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INNOVATIONS TO ENABLE LONG RUNS
There are numerous challenges involved with creating long runs of high output LED fixtures,
most notably concerning control and power; in response, Acclaim Lighting engineers have
created ingenious solutions to ensure consistent and reliable operation:
CONTROL
Long distances and high fixture counts are detrimental even to such a robust control
solution as DMX; usually a maximum of 32 fixtures is possible before the signal-to-noise ratio
threatens to affect operation. That is why Terra Drum fixtures act as their own signal isolator
and conditioner before passing the control feed down the line. The result is a clean, reliable
and [still] industry-standard control solution right to the end of the line. Additionally, as each
fixture supports RDM, the passage of conditioned and isolated signals is fully bi-directional.
POWER
Every Terra Drum fixture conditions its own power using a high-efficiency internal switched-
mode power supply. A well known feature of such devices is their behavior during the
fractions of a second after power is first applied, known as ‘in-rush current’. This is when their
internal components top themselves up with charge to progress from empty to a working
state, which causes a very brief rise above their usual maximum consumption level. If you
place many such devices on the same power line and activate them all simultaneously, their
collective temporary overruns can easily swamp an otherwise perfectly adequate power
feed, causing breaker trips.
To reliably solve this issue, the common high voltage power rail running through the supply
cables is not a ‘dumb run’ but rather a managed resource. Every fixture energizes itself fully
before passing power through to the next fixture in the chain. The delay at each fixture is
measured in milliseconds, but it is sufficient to ensure that the installation as a whole never
stresses the main power feed during the initial startup.
