My FC-400 light system (controlling two DP-415 packs into each of which four 300 watt lights are plugged) has always worked fine for me until a gig last week. They seemed to work fine when I set them up befor all the other band equipment was fired up. When the other equipment was on, no matter the setting on the foot controller, the lights were all off much of the time and dim when they lit. Also, less than all the lights that were supposed to be lit in a scene actually lit.
A difference at that gig from other gigs was that the power outlets were few and far away from the stage [about 20' from the front of the stage and 40' from the back]. The foot controller was powered by a 50' 16 guage extension chord, but it shared this line with other equipment whose total rated wattage was about 1800+ watts.
The light poles were each powered by a 25' 12 guage chord, but shared that chord with other equipment whose total rated wattage was about 800 watts.
Can low voltage cause the lights to act irratically? Is the foot controller or are the DP-415s more sensitive to low voltage? Given the set up I described, is it likely that the voltage to the lights was too low?
Thanks
Hobson
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