Intelligent Raceway Goes Shopping

Wednesday, February 22, 2006 || Entertainment Technology

At the ShopNBC studios in Eden Prairie, MN, a new broadcast studio is needed and only a thin time frame exists for completion of the project. So how do you get dimming capabilities ordered, installed, and operable in less than one month? By installing the Intelligent Raceway® from Entertainment Technology.

With 25 years of lighting experience, Lighting Director Dave Pekach joined ShopNBC on October 31, 2005. Upon his hiring, he instantly inherited the task of retrofitting Studio E with a new broadcast lighting system.

"In the beginning, Studio E was used for pre-shots, which means shooting still photographs of the products to be sold on-air," stated Pekach. "There was no lighting or dimming in the space, but there were 20A circuits on breaker switches."

To help him complete this task, Pekach enlisted Dave Johnson with Gopher Stage Lighting in Minneapolis, MN. As they began to research all the possibilities, it was determined that there was enough power for a retrofitted system, and so they needed to decide upon the best dimming option.

"Because there is no ancillary space for dimmer racks next to the studio, I knew the Intelligent Raceway was the right choice when it came across my eyes," said Pekach. "Space was the biggest advantage because the raceways could be installed onto the existing lighting grid and the dimmers would be located next to the lights."

As the Intelligent Raceway distributed dimming solution is customized to each installation, Pekach would be able to place 120 2400W dimmers in the studio through the usage of six Intelligent Raceway sections, each 64’ long with his choice of receptacles.

Noise was also a deciding factor for the new dimming system. In a TV studio, silence is a must, and a mechanical buzz, or hum, from the dimming system is simply not acceptable.

Pekach continued, "With the silent IGBT dimming and the fact that they are convection cooled, the Intelligent Raceway is perfect for an on-air studio."

Built on Entertainment Technology’s patented IGBT dimmer design, Intelligent Raceway is the most advanced lighting control option available providing silent IGBT dimming in a built-to-order format. By eliminating dimmer racks and lamp noise, Intelligent Raceway surpasses the shortcomings of conventional dimming systems, and will power and control conventional fixtures, automated luminaires, and auxiliary loads.

The award-winning Intelligent Raceway is installed adjacent to the lighting position it controls. You no longer need a separate air-conditioned, soundproof equipment room to house noisy dimmer racks. And, compared to centralized rack systems, Intelligent Raceway requires less wire, smaller conduit, shorter runs, and fewer terminations.

As the Intelligent Raceway sections were delivered on time, it next came down to the installation of the system for the project to remain on schedule. And remain on schedule it did.

Pekach went on to say, "The installation was a piece of cake. We didn’t have a single hiccup. We held several meetings with the electrical contractor and everyone involved, so we all knew what was going on and how it needed to happen. It was a wonderful team effort. Gopher Stage Lighting was phenomenal, they really made it happen. They knew the product and how to put it in. They are true professionals and great to work with."

As the system turn-on was commissioned, signaling the on-time completion of the project, Studio E is now completely configured with state-of-the-art dimming technology, and ready for the world of on-air electronic retail.

Pekach concluded, "Studio E is doing great. We have used it without encountering any problems. We now have future expansion planned with four other studios, and we will be using the Intelligent Raceway dimming solution for each."

Entertainment Technology: www.etdimming.com