THEA 120 - Part 2: Lighting Production

Lighting systems, dimmers, patch panels, preset systems, lighting units, lenses, accessories, connectors, lamps

Lighting system - dimmer per channel (direct to dimmer) setup

• Lighting instrument

  • Circuit

    • Dimmer

      • Control cable

        • Lighting board / channels

Each dimmer is hard-wired to a channel

Lighting system - dimmer per channel

• Lighting instrument

  • Circuits

    • Patch panel

      • Dimmer

        • Control cable

          • Lighting board / channels

Circuits are hard-wired into patch panel, then you patch the circuit into the dimmer. Each dimmer has a dedicated channel.

Lighting system - dimmer per circuit

• Lighting instrument

  • Circuit

    • Dimmer

      • Control cable

        • Soft patch

          • Computerized lighting board / channels

Each circuit on the grid has a dedicated dimmer. Computer allows us to determine which channel will operate which dimmer through a soft patch.

Hard-wire

Permanently wired

Patch panel

A way to allow for flexibility in a system

Hard patch

Where you physically connect a wire to a patch

Soft patch

The patch happens through a software and no wires need to move

Dimmer

Changes the output of electricity sent to a light to allow it to dim or get brighter

Channel

Controls the dimmers

DMX (digital multiplexing)

Control cables to the lighting board can control 512 different dimmers using one (Cat5e) computer data cable

Resistance dimmer

Recognizable by big handles which directly operate the dimmer

Many operators needed to run these dimmers

• A lot of wire is wrapped around creating resistance – slowing down the electricity.

• The contact arm moves closer to the source to make the light brighter. (electricity doesn’t need to travel as far)

• The further away from the source the contact arm moves the dimmer the light gets (longer distance slows down the electricity)

• Creates a great deal of heat

• Need large rooms to house the dimmer racks

• Sometimes a ghost load would need to be added to create further resistance.

Autotransformer dimmer

Send electricity through magnet fields

The stronger the magnetic field the slower the electrons can move through the conductor.

These magnets create what is called a back electromotive force.

No wasted heat is produced.

Still many people are needed to run these dimmers

Dimmer is operated by a lever directly on the dimmer.

Electronic dimmer

Allows the dimmers to be separate from the controls

A Low voltage signal is sent from the board to control the dimmers.

Uses a Silicon Controlled Rectifier (or SCR)

SCR also known as phase control dimming – Turns the dimmer on during certain phases of the wave form and off during the others.

The more wave form it allows through the more electricity passes through.

It is basically a switch quickly turning on and off – if it turns on and off faster more electricity gets through. The slower the switching the less electricity gets through.

Slider patch panel

Circuits on vertical sliders

Dimmers on Horizontal buss bars

Easy to overload

Poor connections

Eliminates the spaghetti of the Interconnect panels.

Soft patch (patch panel)

2000-2400 Watt Dimmer assigned to every circuit in the house.

Dimmers and Circuits soft patched into a channel electronically

One channel could control as many lights as you want. Impossible to overload in the patch.

Manual preset system

Each channel needs to be set to the correct level by hand before each cue.

Shown here is a three scene manual preset board. You could set up two scenes ahead while one is currently running.

Memory preset system

Cues can be prerecorded and stored in the computers memory and played back during the show by the push of a button.

Light changes can happen faster and more accurately

Ellipsoidal reflector

Plano convex lens

Fresnel lens

Parabolic aluminized reflector

ERS - Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlight

Source 4 ERS

Zoom

Fresnel

PAR - Parabolic Aluminized Reflector

Source 4 PAR

LED PAR

Inkie

Birdie

Source Four Mini LED

Strip lights

Far cyc

Scoop

Intelligent lighting - moving lights

Barn door

Top hat and half hat

Side arm

Two-fer (or Martingale)

Three-fer (or Martingale)

Extender cable or jumper

Safety cable

Gel frame

Gels

Rondel

Color scroller

Boom

Lighting ladder

Gobo holder

3 pin / 2PG connector

Edison connector

Twist-lock connector (ground-in)

Candlabra base

Medium screw (base)

Medium skirted (base)

Medium prefocus (base)

Medium bipost (base)

Mogul bipost (base)

Medium two pin (base)

Tubular (lamp shape)

Reflector (lamp shape)