Lighting Desk

Our studio lighting desk is a 24-channel Siruis, made by Zero88 in North Wales. It has a total of 24 analogue output channels, although we only use 11 of them.

There are two dimmers in the rack. Of one a dimmer channel is severely broken (corresponding to channel 'C'). The transistor looks fried and has continuity between the emitter and collector, also two medium-power 270 Ohm resistors have physically split.

Apart from direct manual control from the faders to the lights, the desk can also store and recall sets of lighting settings, or scenes. This is very useful if the lighting needs to be changed quickly, or there are many different lighting setups to be switched between.

YSTV has two identical desks. One has a key slot to switch between the three options (Run, Program , and something else) the other has a dial. On the desk with the key slot everything seems to work - in the same way as on the one with the dial, currently in use.

To get good results from most TV cameras you need more light, and more controlled light than is available in the average room. This is why most studios, including YSTV's, have a dedicated lighting rig.

See Also: LightingDesk, LanternManuals Overview

Each light is mounted on the scaffolding bars attached to the ceiling of the room, and plugged in to dedicated round-pin mains sockets. Each of these sockets is fed from a plug on the wall above the lighting desk. There are a set of 11 cables which come from the outputs of the lighting dimmers, and are plugged in to the wall to control which socket is fed from which dimmer.

The dimmers are controlled by the two rows of Red and Blue sliders at the top left of the desk, numbered 1 to 11. Sliders 12 to 24 do nothing at present.

The master level of all the sliders in each row (colour group) is controlled by the Red and Blue group master sliders near the bottom right of the desk. Both groups are subject to the setting of the Grand Master (white) slider. With this down, nothing at all comes on.

Using Lights

Firstly turn the desk on (there's a switch at back near the right), THEN the two large blue switches which turn on the dimmers. This prevents all the lights flashing on briefly as the desk is turned on.

To turn a given light on, the following things need to happen:

1. it needs to be plugged into a ceiling socket

2. the celing socket needs to be fed from a dimmer

3. The (red and/or blue) channel fader on the desk for the dimmer used in step 2 needs to be turned up.

4. The group fader for the colour (red and/or blue) channel fader used in step 3 needs to be turned up

5. The master fader (white) on the desk needs to be turned up.

Troubleshooting

If you can't get the lights you need on check:

• The light is plugged into one of the sockets on the ceiling
• There is a lead in the socket on the wall with the same number as the ceiling socket you are using
• You have the group master for the colour (red and/or blue) slider you are using turned up

If you can't get any lights on, check:

• The dimmers have mains power from the wall. The red light at the left hand end will come on.
• The dimmers are switched on with the red illuminated switch, which will light up.
• The lighting desk is turned on - the various displays in the lower half of the desk, and the gooseneck light, should be on. The switch is at the back right.
• The Desk is not blacked out. There is a toggle switch just above the master fader, which is marked D.B.O. ('Desk BlackOut') in the down position. This must be up for anything to be on. If it's off, turn the grand master to zero, push the switch up, and then bring the grand master up.