The Swiss city of Berne is having the lighting system in its municipal theatre modernized by the Transtechnik Group at a cost of around 425,000 Euros. Due to be completed at the end of this month, the project will bring state-of-the-art lighting technology to this famous theatre. The new system includes two lighting control consoles - a Focus NT and a Prisma NT - each of which is fitted with a moving light controller and connected to the digital auxiliary console via a Transtechnik DMX-Gate protocol converter. The converter converts the DMX signals from the lighting consoles to the Profibus signals for the auxiliary console (and vice versa) to allow the devices to exchange data. The Profibus standard requires only a thin, two-wire cable for transmitting control signals, which means that there is no need for thick bundles of cables to the auxiliary console. Profibus also permits bi-directional communication: for example, a command to switch the foyer lighting is issued in one direction, and a confirmation that the command has been successfully carried out is sent to the auxiliary console in the opposite direction. If the confirmation is not received, the operator can take corrective action immediately. Transtechnik is also providing seven FDX2000 dimmer cabinets and nine HPZ211 convection-cooled Niethammer followspots, mounted on motorized yokes (from Lichttechnik) including colour changers and automatic iris drive.As part of the modernization, the theatre will also have a remote control facility for the lighting functions and a control position in the auditorium, allowing lighting engineers to set up from a laptop PC during rehearsals. Finally, a Transtechnik channel monitor provides the lighting director with a clear report on the current status of all channels: an 18" TFT screen shows which lights are on or off in a 3D wireframe model of the theatre’s interior.
