Lightronics XC40 User Manual

COMPACT PORTABLE DIMMER

OWNERS MANUAL

XC-40

Revision 0.3

02/21/2008

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Lightronics Inc. 509 Central Drive Virginia Beach, VA 234354 757 486 3588

Page 2 of 16
XC-40 COMPACT DMX DIMMER

Version 0.3 OWNERS MANUAL 02/21/2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS

XC-40 UNIT DESCRIPTION 3

INSTALLATION 3

POWER REQUIREMENTS 3
LOCATION AND MOUNTING 3
LOADS AND LOAD CONNECTIONS 3
DMX CONTROL SIGNAL CONNECTIONS 3

OPERATION 4
SETUP AND OPERATING CONFIGURATION 4

FACTORY DEFAULT CONFIGURATION 4
DISPLAY STATUS INDICATORS 4
MENU ACCESS AND USE 4
QUICK PACK ADDRESSING 4
CHANNEL TEST 4
DIMMER SETUP 5
CHANNEL ADDRESSING (SOFTPATCHING) 5
TO SET CHANNEL SOFTPATCH ADDRESSES 5
CHANNEL LIMITING 5
RESPONSE CURVE SELECTION 5
CHASE OPERATION 6
SETTING CHASE PATTERNS AND PARAMETERS 6
CHASE PATTERN SELECTION 6
CHASE RATE 6
CHASE FADE 6
CHASE BRIGHTNESS 6
SYSTEM SETUP 6
CONTROL SOURCE SELECTION (CnFG) 6
SELECTING A CONTROL SOURCE 7
OTHER SYSTEM SUB MENUS 7

XC-40 WIRELESS OPTION 8
DESCRIPTION 8

INSTALLATION AND SETUP 8
LINKING TO A WIRELESS EQUIPPED CONSOLE 8
TO LINK AN XC-40 TO A CONSOLE 8
UNLINKING AN XC-40 FROM A CONSOLE 8
TO RELEASE THE LINK AT THE XC-40 9
TO RELEASE ALL LINKS AT THE CONSOLE 9
SETTING THE XC-40 TO WIRELESS MODE 9

WALL STATION REMOTE CONTROL 10

BUTTON AND IR SMART REMOTES 10
FADER SMART REMOTES 10
SMART REMOTE CONNECTIONS 10
EXAMPLE SYSTEM - XC42s AND SMART REMOTES 11
XC-40 TO SMART REMOTE CABLE 11
XC-40 INTERCONNECT CABLE 11
REMOTES INTERCONNECT CABLE 11
XC-40 AND SMART REMOTES CONNECTORS 12

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SMART REMOTES CONNECTOR DETAILS 12
XC-40 CONNECTOR DETAILS FOR REMOTE USE 12
UNIT ADDRESS ASSIGNMENT 12
TO SET THE UNIT ADDRESS 12
CREATING AND SAVING SCENES 12
TO RECORD A SCENE 13

MENU AND DISPLAY OPERATION DIAGRAM 14

MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR 15

TROUBLESHOOTING 15
FUSE REPLACEMENT 15

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES 15

WARRANTY 16

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XC-40 COMPACT DMX DIMMER

Version 0.3 OWNERS MANUAL 02/21/2008

XC-40 UNIT DESCRIPTION

The XC-40 is a four circuit compact dimmer with a
load capacity of 600 Watts per circuit. Each circuit is
protected by a 5 Amp fuse. It can be controlled in
several ways - the most common being DMX-512.
Other control modes are also provided for stand alone
operations. These include individual channel control
and chaser functions. Individual circuits may be
operated as non-dim (relay) circuits. Individual
circuits may be set for one of several response curves
and may be limited to less than full intensity. In
addition to full soft patch capability there is a quick
pack address function which enables rapid setup.

The XC-40 can optionally be provided with a wireless
DMX receiver.

INSTALLATION

POWER REQUIREMENTS

The XC-40 operates from a 120VAC, 20 Amp
service. The feed must include a NEUTRAL and a
safety GROUND. The unit is provided with a power
cord stub containing Edison plugs for this purpose.

LOCATION AND MOUNTING

Locate the unit in a well ventilated area away from
moisture and heat. The unit should be operated in free
air to ensure good air flow around all sides. Do not
block any of the vent holes.

THE XC-40 COMPACT DIMMER PACK IS
INTENDED FOR INDOOR USE ONLY.

Two 1/2" diam. holes are provided at the top of the
unit for a lighting bar pipe clamp and a safety cable.

LOADS AND LOAD CONNECTIONS

Lighting fixtures connect to the 4 edsion outlets on
one side of the unit. They are designated as "A"
through "D". There is one load connections per
circuit. Each circuits is referred to as a "channel". A
diagram is provided on the unit which identifies each
channel.

LIGHTING LOAD CONNECTIONS

B

A

D

C

Each XC-40 channel has a 600 Watt MAXIMUM
rating and is protected by a 5 Amp fuse. 5 Amps
equates to 600 Watts at 120VAC. If you operate a
channel at 600 Watts then you are very close to
blowing its fuse. This will occur if AC line voltages
are high or you have power surges. Other conditions
which may cause the fuse to blow include turning a
cold lamp quickly on to full intensity.

A practical working load is 500 Watts per channel.

DMX CONTROL SIGNAL CONNECTIONS

DMX control is connected via the male 5 pin XLR
connector located in the end of the dimmer. A female
5 pin XLR is also provided so you can chain the
connection to other dimmers or other DMX devices.
Wiring information for the XLR connectors is shown
below.

