With Tripping Dimmer Breakers
« Reply #20 on: August 04, 2014, 07:52:58 PM »


Nope. A lightbulb is a simple device - as the voltage goes up, the current goes up too. A filament's resistance is not linear, but more voltage always means more current, and less voltage means less current.

Induction motors work the way you are describing to some degree.

You are, of course correct, I just reread what I wrote, and yeah - it's wrong.   Anywho, I'm not sure 124vac would be enough to trip the breaker but it might.... 

To the OP, What control module is in that drd rack?  A simple edit of the config can make the rack max those dimmers out at 95% or whatever you choose....

I would still lamp down to 375 though....
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Don Lomonaco CFCRC

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Re: Help With Tripping Dimmer Breakers
« Reply #21 on: August 04, 2014, 08:06:17 PM »

You are, of course correct, I just reread what I wrote, and yeah - it's wrong.   Anywho, I'm not sure 124vac would be enough to trip the breaker but it might.... 

To the OP, What control module is in that drd rack?  A simple edit of the config can make the rack max those dimmers out at 95% or whatever you choose....

I would still lamp down to 375 though....

CMeD control module.
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Cailen Waddell

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Re: Help With Tripping Dimmer Breakers
« Reply #22 on: August 04, 2014, 08:10:14 PM »

Yeah - if you copy your config to a disk and email it to the factory, they will probably be happy to just adjust the max output of the dimmers with 4 pars.   Or if you have a factory tech in the area call them....

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Don Lomonaco CFCRC

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Re: Help With Tripping Dimmer Breakers
« Reply #23 on: August 04, 2014, 08:13:51 PM »

Yeah - if you copy your config to a disk and email it to the factory, they will probably be happy to just adjust the max output of the dimmers with 4 pars.   Or if you have a factory tech in the area call them....

Can I adjust that level using the menu features on the unit?  I've been through the manual and can successfully display the config for each circuit and I understand the Test submenu and the Set All submenu.

I'm scratching my head on how I get the data off the 3.5" floppy and into an email and then back to a 3.5" floppy though.  :)  I can't believe I'm on Amazon looking at 3.5" floppy USB drives to plug into my mac.  I feel so old.  lol
« Last Edit: August 04, 2014, 08:18:19 PM by Don Lomonaco CFCRC »
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Cailen Waddell

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Re: Help With Tripping Dimmer Breakers
« Reply #24 on: August 04, 2014, 08:16:36 PM »


Can I adjust that level using the menu features on the unit?  I've been through the manual and can successfully display the config for each circuit and I understand the Test submenu and the Set All submenu.

Not that I am aware of...  Has to be done in light manager, which I haven't used in 4 years so I'm not even 100% that it can be done there. 
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Don Lomonaco CFCRC

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Re: Help With Tripping Dimmer Breakers
« Reply #25 on: August 04, 2014, 08:44:51 PM »

If they trip that fast, that suggests to me that something fairly drastic is wrong.  Are you sure you don't have a couple 750w bulbs on those circuits?  Check the tightness of screws in the dimmer panel, measure the voltage in your facility to make sure you aren't running too far above nominal - both at the dimmer and at the fixture if possible, and verify that all bulbs are 575w 120v.

All lugs are secure.  None were loose.  After a general dust blasting all dimmers are back in place with the same results.  I've attached a pic of the inside of the unit.
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Don Lomonaco CFCRC

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Re: Help With Tripping Dimmer Breakers
« Reply #26 on: August 04, 2014, 09:24:09 PM »

Ok.  With some further testing I have these results.  I think we're close to getting to the bottom of this.

Circuit 1-4 lamps running will trip in 1:26.
Circuit 4-4 lamps running will trip in 0:33.
Circuit 3-4 lamps running will occasionally trip (time cannot be determined).
Circuit 9-4 lamps running will trip in 0:42.

