| Imagine being able to plug your stage and theatre | | | | complete air conditioning system just to cool the |
| lighting fixtures directly into dimmers that are | | | | old-style, heat-producing SCR rack dimming |
| quiet and don't generate the heat of SCR | | | | system they planned to use. Dave Tosti-Lane, |
| dimmers. You're imagining IGBT dimming, a | | | | chair 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 with | | | | The college had already been through the ordeal |
| drastically-reduced installation costs. Mounted | | | | of retrofitting a concert hall to the tune of |
| wherever you mount lighting fixtures, they are | | | | thousands 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 installation | | | | Technology, a Genlyte Thomas company. The |
| and equipment costso Locate silent dimmer strips | | | | beauty of an IGBT system, as Dave discovered, |
| next to the light fixtureso Much less wiringo | | | | was that it would not only circumvent the noise |
| Reduced voltage dropso No dimmer panel | | | | problem, but it would also reduce the heat loads. |
| required | | | | The savings of not having to do a full-blown air |
| Power and Silence Benefitso State-of-the-art | | | | conditioning system practically paid for the |
| dimming technologyo Quiet dimmers and loado | | | | dimmers. They also saved money by not having |
| Low neutral harmonicso Protection against | | | | the associated costs of load wiring the dimmers |
| short-circuitso High-density rackso Control of | | | | out to the circuits and all of the additional wiring |
| various load types including magnetic/electronic | | | | and time it costs to run cables from the dimmer |
| transformers and electronic fluorescent dimming | | | | rack to the lighting instruments. |
| ballasts | | | | While 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 or | | | | buttons 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 projectso | | | | new theatre in record time. The trio hung, |
| Industry standard wiring practiceso | | | | circuited and rough-focused 130 fixtures in two |
| Windows®-based open control protocols | | | | five-hour lighting calls. |
| A Case Study | | | | And as a sound designer, Dave was really |
| When Cornish College of the Arts began | | | | appreciative of the lack of fans and chokes. |
| converting Seattle's historic Sons of Norway Hall | | | | With all their benefits, IGBT dimming systems are |
| into a theatre, plans called for installation of a | | | | a boon to the staging of theatrical productions. |