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OPERATION GUIDE
2-450174-030A
WWW.VARI-LITE.COM
• Dimmer control assignment (per dimmer) to the “combined” levels of Vision.Net, DMX512 A, DMX512 B,
Network or to a fixed level (0% - 99% orFull). The way in which the various input levels combine is also
determined on a per dimmer basis by setting the dimmer DMX512 mode.
• A special smoothing algorithm is applied to small level changes to maintain smooth fades with long fade
times.
CONTROL INPUTS
The Control Interconnection Card, or CIC, is the printed circuit board on which all contractor control wiring con-
nections are made. It is located on the top of the Rack Processor Housing (RPH) and contains:
• An Ethernet switch which connects to a Strand ShowNet system. This switch allows for easy connections
between dimmer racks. It also connects to the network receptacle located in the upper left rear of the dim-
mer rack.
• Two optically isolated DMX512 control inputs. Both inputs can be configured as a DMX512 input, DMX512
output. Each DMX512 input has a patch to allow overlapping or separation of any DMX512 control level.
• Dedicated Strand Lighting Vision.net architectural protocol input/output. This can be set to ‘bridge’ com-
mands to and from Vision.net-over-IP.
• Six optically isolated contact inputs, for:
PIN
FUNCTION TYPE DESCRIPTION
1
PANIC ON Momentary Turns Panic On
2
PANIC OFF Momentary Turns Panic O
3
FIRE ALARM Maintained Turns Panic On, No Override
4
RESERVED Momentary Reserved for future use
5
RESERVED Momentary Reserved for future use
6
RESERVED Momentary Reserved for future use
7
COM/GND COM/GND
8
COM/GND COM/GND
• An Audio Visual Interface port. This serial input will support connection to an external A/V or show control
system that supports an RS232 serial connection.
• 96 Panic Select switches
SAFETY FEATURES
In order to minimize the impact of failures to any part of C21/EC21 dimmer racks, a number of security features,
some of which are optional, are provided.
Standard safety features for C21/EC21 dimmer racks include:
• Convection cooling of all components with fan assist.
• Module over-temperature shutdown (Reporter modules only).
• The processor module can be set to hold the last dimmer levels forever, or to fade to a specified preset in
cases of DMX512 signal failure.
• Setup data is stored in non-volatile RAM.
• 2500V optical isolation of DMX512 A and DMX512 B inputs, architectural control communication.
• All, or selected dimmers in a rack can be set to either O or full On when the external Panic button is
pressed.
• Automatic Panic on removal of processor module. In racks with two processor modules, both modules must
be removed to activate Panic.
• Password-protected menu lock.
Optional safety features for C21/EC21 dimmer racks include:
• Redundant tracking backup (requires a second processor module fitted to the rack). The backup processor
automatically tracks the master processor and takes over control of the dimmer rack on failure of the mas-
ter processor.
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