Some manufacturers spend a great deal of time telling customers how a dimmer latched at full will do the job. However, dimmers deliver a disturbed waveform even latched at full and the chance for failure in key components is increased when powering electronics in this way. The other option has been to use one of a host of small DMX controlled switchpacks, but the problem here is that most have current ratings that are insufficient to cope with any of the real-world jobs.
The new Jands HPX12-AZ290 switchrack delivers full DMX controlled relay switching at 20A per circuit. A digital display and miniature switches are used to select the DMX start channel, control the test functions, and set other operating modes. The start channel can be set to any valid DMX number from 1 to 512, while the DMX circuitry also incorporates an internal terminate facility that when activated minimises signal reflections on long data control lines.
In addition to the DMX input, the HPX12-AZ290 switchrack also features a Control input connector on the front panel. The Control input allows a single low voltage switch closure to activate all of the enabled channels. The delay between channel activations is adjustable from the menu in 0.5 second increments up to 5 seconds, meaning items with high start up currents, such as with power amplifiers and discharge fixtures, can be switched on progressively to avoid overloading the main breaker.
The control input circuitry is designed to allow multiple HPX12-AZ290 switchracks to be controlled from one physical switch, so all the trained bar staff will need to do is throw one switch and the HPX12-AZ290 switchracks will look after the rest. The high current relays have been selected for long life and provide a clear air gap in the active output of any channel that is switched off for full compliance with electrical safety standards.
The following are the overall specifications of the HPX12-AZ290 switchrack:
- Channels: 12
- Power rating: 20A per channel.
- Mains type: 1, 2 or 3-phase with neutral
- Mains voltage: 100 to 230V AC phase to neutral
- Mains frequency: 40 to 66Hz
- Operating temperature: 0° to 40°C maximum
- Output protection: Thermal/magnetic circuit breakers per channel
- DMX Control input: ANSI E1.11 DMX512A protocol
- Input connector: 5-pin AXR with loop-through socket and termination function
- Start Channel: Any number from 1 to 512
- User Interface: 3 x 7 segment red LED + 4 switches
- Indicators: 3 x blue, 2 x bicolour, 1 red, 1 x green
- CRTL Input: 5V DC
- Sequence Delay: 0.0 to5.0 seconds
- Sequence Connector: RJ45
- Test facility: Individual channels
- Dimensions: 478mm (19") (W) x 450mm (D) x 133mm (3RU) or 177mm (4RU) (H)