Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!rutgers!sri-spam!ames!amdahl!krs
From: krs@amdahl.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Lighting programs
Message-ID: <5613@amdahl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 9-Feb-87 16:37:46 EST
Article-I.D.: amdahl.5613
Posted: Mon Feb  9 16:37:46 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 10-Feb-87 05:59:03 EST
References: <679@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU> <5580@amdahl.UUCP> <2465@jade.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: krs@amdahl.UUCP (Kris Stephens)
Distribution: na
Organization: Amdahl Corp, Sunnyvale CA
Lines: 28
Keywords: lighting
Xref: watmath comp.sys.mac:1226 comp.sys.ibm.pc:1525

In article <2465@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> oster@lapis.berkeley.edu.UUCP (David Phillip Oster) writes:
>DAK sells ...
>
>Well, 
>1.) you have to buy a $10.00 controller box for each device you want to
>control. (A standard X-10 controller box such as Radio Shack and Whole
>Earth Access carry.)
>2.) you can't control the dimmers' dim rate. Slow fades are not possible
>with this system. You can't even program them, because the firmware in
>their dimmer controller brings the dimmer through 100% to recalibrate it
>on each transition.
>3.) Each dimmer only has 16 values of dimness. For theatre work you
>probably need more. 

Yeah, X-10 is *out* for theatre lighting control.  Call for a dim-down
and each light to be dimmed sweeps up to full and then down to your
setting.  Blackouts and instant-on work, but not on other than a bump.
All units must be on the same transformer, too, or the signals are lost.
As far as I know, the X-10 units which can handle *power* don't dim.

There are systems for the PC and for the Apple ][ which were designed
especially for theatre lighting, tho'.  The lighting trade-rags carry
ads and articles.
-- 
Kris Stephens,       | (408-746-6047) |          {whatever}!amdahl!krs
Amdahl Corporation   |                |    -or-  krs@amdahl.amdahl.com
     [The opinions expressed above are mine, solely, and do not    ]
     [necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Amdahl Corp. ]