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[dragonsmaster]

I work with a small community theater and I am considering AHP to control the lites.  I have been playing with the s/w but I need to be able to control the dimming function down to the second or at least 2-second levels.  Waiting for a 1 minute  is too long.  Does some one know of a macro that I can use? 

I need to be able to control the dim up and the dim down.

Thanks in advance.
Dragonsmaster

[dave w]

AHP is too slow to do this with any precision. Each X10 address/function code takes about 700 msec to transmit, so turning OFF or ON three individually addressed lights would take almost three seconds, not including any lag from the software. Besides, aren't most of your lights greater than the 300  watt limits of the X10 lamp modules?

A long time ago I hacked X10 lamp modules to control 2000 and 5000 watt kliegs and fills in a video studio. Someday when you have an hour or two and feel like laughing, I'll tell you about it. 

[dragonsmaster]

thanks for the info.  Right now our lights are 100 watt each so I thought that I could use the screw-in dimmer fixture.  Does any one know of any soft/hard ware that I could use?  Since we are a small community theater our budget is small.

[phorce1]

How many lights? With a low budget your best bet may be regular manual dimmer switches all wired to a lighting board and a good light (wo)man with a long arm (see below)


__________________________ <--- represents light persons arm
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  <--- represents manual "twist knob" dimmers mounted side-by-side to light power "board".

At about $2 or $3 each they could do the job while you investigate other options. With a bit of "creative mounting" in removeable boxes or with powers wires to the lights that "plug/unplug" you can rearrange the order of which switch controls what light so you can get some pretty nifty "dim here but not there" and "dim only half of this bank" effects with good labelling and an operator with a quick mind.

If the lights aren't portable and the building isn't yours you are kind of screwed though. This method will take significant rewiring to get working but if done right can be removed in 20 minutes when another solution is fond.

Gerald

[steven r]

...I could use the screw-in dimmer fixture....

I think I've heard rummer of such a device once upon a time but haven't seen any. If you were thinking of the socket rocket, they are on /off only.

[phorce1]

X10 SL575 or PLM02. X-10 still sells the PLM02 on their web site (just plug it into the search box and click the first link that shows up).

Punch either part number into Google or EBay and you may find a better price. My quick (Google only) search only showed a savings of about $1 over X-10's $13.64 price though.

Rated for 40W - 300W bulbs

BIG (they have house/unit wheels). Be nice if X-10 would come up with something between the two sizes in a screw in form-factor that did "on-on-on" programming like the SR and also offered dimming.

Gerald

[steven r]

X10 SL575 or PLM02. X-10 still sells the PLM02 on their web site...

I stand corrected. (Thanks phorce1.) I braved the popups and discovered the SL575 to be out of stock at X10.

...BIG (they have house/unit wheels)....

You're right about the size. It might be too big for a lot of applications.

[dave w]

thanks for the info.  Right now our lights are 100 watt each so I thought that I could use the screw-in dimmer fixture.  Does any one know of any soft/hard ware that I could use?  Since we are a small community theater our budget is small.

You won't have success  doing it with X10 (based on your requirement of "controlling down to the second"). So PLM05s and SL575s are irrirrelevant. "phorce1" suggestion of good old fashion; hard wiring, and cheap lamp dimmers, may be the best solution.

You might also check into the newer RF only forms of remote contol like "Z-Wave" and competing technologies which might be faster than X10, but also more expensive.

[dragonsmaster]

Thank you all for the info.  Right now we are using two sliding dimmer boxes but I wanted to be able to control each of the lights using a computer.  We were considering adding several small spot lights also.  We looked at going to DMX but it would require a complete re-wiring and a DMX control unit.  This would be too expensive.  So for the time being I guess that we will continue using the manual dimmers. Again thank you all.