I. RC4 does not recommend using a low voltage DC dimmer to control mains-powered AC devices

A. If at all possible, the high voltage product should be converted to a low voltage product, either by modifying it (for example, replacing the motor in a fan) or finding a low voltage equivalent (for example, 12V devices intended for use in recreational vehicles)

B. Low voltage direct control is always preferrable to controlling high voltage AC

II. If there is not a way to convert the AC product to DC, RC4 Magic Series 3 dimmer can be used to control an AC Inverter which will drive the AC product

A. AC Inverters cannot be dimmed.  Using the method in the tutorial can only be used to turn AC devices on and off

III. Example: Using an RC4Magic Series 3 dimmer to turn on a fan

A. Items used here include a small battery pack, an RC4 DMX2dim and a commercial AC inverter

B. Connect the battery to the RC4 DMX2dim power input

C. The AC inverter was originally equipped with a plug for an automotive cigarette lighter. Cut that end off to provide access to 2 wires in the cable

1.With this AC inverter, white is neutral and black is hot

a. In this example, the black wire should be connected to the positive + terminal of a dimmer output

b. White goes to the negative – terminal of a dimmer output (Dim A is used in this example)

c. Not all AC Inverters use the same color coding, this is not a dependable wire-color standard

D. On the lighting console, set the desired DMX control channel to 100%

1. All other DMX channels should be off, at zero

2. On RC4Magic devices, the blue RFcon indicator must be blinking, and the yellow RFdata indicator should be rapidly blinking or shimmering.  This indicates that the RF connection is established and DMX data is streaming

E. On the RC4 dimmer, use a small tool like a paper clip and push the Set A ButtonSet A ButtonAll RC4 dimmers have Set buttons for each individual dimmer output. The first button is the Set A button. On a 2-channel device these are Set A and Set B buttons. A 4-channel device adds Set C and Set D. The most common use of the Set button is to assign a DMX channel and […]
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1. The level of 100%, set in the previous step, selects the non-dim curve

F. Pull the fader down, and then put it back up to 100% to test

1. There might be a slight delay before the units come back up

a. This is a characteristic of the AC Inverter, some will be faster than others

b. Some AC inverters emit a beep sound when turned on, turned off, and/or the battery is weak.

2. All appropriate power lights should be on

3. Put the fader back down

G. Plug fan (or other AC device) into the AC Inverter

H. Turn up fader to 100%  and the fan will turn on

J. Turn the fader to 100% and the fan will turn off