Automated Lighting

Richard Cadena is the author of "Focus on Lighting Technology," technical editor for PLASA, former editor of Pro Lights and Staging News magazine, an Authorized WYSIWYG Trainer, and 20 year veteran of the entertainment lighting industry including stints with two of the world's largest automated lighting manufacturers. He has a background in electrical engineering and electronics, and he is a freelance lighting designer with a portfolio of several major lighting designs and installations and is proficient in WYSIWYG, LD Assistant, and Vectorworks. He has been an instructor of classes in automated lighting technology with the Show Training Network, and a moderator of several lighting panels and seminars at Pro Production and Inspiration trade shows.

SECTION 1: Introduction to Automated Lighting 1





CHAPTER 1: Automated Lighting in the Third Millennium





CHAPTER 2: The Foundation of the Automated Lighting Industry


The Genesis of the Automated Lighting Industry


Synchronicity


"If We Can Make It Change Color . . ."


The Black Hole


For Sale: Automated Lighting


Sue Me, Sue You Blues


The Future of Automated Lighting





CHAPTER 3: Automated Lighting Systems


Systems Overview


Rigging Systems


Aluminum Structures


Theatrical Rigging


Rigging Hardware


Power Distribution Systems


Disconnect Switch


Feeder Cable


Distribution Panels and Portable Power Distribution Units (PPDUs) 1Overcurrent Protection


Dimmers


Branch Circuits


Wire Gauges


Voltage Drop


Connectors


Worldwide Electrical Safety and Wiring Codes


Compliance


Data Distribution Systems


Data Cables


Data Splitters


Data Amplifiers


Data Converters


Data Terminators


A/B Switches


Data Connectors


Control Systems


Automated Lighting Controllers


Automated Lighting Consoles


PC-Based Controllers


Dedicated Controllers


Playback Units


Remote Focus Units


Preset Stations


Media Servers


Redundant Backup Systems


Luminaires


Electrical Systems


Electronics Systems


Electromechanical Systems


Mechanical Systems Optical Systems


Communications Systems





SECTION 2: Electricity and Electronics





CHAPTER 4: DC Electricity


The Flow of Electrons


The Relative Size of Electrons


The Electron Drift Theory


Friction


Conductive Properties of Materials Current Convention


Voltage, Current, and Resistance


Water and Electricity-Bad Mix, Good Analogy


The DC Circuit Units of Measure-Current, Voltage, Resistance, Power


The Resistor Color Code


Resistor Wattage


Series Resistance


Parallel Resistance


Series/Parallel Resistance


Ohm's Law


Practice Problems


DC Power


Practice Problems


CHAPTER FIVE: Electricity and Magnetism


Magnetic Lines of Flux


Electromagnetic Induction


Inducing Current


Alternating Current





CHAPTER SIX: AC Electricity


The Alternating Current Generator


Peak Voltage


RMS Voltage


The Inductor


The Capacitor


Phase Relationships


Impedance


The Transformer


AC Power


Power Factor


Three-Phase Power


The Three-Phase Delta-Wye Configuration


Three-Phase Wye Connections


The Three-Phase Delta-Delta Configuration


Electrical Safety


Drugs and Alcohol





CHAPTER SEVEN: Power Supplies


The Diode


Half-Wave Rectification


Full-Wave Rectification


The Linear Power Supply


Switched-Mode Power Supplies


Power Supplies for Arc Lamps


The Magnetic Ballast Power Supply


Electronic Switching Power Supply for Gas Discharge Lamps


Advantages of a Magnetic Ballast Power Supplies


Disadvantages of Magnetic Ballast Power Supplies


Advantages of Electronic Switching Power Supplies


Disadvantages of Electronic Switching Power Supplies





CHAPTER EIGHT: Overcurrent and Overvoltage Protection


Fuses


Circuit Breakers


Metal Oxide Varistor (MOVs)





