Will it dim our LED fixtures?

No, and this matters for both units. A dimmer chops the mains waveform, which is exactly what a tungsten filament wants and exactly what an LED power supply does not. Plugging an LED fixture into a dimmed channel can damage it, whether that is one of the AlphaPack's three or the TrueDim's one. LED fixtures take direct, undimmed mains and do their fading over DMX. If your rig is all LED you do not need a dimmer pack at all; if it is mixed, the tungsten lanterns go through the pack and the LEDs go straight to power. Send us a list of what you have and we will sort it honestly.

How many lanterns can one pack run?

Each of the AlphaPack's three channels takes up to 6.3 amps, which is one 1kW lantern or two 500W or 650W fresnels on a splitter. Across the whole pack, the wall socket is the real limit: from a standard 13A socket, plan on about 3kW, so six 500W fresnels is right at the ceiling. Ask for more and the Autoprotect circuit holds the levels back rather than blowing the supply. For a bigger rig, add packs and feed each one from a different socket circuit. The TrueDim's single channel takes up to 10 amps: one 1kW or 1.2kW lantern comfortably, or two 1kW lanterns on a splitter at the most.

Our lanterns have ordinary 13A plugs. Will they fit?

With an adaptor, yes, on either unit. The AlphaPack's outlets are 15A round-pin sockets, the standard theatre connector, and many school lanterns already carry the matching plug; for a 13A square-pin plug we supply adaptors, and a splitter lets two lanterns share one channel. The TrueDim's output is different again, a blue 16A ceeform socket, so it needs a 16A to 15A adaptor for a theatre lantern or a 16A to 13A adaptor for a square-pin one. Tell us what is on the ends of your lanterns when you book and the right adaptors will be in the case.

We have no lighting desk. Is the pack any use on its own?

Yes, both are. The AlphaPack's three front faders give you full manual control of each channel, so you can set levels for a concert and leave them, or ride a fader by hand for a simple fade to black. The TrueDim has a single fader on the front and a stored preset level, so it can sit beside a followspot operator or light a display with nothing else connected. When you want proper cues, add a small DMX desk to the hire; both take 5-pin DMX and we include an adaptor if your desk or cable is 3-pin. On the TrueDim, remember to bring the front fader down to zero once the desk takes over.

When would we take the single-channel dimmer instead?

When you need one channel and nothing more. The classic case is a followspot: the TrueDim sits beside the operator, they ride its fader, and there is no desk and no cable back to one. It also suits a single practical on the set, one lantern on a foyer display, or adding a channel to a rig whose dimmers are all in use, since it passes DMX through to the next unit. If you have two or three lanterns to fade, or you are not sure yet, take the AlphaPack: three channels for £7 a day, and its 15A sockets take a theatre lantern with nothing to adapt. For the TrueDim, contact us for pricing, and if it is spoken for on your dates we will offer the AlphaPack instead.

Home Services Equipment Hire Stage Lighting Hire

Dimmer pack hire — Zero 88 AlphaPack and a single-channel TrueDim

If your hall has tungsten lanterns but no installed dimming, this is the missing box. The Zero 88 AlphaPack sits between an ordinary 13A wall socket and up to three lanterns, or three groups of them, and lets a lighting desk fade each channel over DMX. Three faders on the front mean it also works with no desk at all. Beside it we hold the Transcension UP2 TrueDim, a single-channel dimmer the size of a hardback book, for one lantern, a followspot or a practical on the set. The AlphaPack hires at £7 per day; for the TrueDim, contact us for pricing. Dry hire or with a technician.

Plenty of halls own a few tungsten lanterns and nothing to dim them with. Plugged straight into the wall they are on or off, and usually on all night. A dimmer pack is the box that fixes that. The Zero 88 AlphaPack sits between an ordinary socket and the lanterns, and gives you three channels that fade smoothly from a lighting desk over DMX. Ours are the current Alphapack 3, the latest of a design that has been quietly running school shows for decades. For the jobs that need a single channel we also hold a Transcension UP2 TrueDim, which gets its own paragraph further down.

