# How many dimmers, Chino?



## derekleffew

How many dimmers are there in this photo?



Bonus points for explaining the reference in the thread title.

As always, students only for one week.


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## derekleffew

Some posts, not relevant to the thread topic, have been deleted. Involved parties should have received an "alert" message.


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## chausman

I'm guessing 22. 6 in the light grey box, 8 in each black box on the floor. No particular reason other than dimners usually travel in multiples of 2/4 and given the handles, the small ones are meant to be portable-ish.


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## josh88

chausman said:


> I'm guessing 22. 6


For a moment I was trying to figure out how you have .6 of a dimmer but then it started to make sense.


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## techieman33

chausman said:


> I'm guessing 22. 6 in the light grey box, 8 in each black box on the floor. No particular reason other than dimners usually travel in multiples of 2/4 and given the handles, the small ones are meant to be portable-ish.




josh88 said:


> For a moment I was trying to figure out how you have .6 of a dimmer but then it started to make sense.



Maybe it's just one 22.6K dimmer?


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## Amiers

I counted 42

12 each in the black boxes = 24

18 in the silver box 

Totals 42.

Bonus question:

Housed in the Chino Prison. First thing that popped in my head hehe.


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## bdkdesigns

Can we guess the reference? I'm thinking that it could be a very "cool" reference.


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## JohnD

bdkdesigns said:


> Can we guess the reference? I'm thinking that it could be a very "cool" reference.


NO,No,no, a "cool" reference involves hard boiled eggs and a failure to communicate.
@Amiers 18 in the silver box!!!!! All I can say is son, you're young. Unless you were talking about the silvery road case on the right.


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## balderson04

derekleffew said:


> As always, students only for one week.



Uhm, I was a student when I used to use a dimmer box exactly like the blue-ish one pictured, including missing one plastic handle. Does that count?


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## soundofsparks

30.

6 of the resistance style in the top of the picture.

2 x 12 packs digital on the ground.

Over course that DMX line looks like it goes to the road case off the right corner, so could be another 48 rack over there... who knows...


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## Amiers

JohnD said:


> NO,No,no, a "cool" reference involves hard boiled eggs and a failure to communicate.
> @Amiers 18 in the silver box!!!!! All I can say is son, you're young. Unless you were talking about the silvery road case on the right.


If I say yes do I get bonus points for miscounting on the top left dimmer.

If there truly is only 6 in the top left dimmer. Why the other 12 plugs on the right.


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## venuetech

Amiers said:


> If there truly is only 6 in the top left dimmer. Why the other 12 plugs on the right.


Truly you can tell us just how many load lines are patched to the blue box?


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## soundofsparks

Amiers said:


> If there truly is only 6 in the top left dimmer. Why the other 12 plugs on the right.



The 6 handles control the mechanical reistance, on for each circuit. Note the breaker switches below each. The 12 stage pin sockets are your outputs. They are paired. 2 for each dimmer.


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## Amiers

soundofsparks said:


> The 6 handles control the mechanical reistance, on for each circuit. Note the breaker switches below each. The 12 stage pin sockets are your outputs. They are paired. 2 for each dimmer.


So they are breakers. The picture makes it look like they are also stage pins too.


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## venuetech

can any students name the type of dimmers in the bristol blue box?


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## JChenault

Pops. Realized I may have answered a question early


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## petercav17

venuetech said:


> can any students name the type of dimmers in the bristol blue box?



Rheostats?


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## Scenemaster60

The dimmers in the blue box are autotransformers. Given their physical size, I would guess between 2k and 3k each. Looks like Superior Electric to me, but that's only an educated guess.


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## DavidNorth

We gave students enough time, correct? If not, please delete this.

There are 6 dimmers in the blue box [I believe] but do not know the manufacturer.

The two black packs are LMI or ETC [depending on year made] L86 portable packs. If you have ever carried one, you question the term, "portable." Based on the fact that there are 20A stage pin plugs laying on top of them, I would guess they are either 12x20A dimmers or 24x10A dimmers. Hard to tell from the pics, but I think there are breakers on the modules both on the left side and the center which lends it to 10A dimmers.

As such, I venture that there are a total of 54 dimmers.


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## JD

Yes, the gray/blue box is a "portable" six-pack of autotransformers. Portable, for the 1960's that is.


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## STEVETERRY

DavidNorth said:


> We gave students enough time, correct? If not, please delete this.
> 
> There are 6 dimmers in the blue box [I believe] but do not know the manufacturer.
> 
> The two black packs are LMI or ETC [depending on year made] L86 portable packs. If you have ever carried one, you question the term, "portable." Based on the fact that there are 20A stage pin plugs laying on top of them, I would guess they are either 12x20A dimmers or 24x10A dimmers. Hard to tell from the pics, but I think there are breakers on the modules both on the left side and the center which lends it to 10A dimmers.
> 
> As such, I venture that there are a total of 54 dimmers.