Circuit 10-3 lamps running because 1 is burned out will not trip.
Circuit 2-3 lamps running because 1 is burned out will not trip.
Circuit 11-2 lamps running because 2 are burned out will not trip.
Circuit 12-3 lamps running because 1 is burned out will not trip.
Circuit 5-3 lamps running because 1 is burned out will not trip.

I've swapped out some modules from the circuits used to control the spots and the same banks of par cans trip regardless of the module.

Ok.  Maximum fader values for each troublesome circuit are:

Circuit 1-8
Circuit 4-7
Circuit 3-10 (continues to be intermittent)
Circuit 9-5

Wow!  I can only raise the fader for circuit 9 to 5?!  Can 124.7 volts really cause that drastic of an end result?
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TJ (Tom) Cornish

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Re: Help With Tripping Dimmer Breakers
« Reply #27 on: August 04, 2014, 09:37:05 PM »

Ok.  Maximum fader values for each troublesome circuit are:

Circuit 1-8
Circuit 4-7
Circuit 3-10 (continues to be intermittent)
Circuit 9-5

Wow!  I can only raise the fader for circuit 9 to 5?!  Can 124.7 volts really cause that drastic of an end result?
I continue to suspect that you have more wattage on some of your circuits than you think you do.  Are you sure all of your bulbs are the same?  Are you absolutely sure you only have 4 fixtures per circuit in question? Do you have access to a current clamp so you can measure the current of each circuit?  In my experience (not with ETC dimmers) I have accidentally had 3KW of lights on a 20A dimmer and it works for 30-60 seconds.  It seems unlikely that only slightly more than 2.4KW would trip with the dimmer to a setting of 5.
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Don Lomonaco CFCRC

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Re: Help With Tripping Dimmer Breakers
« Reply #28 on: August 04, 2014, 09:50:28 PM »

I continue to suspect that you have more wattage on some of your circuits than you think you do.  Are you sure all of your bulbs are the same?  Are you absolutely sure you only have 4 fixtures per circuit in question? Do you have access to a current clamp so you can measure the current of each circuit?  In my experience (not with ETC dimmers) I have accidentally had 3KW of lights on a 20A dimmer and it works for 30-60 seconds.  It seems unlikely that only slightly more than 2.4KW would trip with the dimmer to a setting of 5.

I'll have to use a lift to verify each bulb (that'll take a couple days but I will verify it).  I scrolled through the menu on the command module and verified that each circuit is set to the correct module (the D20), it's set to incandescent, it's DMX channel corresponds to it's circuit number, and that dimmer doubling is off.  When I raise a fader I only get the correctly assigned lights in groups of 4.  I can trace back the hot and neutral leads from the lights themselves into the drd.  Is there any way I'm missing something that would lead to having more lamps on a circuit than I actually have?
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Don Lomonaco CFCRC

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Re: Help With Tripping Dimmer Breakers
« Reply #29 on: August 04, 2014, 10:06:24 PM »

I continue to suspect that you have more wattage on some of your circuits than you think you do.  Are you sure all of your bulbs are the same?  Are you absolutely sure you only have 4 fixtures per circuit in question? Do you have access to a current clamp so you can measure the current of each circuit?  In my experience (not with ETC dimmers) I have accidentally had 3KW of lights on a 20A dimmer and it works for 30-60 seconds.  It seems unlikely that only slightly more than 2.4KW would trip with the dimmer to a setting of 5.

Actually, that setting of 5 is probably misleading.  I only arrived at those values by turning the circuits in question all the way up, letting them trip, backing the fader down 1 increment and then resetting the breaker.  I can then gently raise the level of circuit 9 by increments of 1 and it won't trip until I get back to 9.  There must be something different in the application of power between the all at once method and the raise it slowly method.  At any rate, all circuits in question continue to trip.
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Help With Tripping Dimmer Breakers
« Reply #29 on: August 04, 2014, 10:06:24 PM »


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