Each channel takes up to 6.3 amps, which is one 1kW or 1.2kW lantern, or a pair of 500W or 650W fresnels on a splitter. The pack as a whole is limited to 16 amps electronically, but the real ceiling is the socket you plug it into: from a standard 13A wall socket, plan on about 3kW across the pack. The Autoprotect circuit watches the total and holds the output back rather than letting the pack take more than the supply can give, which is exactly what you want in a hall where the stage shares a circuit with the tea urn.

The three outlets are UK 15A round-pin sockets, one per channel. That is the standard theatre connector, so most school and hall lanterns plug straight in. If yours have ordinary 13A plugs, adaptors sort it, and splitters let two lanterns share a channel. DMX arrives on 5-pin XLR and loops through to the next pack, so a second or third pack simply daisy-chains on, each fed from its own socket. The pack can be addressed to any DMX channel to match your desk.

There are three faders on the front, so it works with no desk at all. Set the levels once for a display or a foyer and leave them, ride a fader by hand for a simple fade to black, or hand the whole thing to DMX when the desk arrives. It is convection cooled with no fan, so it makes no noise under quiet dialogue. At 3.7kg it hangs on a bar with a hook clamp through the M10 mounting points, clamps to a stand or sits on a table, with a safety bond point for anything overhead.

The TrueDim is the same idea in a smaller box: one channel, up to 10 amps, in a unit that weighs 1.7kg and hangs from a steel bracket or sits on a table. It earns its place wherever a whole three-channel pack would be too much. A followspot at the back of the hall, with the fader right beside the operator and no desk involved. One practical on the set, a standard lamp or a bedside light, put onto DMX so the desk fades it with the scene instead of an actor fumbling a switch on cue. A single lantern on a foyer display, set to a stored level and left. Or one more tungsten circuit for a rig whose dimmers are all spoken for: it takes 5-pin DMX in and passes it on, so it slots into a chain that already runs from a desk.

Two things about it are worth knowing before you book. Its connectors are the newer stage standards rather than the theatre round-pin. Mains goes in on PowerCON TRUE1, so we supply a 13A to TRUE1 lead to run it from a wall socket, and the dimmed output is a blue 16A ceeform socket with a TRUE1 outlet beside it, both carrying the same single channel. A theatre lantern on a 15A plug therefore needs a 16A to 15A adaptor, and a 13A-plugged one a 16A to 13A adaptor; tell us what is on your lanterns and the right ones go in the case. The second thing is the front fader. Whichever is higher, the fader or the desk, sets the level, so when the desk is running the show leave the fader at zero or it will hold the lantern up through every blackout. The unit also has a stored preset level, a limiter to cap the top end, and a switch-pack mode that turns it into a DMX-controlled on/off switch for something that must only ever be fired on cue, never dimmed. The maker rates that mode for non-tungsten loads; we would still rather you asked us before putting anything but a lantern behind it.

One warning worth repeating, and it now applies to both units: dimmer channels are for tungsten and halogen lanterns only. LED fixtures must never be plugged into a dimmed channel, on the AlphaPack or the TrueDim. Dimming chops the mains waveform, which can damage an LED fixture's power supply; LEDs take direct, undimmed mains and do their fading over DMX. Tell us what is hanging in your hall and we will say plainly what needs a pack and what does not. The AlphaPack is £7 per day; for the TrueDim, contact us for pricing, and if it is spoken for on your dates the AlphaPack does the same job with two channels to spare.

