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[Brian Larson]

I need to buy some dimmers. Basic, general purpose, robust DMX packs. Will mostly be used for 500w pars.

What's good? I'd like to keep it semi-cheap. Not at all opposed to used.

Thanks!

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

I need to buy some dimmers. Basic, general purpose, robust DMX packs. Will mostly be used for 500w pars.

What's good? I'd like to keep it semi-cheap. Not at all opposed to used.

Thanks!

What's good are the Leprecon ULD series:
http://www.leprecon.com/products/product/9

The 6 channel high power model is ~$700 or so from a good dealer.  I'm not sure if that's semi-cheap to you or not.

I have a few of the Elation DP-640B dimmers that I sort of ended up with.  They are ~$350 for a similar item, but are noticeably lower quality.  Most of the time they work OK, but I had a gig where I had noise contamination into my PA from them - something I was really surprised by.  Most of the time they have been OK, but that issue plus a few build quality things has caused me to decide to stick to the Leprecons for future purchases.

[duane massey]

Biggest challenge in the low$$ dimmers is the total capacity. Nearly all are only capable of 15A total, regardless of the individual channel rating. If you're using 500w fixtures, that means only 3 fixtures per pack. I've used ADJ/Elation years over the years with decent results, not so much with Chauvet. Leviton is better, but more $$.

[DanGlass]

I own a few of the Lightronics 4 channel dimmers with dual power inputs.  They have been remarkably solid for being a small dimmer.  In the 8 years I have owned them I have not had a single issue.  The benefit of the dual input is that is doubles the output of each circuit.  The normal 4 channel dimmer's max is about 600 watts per channel with a total max of 2400 watts but these have a limit of 1200 watts for each circuit and a total max of 4800 watts.  You do need to plug them into different 20A outlets (not sharing a breaker) to take advantage of it but it is great to have when you need it.  Most of the time I dont need that much so I plug both inputs inot the same source.  I think Lightronics also makes a 6 channel version now.

[John Strzalkowski]

The Elation DP-DMX20L has a total capacity of 2400W 4 Channel (10A per channel) and can be used on circuit (Obviously do not exceed the 20A max rating). Can be had for ~$200. I use them all the time. My only issue is with them is I cannot set the levels for the channels in standalone mode (need to use DMX). Other than that, they are great dimmers.

[duane massey]

I had forgotten about the DMX20L. In some areas this may not be acceptable (non-UL) but in most areas it will be fine. One of the few that does not have a fuse or breaker on the line in to limit it to 15A. Of course, then they put a 14g cable with a 15A plug on it, but I've used them many times in this area with no problems from the authorities.

[John Strzalkowski]

I had forgotten about the DMX20L. In some areas this may not be acceptable (non-UL) but in most areas it will be fine. One of the few that does not have a fuse or breaker on the line in to limit it to 15A. Of course, then they put a 14g cable with a 15A plug on it, but I've used them many times in this area with no problems from the authorities.

I had forgotten about the UL listing, that is certainly a good point. They do have a 15A plug on it, but the ones I own have a 12g cable on it, making it almost acceptable (without headroom) for 20A. Each channel has a 10A fuse on it, with an easy to replace cap on the outside of the chassis. I think it has a 25A Mains fuse on it (located inside)...If I remember correctly.

[ProSoundWeb Community]