Varytec LED Theater Spot 100 3000k flickers on dimming +

[Jon_O]

Hi,

I'm Jon. This is my first post here, so to set the scene, I'm a self-taught amateur enthusiast rather than professional. I recently changed from using laptop and software-based dmx control to a Wolfmix, as I wanted a compact standalone controller that required the minimum of set-up and intervention. My main use is for static lighting scenes for mobile cinema (mood lighting around the screen), live interviews with authors, and small-scale drama presentations. I love the ease of using hardware pads for fading between presets.

I have two "problems" controlling Varytec Theater Spots in single-channel mode:
1. Visible and annoying flickering on dimming (no problem on increasing intensity).
2. Intensity dipping (with flickering) then increasing to the new dmx value when fading between presets, even when the intensity settings are the same for both presets.

I'm not sure where the problem lies: whether it's with the fixtures themselves, my programming of the Wolfmix, or with the fixture profile. I've tried wireless dmx, direct cable dmx & use of dmx terminators, altering fade times, and saving intensity values as live edits. It's not a noticeable problem with my other fixtures (Chauvet DJ Freedom H1 sets and Varytec Battery Event Pars.

Any thoughts would be welcome!

Jon

[axell]

From reading some reviews of this fixture, my guess is that the "flickers" are part of the DMX implementation of the fixture itself.
Someone was trying this fixture on "multiple" controllers and was describing the exact behavior like you are seeing. It may derives from the "lack" of an additional 16bit (uDimmer) channel and so the coarse 8bit (main) Dimmer implementation gives you the "flickers".If increasing intensity it is not so obvious (unless you increase really fast - so it "jumps" over a few DMX values - so the intensity jumps with it) but when dimming you clearly notice the "flickers".
This Theater Spot is a great bargain when using with constant intensity (great light output), but not so good in more professional environments, where you constantly may need to change the intensity.

[Jon_O]

Thank you, Axell. I wondered if the lack of 16 bit dimming was at least part of the problem. As you say, it's a great little fixture, and good value for money. I guess I'll just have to live with its quirks.

Is the dipping on crossfades between presets a question of HTP vs LTP, or something completely different? Is there a user setting on the Woolfmix that I'm missing?