CHAPTER NINE: Digital Electronics


Binary Numbering


Binary Offset


Hexadecimal Numbering


Digital Electronics


Electronic Switching


Data Transmission





CHAPTER TEN: Computer Architecture


The CPU


Memory


Input/Output Ports


The System Bus


Microprocessor Architecture


Execution of a Cue





SECTION THREE: Electro-Mechanical and Mechanical Systems





CHAPTER ELEVEN: Electro-Mechanical Systems


Stepper Motors


Hybrid Stepper Motors


Single Phase Excitation Mode


Dual Phase Excitation Mode


Half Step Excitation


Microstepping


Resonance


Stepper Motor Control Systems


Position Sensing and Encoding


The Mechanical Stop


Optical Sensing


Hall Effect Sensors


Focus Correction


Quadrature Encoding


Absolute Encoding


Fans


Fan Types


Fan Cleaning and Maintenance





CHAPTER TWELVE: Mechanical Systems


Materials


Aluminum


Stainless Steel


Plastics


Ceramics


Glass


Fused Quartz


Optical glass


Metal Finishes


Fasteners


Thread Standards


Preventing Vibrational Loosening


Gears


Belts





SECTION FOUR: Optical Systems





Chapter Thirteen: Lamp Technology


Incandescent Lamps


Incandescence


Gas Fill


Halogen Lamps


Discharge Lamps


Discharge Lamp Construction


Starting a Discharge Lamp


The Effects of Lamp Strikes


Hot Restrike Lamps


Testing Discharge Lamps


LEDs


Plasma Lamps


Color Temperature


Luminous Efficacy


Spectral Power Distribution


Color Rendering Index


Dimming


Lumen Maintenance


Lamp Life Ratings


Lamp Hazards





Chapter Fourteen: The Optical Path


Specular Reflection


Reflector Geometry


The Elliptical Reflector


The Spherical Reflector


Reflector Materials


Infrared Filters


Mechanical Dimming


Optical Thin-Film Filters


The Deposition Process


Thin-Film Interference


Filter Types


Color Selection


DichroFilm


Color Wheels


Color Combining


Subtractive Color Mixing


Additive Color Mixing


Gobos


Metal Gobos


Glass Gobos


Laser Ablation


Installation Orientation


Front Surface Mirrors


Anti-Reflective Coatings


Effects


Lenses


Spherical Aberrations


Chromatic Aberration





SECTION FIVE: Networking and Communications





Chapter Fifteen: The Channel Count Explosion


Cable Management in a 0-10V World


Taming the Cable Beast


The Channel Count Explosion


State-of-the-Art Protocols





Chapter Sixteen: DMX512 and DMX512-A


The DMX512 Physical Layer


Data Cable


DMX512 Over CAT


DMX512 Connectors


Termination


Building a Data Network


DMX512-A versus DMX5


DMX512-A Data Protocol


Reset Sequence


Alternate Start Codes


Proprietary ASCs


Data Slot Format


Refresh Rate


Enhanced Function Topologies


Enhanced Function 1


Enhanced Function 2


Enhanced Function 3


Enhanced Function 4


Bi-directional Distribution Amplifiers/Return Data Combiners


Termination


Isolation








Chapter Seventeen: Remote Device Management (RDM)


The RDM Physical Layer


RDM Packet Format


The RDM Discovery Process


RDM Parameter Messages


Network Management Messages


Status Collection Messages


RDM Information Messages


Product Information Messages


DMX512 Setup Messages


Sensor Parameter Messages


Power/Lamp Setting Parameter Messages


Display Setting Parameter Messages


Device Configuration Parameter Messages


Device Control Parameter Messages





Chapter Eighteen: Architecture for Control Networks (ACN)


The ACN Suite of Protocols


ACN Elements


Device Description Language


Device Management Protocol


Session Data Transport


The ACN Transport


Network Media


Streaming DMX512 Over ACN





SECTION SIX: Maintenance and Troubleshooting





Chapter Nineteen: Tools of the Trade


Tools for the Task


Load-in


Programming


Troubleshooting in the Field


Voltmeter Specifications


Volt Meter Category Ratings


True RMS Meters


V-Rated Tools





Chapter Twenty: Preventive Maintenance and Troubleshooting


Common Sources of Problems: Heat, Gravity, Age


Preventive Maintenance


Cleaning Automated Lighting Components


Lubrication


Troubleshooting


Sample List of Recommended Spare Parts


Troubleshooting Procedures


Common Failures


Motor Drive Chips


Switch-Mode Power Supplies


Printed Circuits Boards


Power Factor Correction Capacitors


Ballasts


Transformers


Fasteners


Sensors





SECTION SEVEN: Convergence of Lighting and Video





Chapter Twenty-One: Convergence of Lighting and Video


The Digital Mirror Device


Digital Light Processing and LEDs


Liquid Crystal Display Projectors


Perceived Brightness


Lamp Technology and Projection


The UHP Lamp





SECTION EIGHT: LIGHTING DESIGN WITH AUTOMATED LUMINAIRES





Chapter Twenty-Two: Lighting Design


Design Goals


Visibility


Focusing Attention


Lighting for Video


Modeling


Creating Depth


Aesthetics and Mood


3-Point Lighting


Toning a 3-point Lighting System


Multi-Point Lighting


Calculating Illuminance


Target Illuminance


Color Temperature and Green/Magenta Balance


Finishing the Lighting Plot


Color Wash


Image and Beam Projection





Chapter Twenty-Three: Lighting Design software


Computer Aided Design


File Formats


CAD Libraries


Data and Attributes


Lighting Paperwork


Rendering


Fly-Throughs


Visualization


Offline Editors





SECTION EIGHT: Automated Lighting Programming





Chapter Twenty-Four: Automated Lighting Programming


The Programming Approach


Pre-show Preparation


Previz and Off-Line Editing


Backing Up


On-Site Preparation


The Linear Fader Model Versus the Real World Model


Patching Fixtures


Highlight


Preparing Fixture Groups


Preparing Palettes or Presets


Preset Focus Positions


Program Blocking


Tracking


Precedence


Laying Out the Cues on the Console


Programming Cues


Timing of Cues


Mark Cues or Move in Black


Blocking Cues


Point Cues


Busking


Perfecting the Craft





Epilogue: THE FUTURE OF AUTOMATED LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY





Appendix