Colortran D192 (Dimension 192)
This equipment, D192, was available both in full sized racks (192, 2.4Kw dimmers), as well as 12 channel portable packs. Both racks and packs used the D192 dimmer modules, which were available in dual 2.4kw, 6.0kw, and 12kw sizes.
This dimmer line was particularly robust, and is still in use in many, many facilities. The original release for these racks was 1984, and they continued to be produced through 1991.
The D192 dimmers had provision for 1 multiplexed control input, typically “Colortran” multiplex. This could later be upgraded, with a simple change, to DMX-512, todays current industry standard.
The D192 rack was laid out as 3 vertical rows of dimmers, each row 32 dimmer modules tall. Each vertical row was fed from it’s corresponding phase (a, b, or c), and could be split fed from 2, 3 phase sources. (the rows split upper and lower).
The control modules lived in the bottom slot of each vertical row, and had 4 pilot lights each. The indicators are: signal (green, and indicated some signal on the multiplex or analog lines), upper and lower (each indicating a valid power feed to each half of the vertical row), and airflow (this indicated whether the blower vane switch was open or closed).
Also, analog control could be used to control certain of the slots within the dimmer rack. Turning on these slots turned on all the analog inputs to the available slots (the bottom 3 dimmer module slots in each vertical row, with a maximum of 18, 2.4kw dimmers). There is not possible to patch these analog signals to particular slots. The analog patch assignments are permanently fixed in the hardware.
So, you have a D912 rack, and you’re having some difficulties. What now? Here is a brief listing of failures:
- One dimmer ALWAYS stays on, except when you switch off the circuit breaker. (the “power cube” inside the dimmer module is shorted on. replace the cube.)
- OK, I got a new cube and put it in, now both dimmers in the module act funny or don’t work at all! (the new cube is not one rated for use in a dimmer module. suppliers make that mistake all the time by providing a “zero-cross” power cube, get a “non-zero-cross” cube)
- About a 1/3 of my dimmers act funny or don’t work at all. (can you relate the dimmer numbers that act funny to one vertical row? if so, you’re having a control module failure. try a different control module in the row, and see if things are different. if you can identify a bad control module, you can send it in the Lite-Trol for repair)
