LIGHTING CONTROL CONSOLE
TECH DIRECTOR
5/29/97
page
TEATRONICS LIGHTING CONTROLS,
TEATRONICS LIGHTING CONTROLS,
INC.
INC.
IN CASE OF TROUBLE
The Tech Director is a solid-state analog control console. Of the components used in a lighting system,
this console is probably the least likely to fail. The following paragraphs may help in the event the
lighting system fails to work properly.
First lets get the obvious things out of the way; check that the console is plugged into a live outlet, that
the fuse is good, that the console is connected to the dimmers and that the dimmers are on. Also be sure
the loads are connected and not burned out. Next, and most obvious, is the console being used properly?
No sense in returning the console for service if the only reason it wasn’t working was because the
blackout switch was on.
Now that the obvious things are out of the way we can get down to the nitty gritty. If the console seems
to be working properly but is not controlling the dimmers, skip to the next paragraph. If the Illuminated
Power Switch fails to light, re-read the previous paragraph. If the Power Switch lights, but none of the
indicator LED’s on the front panel glow, then the internal power supply is dead. If the Blackout and
Bump-On LED’s work, but the Crossfader LED Ladder doesn’t, then the Grand Master and/or
Crossfader circuitry is bad. If all the ‘Master Section’ LEDs function properly but some or all of the
channel indicators fail to respond, the problem probably lies with the channel output circuits. All of the
above failure modes require work on the console. To continue warranty coverage, all work must be done
by an Authorized Service Center. If the user is technically competent and familiar with solid-state
electronics, repair may be attempted. Service manuals and parts kits are available from the factory. Any
attempted repair by un-authorized personnel voids the warranty. High voltages (117 volts) exist inside
the unit, care must be exercised when the console is open.
If the console appears to be working, that is the channel indicators get brighter as the channel is brought
up and dimmer as the channel is brought down, then chances are that the console is not at fault. If the
dimmers fail to respond to the console, and are off all the time, try this simple test. Take a 9 volt ‘tran-
sistor radio’ battery and connect the negative side(-) to D.C. common (pin 15) and the positive side (+)
to channel 1 control (pin 1) of the dimmer. If channel one of the dimmer comes up, then the dimmer is
O.K., if it doesn’t then either the load is burned out, the battery is bad, or the dimmer is out.
If the dimmers fail to respond to the console, and are on all the time, try disconnecting the control line
from the dimmer. If the dimmer stays on, check for any ‘override’ switch on the dimmer that may be
stuck (all channels should go off when the console is disconnected from the dimmer). If the override
switch is not at fault, chances are that the output device in the dimmer has shorted and must be replaced.
If the dimmers go off when the control console is disconnected, check that the control cable is not
shorted. Also try plugging the control cable into a different output (if the console is larger than twelve
channels). This may help isolate a bad channel or control cable.
If the dimmers respond to the console but do not go to full, it is possible that the control voltage has been
adjusted for other than zero to ten volt operation (or the dimmers expect other than zero to ten volt
operation). Adjustment of the control voltage is covered elsewhere.
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