Herman Surkis wrote:
I need to dim the output of some fresnels.
The changes in light colour are not a problem.
Dimmers are the most convenient way of controlling the output.
Light dimmers for 1000w are fairly expensive, and yet router controllers are relatively reasonable.
Will router controllers damage the fresnels? Only reason I can think of to not use them.

I am doing it this way, because moments ago I lost the entire post when going out to get links to the products.

By the time you are done with exchange and shipping it is $75cdn.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ … immer.html

While these guys from a different source are $25cdn. And similar is available at some hardware suppliers locally.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/like/35185493087 … rmvSB=true

The Impact from B&H is very similar to the 500w foot controllers I bought via Amazon. The 500's are not 3 prong, and are not linear dimmers, but close enough, sort of.

Since I will need 3 and it is a hobby for me, and they will not be used that much, I am trying to save money.

Any thoughts out there?

You Can Call Me Pierre wrote:
Can you switch lamps down to 750 or 500 watts?

Or use scrims?

Zack Zoll wrote:

Or use scrims?

Scrims, gels etc. would work. But not as quick and easy as dimmers.
And remember A scrim requires another stand, and careful placement and, and ... How many scrims do you need to control a light by 6f.
Yes in movies they do that, but it is more work.

The issues mentioned, re lights and motors is interesting.
How is it that some people use the motor controller for lights? What damage could they be causing? If I knew more about some electrical stuff I would likely have an answer.
Overheating is something that comes to mind, but not sure if it is a real issue.

Noah Russell wrote:
Its true that tungsten lighting is a restive load vs the inductive load of a motor, but the harbor freight router speed control doesn't seem to care in my experience. It dims 1000w tungsten and remains cool..... They are a triac based just like  lighting dimmers but the harbor freight controller uses a much larger triac(I have taken one apart .

I have a handful of old eBay Fresnel that I have retrofitted with flash tubes so they work like any other strobe. And if I need to shoot video I still have a 1k modeling light.

Cheers,
Noah

Info I needed.

Thanks all.

Trouble with asking tech questions here is that your are likely to get more info than you want. 
But you are likely to get what you need.

Building can get expensive if you use some high capacity light dimmer switches.
Owner of the shared studio and the continuous lights has built some 2 light 1000w dimmers. Meaning it dims one or 2 lights at the same time. Less versatile. Individual is best way to go.

I decided to keep the 500w dimmers. Too much trouble to return, and the price is not bad.
And it is nice to hear that the router controller should not damage the 1000w lights. So it may be worth buying.

I need to remind people that this is just for a hobby. Perhaps I should remind myself.
And not as expensive as Titanium golf clubs.

As a fun point he also has a Norman Fresnel flash. Too many toys, and not a big enough space to really play with them. And on ones own it takes a lot of time to change things up. I am one of those who only has a vague idea of what they want to shoot, at the start of a shoot. And then I like to experiment during a shoot. (advantage of shooting for your own pleasure, you can play)

Thanks, and I hope this was also of use to others.

Michael Bots wrote:
Standard item from any electrical supply place -- yes there is a big price jump from 600W units which is unexplained as the only real difference is the current rating on the Triac/SCR and the added heat-sink capacity


Any of    Lutron  NT1500 or NT-2000   N-2000  N-1500     should work for you with spare capacity (less overheating - longer life)

                                         (Incandescent / Halogen)
http://www.lutron.com/en-US/Products/Pa … mbers.aspx
http://www.lutron.com/en-US/Products/Pa … mbers.aspx

(rotary knob cheaper than slide control)



LUTRON NOVA N-1500 SLIDE DIMMER SWITCH
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LUTRON-NOVA-N-1 … 1934047730

1000W
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LUTRON-NOVA-N-1 … 1934041296

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Lutron-Nova … 1910807929



                         inside?   (1000w or less at 110V -- load rating is current dependent)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2000W-Voltage-R … 0608914161

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Router controller --- doesn't dim to off

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6E1uI8yOy0

You found stuff I could not.
Never figured out how that happens.
Lutron goes from reasonable to very expensive. Local hardware seems to overcharge. Building is not tough DIY but I have found in the past, that by the time you run around sourcing parts, building it etc. the time and money involved, you could have bought it made for not much more. Very much depends on my mood.

But, now I have some great options.

Gabby57 wrote:
I've used the "router" controllers with 600W Fresnels for several hours at a stretch with no issues whatsoever.  But I'm no electrical engineer so can only say good luck and your mileage may vary.  By the way, they are a lot cheaper at "Harbor Freight" than ebay or were when I got mine several years ago.

Will look closer.