The blue box does indeed have 6 dimmers, with two female 20A 2P&G receptacles per dimmer. This unit is a "Luxtrol" made by Superior Electric. A similar unit was manufactured by Altman, using Luxtrol dimmers. However, that unit had the outlet panel on the back, had a seventh handle as a master, and used shorter plastic "knob" handles rather than the multi-colored tubular plastic handlles supplied by Superior. The capacity of the dimmers cannot be determined since we can't read the breaker ratings. They could be either 2500W or 3600w each. Wait, you say--how could a 3600W (30A) dimmer be connected to a 20A outlet without a supplementary overcurrent protective device? Hah, what's 10A between friends? In those days (1960-1972, approx) we clearly didn't worry much about such trivialities.

ST


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## derekleffew

STEVETERRY said:


> A similar unit was manufactured by Altman, using Luxtrol dimmers. However, that unit had the outlet panel on the back, had a seventh handle as a master, and used shorter plastic "knob" handles rather than the multi-colored tubular plastic handles supplied by Superior.


Like this?



I thought those handles were exclusive to Ward-Leonard (Our wiki entry for dimmer, autotransformer notwithstanding). Every W-L ATD installation I've ever seen has had them. The T-handle made it especially easy to determine whether or not a particular channel was assigned to the Grandmaster or was shielded (to use modern terminology).


soundofsparks said:


> 6 of the resistance style in the top of the picture.


As @Scenemaster60 stated, they are dimmer, autotransformer, not dimmer, resistance.


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## JohnD

OK, nostalgia time, Alvin Ailey toured with 4 similar units, yep 24 dimmers for some very impressive lighting. They toured with a board op/truck driver and LD. The board op manned two of the units and two of us each ran a single one. They had a distro which was based on a bull switch, but instead of the usual lever, they had one with a giant rocker switch. For the one essential black out the board op shifted his leg back and stomped on the rocker. Holy arc flash potential.


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## derekleffew

JohnD said:


> They toured with a board op/truck driver and LD.


Was his name Steve Terry?


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## STEVETERRY

derekleffew said:


> Was his name Steve Terry?



I was with Dance Theatre of Harlem, not Alvin Ailey.

ST


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## STEVETERRY

derekleffew said:


> Like this?
> 
> 
> I thought those handles were exclusive to Ward-Leonard (Our wiki entry for dimmer, autotransformer notwithstanding). Every W-L ATD installation I've ever seen has had them. The T-handle made it especially easy to determine whether or not a particular channel was assigned to the Grandmaster or was shielded (to use modern terminology).



Could be, but they were coupled to Luxtrol D3600 dimmers in the Altman unit.

ST


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## rbalewski

derekleffew said:


> Like this?



A community theater I used to work at always borrowed one of those monsters from a local college every show to augment their piano board system (yes, with real resistance dimmer plates!!). The thing weighs a ton and every show we had to haul iit up to our lighting bridge about 10 feet above the stage.


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## venuetech

Chino? ?
Is related how?


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## derekleffew

Several people have hinted at it.
Anita, _West Side Story_.


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## SteveB

venuetech said:


> Chino? ?
> Is related how?



West Side Story probably.


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## Kevin1844

"How many dimmers, Chino... And still have one for me?"

-Anita the ME


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## Bob Bayer

Those are real good dimmers. Steve Short of Lite-trol in Hicksville has lots in stock right now if you need more.(-:


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## SteveB

Bob Bayer said:


> Those are real good dimmers. Steve Short of Lite-trol in Hicksville has lots in stock right now if you need more.(-:


 
I’m afraid to ask.........


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## derekleffew

Bob Bayer said:


> Steve Short of Lite-trol in Hicksville has lots in stock right now if you need more.(-:


Okay, I'll ask: The L-86's or the Luxtrols?


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## SteveB

derekleffew said:


> Okay, I'll ask: The L-86's or the Luxtrols?



Oh, both no doubt. I was visiting Steve one day and he had 2 massive AutoTransformer dimmer stacks (I think Luxtrol), I think 3 big 6 or 12 Kw units that had come out of one of the Broadway theaters where they served as house light control. It stood about 3 ft high and had a wheel on top. Cheaper to have Steve fix than update to digital. And I KNOW he has a big LMI rolling 96 rack in the shop. You never know whose going to need parts .


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## jtweigandt

Before or after the fire? How many bullets Chino?.... I like to be in Dimmerica..


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