Avolites, manufacturers of cutting edge lighting control systems,
is launching three exciting new products at PLASA 2001.

Avolites launch Diamond 4 at PLASA

Avolites unveils the next major step for lighting control, with the launch of its new generation top-level lighting console - the Diamond 4.

The design brief was to create a lighting console that’s intuitive to operate, offers minimum operator fatigue and the fastest, most cost-efficient creation of stunning shows.

This Diamond 4 is designed for large-scale shows, festivals, concerts, events and multi-purpose venues. Addressing the needs of lighting designers needing fast, accurate and immediate control of numerous intelligent lights, conventional fixtures and other DMX devices.

The D4 builds on the success of Avolites’ Diamond 3 console, incorporating many of the D3’s popular, ground-breaking features. 

Feedback gathered via close contact between Avolites and various lighting designers, has allowed Avolites to design a console that is equally at home in live ‘hands-on’ situations and in more controlled ‘pre-programmed’ environments.

This D4 addresses the whole spectrum of production situations. For those with more time - and possibly with a designer away from the console - the D4’s newly designed programming panel allows entry and selection of fixtures and palettes by number, whilst the electronic palette gives entry by legend. These entry systems can be mixed in any way, and are always simultaneously available.

New features include the Command Syntax which allows replaying of the last entered button presses, and the storing of these for later use.

Also new is the storing of Times within a Palette, expanding the ability to use Palettes during live performance, and ensuring a highly flexible toolkit for use during programming. The built-in Looks and Palettes, and the D4’s ease of use, enable operation of a show when there’s been no pre programming whatsoever.

The new processing engine - running at over 1 GHz - ensures that response times for selecting and running anything are fast and seamless.

In addition to the 24 high resolution graphic LCD screens, dual high resolution colour monitors ensure that information is presented and formatted in an easy-to-understand-style.

All data is stored on the consoles hard disk, and can be backed up onto floppy disk or copied via the Ethernet connection to a PC.

The D4 retains the Avolites tradition of being built-to-last in all respects. Robust physical construction is coupled with full upgradeability using the in-built modem for internet connection whenever and wherever required.

Avolites – making light work everywhere.

ART in the USA

PLASA 2001 sees Avolites also launch the ART2000-US 20 Amp digital dimmer, specifically designed for America.

The Full Mains Patching, virtually silent operation and 100% duty cycle, 20 Amp channels will satisfy America’s sharply growing demand for portable, high density touring dimming systems.

The Avolites Art-2000 dimmer is an established and proven design, and the American system utilises the flexible Dimming or Mains Distribution modular design that has made the Avolites Art dimmer popular around the world.

The system features a Mains Patch with 4 sockets per dimmer channel (total 192) to 162 Patch Cords connected to 25 Socapex and 12 Stagepin outlets. All patch cords are numbered, colour coded and utilise the 32 Amp rated “Multi Lam” contacts.

Mains connection is via 5 wire Cam-lok inputs complete with Cam-lok loop outlets. The Rack system is supplied with Voltage and Current metering for all phases and neutral.

Other features such as Onboard Channel or Memory Control, noise suppression to studio specifications, dual DMX input with merge and full soft-patching capabilities, enables ART2000 to be utilised on any type of production. 

Avolites continues to expand its renowned Art2000 digital dimming range with the addition of the 32 Amp dimmer module, launched at PLASA 2001. The dynamic, fully-featured Art2000-TV adds another versatile dimension to Avolites’ Art family of robust digital dimmers.

Art2000-TV has been developed to meet the growing and changing demands of the television, film and industrial show and exhibition lighting industries, where the use of dimmable fixtures is becoming an increasingly popular, cost effective method of lighting these specific environments.

The dimmer offers 32 Amps - continuously rated – in 6-channel modules. Each channel has 240µ rise time – optimised for silence on both dimmer and fixture - and forced air-cooling via a speed-controlled fan. C-Type breakers are fitted to deal effectively with high in-rush currents. 

For full flexibility, the Art2000-TV module is available in two standard frame formats – 2 bay (12 x 32 channels) or 4 bay (24 x 32A channels). Art2000-TV’s top-mounting control module is smart and auto-detects the number and type of dimming modules attached. Each module offers the useful facilities of local fader control and individual Channel Test.

Each channel of the Art2000-TV module has a dedicated CEE 32A single phase connector on the back of the frame. The Art2000 frame can also be fitted with a selective disable ELCD breaker system

The whole system is constructed to the tough, high-quality design-and-build specifications of all other Avolites products.

The first run of four Art2000-TV racks is currently in production for
the ever-expanding rental house AFM Lighting.