IGBT Stage Lighting Dimmers - A Primer

Imagine being able to plug your stage and theatrecomplete air conditioning system just to cool the
lighting fixtures directly into dimmers that areold-style, heat-producing SCR rack dimming
quiet and don't generate the heat of SCRsystem they planned to use. Dave Tosti-Lane,
dimmers. You're imagining IGBT dimming, achair of Cornish's Performance Production
revolution in dimming technology.Department, started looking for a different
IGBT dimmers bring the future into your theatre,solution.
club, auditorium or sanctuary withThe college had already been through the ordeal
drastically-reduced installation costs. Mountedof retrofitting a concert hall to the tune of
wherever you mount lighting fixtures, they arethousands of dollars just to relocate a noisy
smaller and lighter than SCR dimmers. Better yet,dimmer rack. They didn't want to go through that
they do not produce any mechanical buzz or hum.again. Mac Perkins of PNTA recommended the
Distributed Dimming Benefitso Easy to design,Intelligent Raceway system from Entertainment
expand and installo Drastically reduces installationTechnology, a Genlyte Thomas company. The
and equipment costso Locate silent dimmer stripsbeauty of an IGBT system, as Dave discovered,
next to the light fixtureso Much less wiringowas that it would not only circumvent the noise
Reduced voltage dropso No dimmer panelproblem, but it would also reduce the heat loads.
requiredThe savings of not having to do a full-blown air
Power and Silence Benefitso State-of-the-artconditioning system practically paid for the
dimming technologyo Quiet dimmers and loadodimmers. They also saved money by not having
Low neutral harmonicso Protection againstthe associated costs of load wiring the dimmers
short-circuitso High-density rackso Control ofout to the circuits and all of the additional wiring
various load types including magnetic/electronicand time it costs to run cables from the dimmer
transformers and electronic fluorescent dimmingrack to the lighting instruments.
ballastsWhile the cost savings may have been the leading
Intelligence and Control Benefitso Stations,benefit, close behind was the system of focus
keypads, wireless PCs and consoles for simple orbuttons that were installed. This feature enabled
complex applicationso Broad range of matching,the crew to finish hanging the first show in the
attractive controls for fully-integrated projectsonew theatre in record time. The trio hung,
Industry standard wiring practicesocircuited and rough-focused 130 fixtures in two
Windows®-based open control protocolsfive-hour lighting calls.
A Case StudyAnd as a sound designer, Dave was really
When Cornish College of the Arts beganappreciative of the lack of fans and chokes.
converting Seattle's historic Sons of Norway HallWith all their benefits, IGBT dimming systems are
into a theatre, plans called for installation of aa boon to the staging of theatrical productions.