The EKO incorporates a cleverly designed installation frame that can be fixed in position without the dimmer being present. Load and control screw terminals on the frame allow for building wiring to be terminated in a clear and unhindered manner. When the installation is ready for commissioning, the dimmer can be hung on the installation frame and output circuits then plugged into the special screw terminals - the 24-channel dimmer can easily be installed onto the frame and made fully operational in less than five minutes. After installation, internal electronics can be easily accessed through the lockable, hinged front door. The door has been designed with reversible hinges and lock that allows it to be customised to suit the installation environment.
The EKO wall mount installation dimmer is available in 6-, 12- and 24-channel versions with a choice of output capacities and Andrew decided that the 12-channel version was ideal for this installation; six for mirrorballs, projectors and effects plus six for dimming control.
"The EKO allowed a nice, simple hook up to the existing switchboard," said Newnham. "The EKO is a complete package so, from the electrician's point of view, it was an easy to install unit. We supplied the electricians with an installation frame allowing him to terminate all the circuits. Then once the venue was near completion we supplied the dimmer, which simply hung on the installation frame. The load circuits were then just plugged in and installation was complete! We were then able to bring up a scene on the unit, so everything was operational in less than ten minutes.
Another feature of the EKO dimmer that Andrew was particularly impressed with is the Fault Log."Although completely unrelated to the dimmer it allowed us to fix a problem; the main breakers to the building kept tripping out and this was proving very puzzling as everything was balanced and there didn't appear to be a regular pattern," said Andrew. "However on looking at the Log it showed a regular failure on one of the phases and on detailed inspection we found this occurred at the same times one of the fridges turned on, hence allowing the fault to be rectified. "The Fault Log also details information about the state of the data feeds, phase failures and internal problems which make for very quick fault finding in an installation unit."
(Lee Baldock)