DMX OUT

DMX IN

FEMALE

MALE

XLR PIN # SIGNAL DESCRIPTION

1 DMX Common
2 DMX Data ­3 DMX Data +
4 Not Used
5 Not Used

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Page 4 of 16
XC-40 COMPACT DMX DIMMER

Version 0.3 OWNERS MANUAL 02/21/2008
OPERATION

SETUP AND OPERATING CONFIGURATION

All operating functions and settings for the XC-40 are
menu controlled using the LED Display and the 4
buttons located near it on the back surface of the unit.

DMX VALID

WIRELESS

STATUS

PACA

MENU

NEXT

SELECT

FACTORY DEFAULT CONFIGURATION

The XC-40 is supplied with a factory default setup
configuration. The unit may be reset to this condition
by keeping the SELECT button held down while
power is applied. The display briefly shows

FACt

while the reset is being performed. The XC-40 is set
as follows when a reset is performed:

1. The unit is set for DMX (

2. The DMX pack address (
address 1 (

P001).

5Pin) operation.

PACA) will be set to

3. Softpatch is set to DMX addresses 1 - 4

4. All channels curves are set for incandescent
dimming (

5. Channel limiting is turned off (

Dim).

255).

6. Chase functions are set as follows:
Pattern #:
Rate:
Fade:
Brightness:

7. The architectural Unit ID is set to

01
004 (1 sec. per step)
050 (%)
100 (%)

01

8. Power type is set to AUTO

DISPLAY STATUS INDICATORS

The LED display shows a dot near the upper left
corner when a valid DMX signal is being received.

If equipped with the wireless option, another dot at the
top of the display indicates the status of an active
wireless link.

MENU ACCESS AND USE

Hold the MENU/NEXT button down for aprox. 5
seconds to gain access to the complete menu system.

If there is no button activity for 1 minute while inside
the menus then the unit will revert back to the normal
display (

PACA).

To exit from anywhere in the menus - Hold down
MENU/NEXT for aprox. 5 seconds. The unit will
revert back to the normal display (

PACA).

A flow diagram of menu/display operation is provided
at the back of this manual.

QUICK PACK ADDRESSING

The XC-40 has a quick DMX address setup which
enables you to set the starting address of the pack (the
address for channel "A") without accessing the rest of
the menu system. When this is used, the remaining 3
channels ("B", "C", and "D") are set to the next
consecutive addresses.

During normal operation the LED display toggles
back and forth between
address such as

P001. Use the and buttons

PACA and the current pack

to set different pack address. Push SELECT to
save the setting when done.

PACA P001

If you set the pack address to
will run in soft patch mode. In this mode you can set
ANY channel of the pack (A - D) to ANY DMX
address (000-512) by using the dimmer setup (
menus. See

CHANNEL ADDRESSING for details.

CHANNEL TEST

You can test the operation of each dimmer channel by
pushing MENU/NEXT. The display will show the
intensity of channel A (00 - 99%) as shown below.

A-00

Use to adjust the intensity to the desired level.
Push MENU/NEXT to advance to the next channel
(Channel B). The dimmer will return to its normal
display when you go past the last channel.

P000 then the unit

dSEt)

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A

Page 5 of 16
XC-40 COMPACT DMX DIMMER
Version 0.3 OWNERS MANUAL 02/21/2008

The channel levels will remain when you set them.
The control console can turn off the test setting by
raising the applicable channel fader to full then back
down. The channel test feature operates much like the
LOCAL mode. The difference is that local mode
LOCKS OUT all other control sources.

A usefull feature of the channel test mode is that the
display shows the current intensity level of the
channel regardless of the control signal source.

DIMMER SETUP

The dimmer setup menu (dSEt) enables you to set
several parameters which control how each individual
channel will operate. You can set a DMX address, set
a maximum intensity limit, and set a response curve.

Hold MENU/NEXT for aprox. 5 sec. to access the
dimmer setup menu. The display will show

dSET.

CHANNEL ADDRESSING (SOFTPATCHING)

In order to invoke the softpatching settings you must
first set the pack address (

PACA) to P000. You

can set the channel DMX softpatch addresses at any
time but they will be ignored if

P000.

PACA is not at

TO SET CHANNEL SOFTPATCH ADDRESSES

Push SELECT at the dSEt menu. The display will
toggle between the

dA-A and the current DMX

address assignment number.

dA-

001

Use to set the desired DMX address (000 - 512)
for that channel. Push SELECT to save the change.

Push MENU/NEXT move to the next channel.

CHANNEL LIMITING

Each channel in the XC-40 can be set to limit the
maximum power applied to a channel. This feature
can lengthen the life of lamps and prevent premature
failures from power surges and high line voltage. The
following table gives the approximate XC-40 menu
setting for some typical limit percentage settings.

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% MAX.
Intensity

100 255

90 230
75 190
50 130
25 65
10 25

Dimmer Limit

Setting

Note that limiting reduces the voltage applied to the
channel. The perceived light from the fixture will not
necessarily appear to track the limit setting in a linear
fashion.

Push SELECT at the dSEt menu. Then push
MENU/NEXT until the display toggles between

dL-A and the actual limit value 010 - 255.

dL-A

255

Use and to set the desired limiting value for that
channel. Push SELECT to save the change.

Push MENU/NEXT to advance to the next channel.

RESPONSE CURVE SELECTION

The XC-40 provides a selection of five response
curves to select from to accommodate a variety of
lamp and fixture types:

DIM:

Used for normal incandescent lamps.

RELAY: Used for devices which cannot be dimmed or

for ON/OFF only control.

LED1 / LED2: Two curve settings for LED fixtures.
FLUORESCENT: For dimmable fluorescent ballasts

which can be used with a conventional dimmer.
These are sometimes referred to generically as "two
wire" ballasts.

Push SELECT at the dSEt menu. Then push
MENU/NEXT until the display toggles between

dC-A and the current curve setting.

dC-A

Dim

Use to set the desired curve for that channel.
Push SELECT to save the change.