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Second Phase of IES Sine Wave Dimming Completed at National
The recent installation of IES Matrix sine wave dimmers in the main dimmer room at London's Lyttelton Theatre, bringing the total sine wave dimming capacity to over six hundred 2.5kW and 5kW channels, marks the completion of the second phase of the sine wave dimming upgrade to the National Theatre. Two of the National's three main theatre spaces are now equipped with the world's most advanced sine wave dimming technology.
The National's project manager, Michael Atkinson, pioneered a technique of combining installed sine wave dimmers with a selection of custom-configured, Ethernet-controlled distributed sine wave dimmers - only made possible thanks to the silent operation of IES technology. His innovative scheme for the Lyttelton reduced the number of dimmer rooms required from four to two - not to mention saving on literally miles of replacement load wiring - while increasing the total complement of dimmers through the use of distributed sine wave dimmer units. Added to which installation and commissioning was achieved without any closure periods for the theatres.
"I opted for IES sine wave distributed dimming PowerModules and PowerBars because they could be located anywhere in the theatre," explained Michael Atkinson. "They not only provide silent dimming, but because the dimmers themselves are silent, they can be placed near the audience if required. Ultimately, I made the decision to mix distributed and fixed dimmers for economic reasons - it was cheaper to install a mains power and Ethernet network and put dimmers where they were needed, rather than replacing all the old load cables, socket panels and trunking which would have been necessary for a conventional installation."
The main dimmer room feeds local circuits on the circle front, portal bridge, tower and slots. The basement dimmer room provides dimming to the stage floor circuits. The bulk of the scheme, comprising dimming for the flys and grid circuits, overstage lighting bars and the FOH bridges are all based on custom versions of the IES sine wave distributed dimming range. Dimmers were created offering a range of options and sizes to accommodate lighting needs and to suit the physical layout of load sockets. The FOH bridges are equipped with 3m long dimmer bars that match the pitch of sockets required on the bridges. Other versions include features such as DMX-controlled non-dim circuits, integrated Ethernet nodes, and switchable sockets with either dual 2.5kW or single 5kW dimming circuits.
The National Theatre project began in 1998 and encompasses the complete renovation of production lighting systems in the Cottesloe, Lyttelton and Olivier theatres. The initial installation at the Cottesloe was updated to the latest advanced sine wave dimming technology in 2004, furnished with almost 500 ways of IES Matrix sine wave dimmers and a hundred channels of custom switching and dimming for houselights and working light circuits.
20th June 2005
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