What you get

The Zero 88 AlphaPack, with its fitted mains lead on a standard 13A plug

The TrueDim single-channel dimmer, with a 13A to PowerCON TRUE1 lead so it too runs from an ordinary wall socket

Adaptors so lanterns with ordinary 13A plugs can use the AlphaPack's 15A sockets — tell us what is on your lanterns when you book

Adaptors for the TrueDim's 16A output: 16A to 15A for a theatre lantern, 16A to 13A for a square-pin plug — say which you have

DMX cable to reach your desk, with a 3-pin to 5-pin adaptor if your desk or cabling uses the smaller connector — let us know the run

A hook clamp and safety bond if the AlphaPack is going on a bar or stand — say where you plan to put it. The TrueDim hangs from its own bracket or sits beside the operator

Not included as standard: lanterns, a lighting desk, stands, and splitters to pair two lanterns on one channel. All can be added

A technician to plan the channels, plug everything in and set levels, if you would rather hand it over

Good for

School plays in halls where the lanterns exist but the dimming does not

Am-dram productions touring into hired venues, where the whole rig arrives with the set

Church halls and community centres putting on a panto, concert or carol service

Dance school showcases that need front light which fades with the music rather than snapping on and off

A followspot on its own fader beside the operator — the TrueDim's natural job

Practicals on the set, a standard lamp or a bedside light, faded by the desk with the scene

Foyer, display and exhibition lighting set once and left alone, on the AlphaPack's faders or the TrueDim's stored preset

One more tungsten circuit for a rig whose installed dimmers are all spoken for

What you need to know

What it does: Sits between an ordinary wall socket and your tungsten lanterns so a lighting desk can fade them over DMX. The AlphaPack gives you three channels, one lantern or one group each; the TrueDim gives you one, for a single lantern or a practical.
Channels and load: AlphaPack: three channels at up to 6.3 amps each, one 1kW lantern or a pair of 500W fresnels per channel, and around 3kW across the pack from a 13A socket. TrueDim: one channel at up to 10 amps, so one 1kW or 1.2kW lantern comfortably, or two 1kW lanterns on a splitter at the most.
Power and plugs: Both run from a standard 13A wall socket: the AlphaPack on its own 13A lead, the TrueDim through the 13A to PowerCON TRUE1 lead we supply. The AlphaPack's outlets are theatre 15A round-pin. The TrueDim's is a 16A ceeform socket, so a lantern needs a 16A to 15A or 16A to 13A adaptor, which we send.
Control: DMX from any desk on 5-pin XLR, looped through to the next unit, or hands on the faders: three on the AlphaPack, one on the TrueDim. On the TrueDim, leave the front fader at zero when the desk is in charge, or the fader level wins.
Where it goes and who runs it: The AlphaPack, 3.7kg, hangs on a bar with a hook clamp, clamps to a stand or sits on a table. The TrueDim, 1.7kg, hangs from its bracket or sits beside the followspot operator, indoors, with air around its vents. Both are convection cooled and silent. Plugging in and setting levels is simple; we send a technician if you would rather.

Hire rates

Choose the one you need. The photo and price follow your choice.

Zero88 AlphaPackThree channels of smooth fades from an ordinary wall socket.£7a day

Transcension UP2 TrueDim 1-Channel DimmerOne tungsten lantern or practical, faded from the desk or by hand.Contact usfor pricing

Rates are per day and exclude VAT. A longer hire costs less per day — tell us your dates and we will price the period exactly. Ask us about delivery and hiring with a technician. Where a line says contact us for pricing, tell us the dates and quantities and we will quote it.

Alternatives

Cables and adaptors — the 13A to PowerCON TRUE1 lead, the 16A to 15A adaptors and the DMX runs that either pack needs.

Zero 88 lighting desks — the FLX S24 that sends the cues to either pack over DMX.

Selecon Rama fresnel — the tungsten lantern a dimmer channel is for, if the hall has none of its own.

Full technical specification (28)

Manufacturer and model	Zero 88 Alphapack 3
Order code	0011-000001-02 (UK 15A socket version)
Product type	Portable DMX dimmer pack
Channels	3
Load per channel	6.3A maximum, 0.2A minimum (about 1.4kW at 230V)
Total capacity	16A, electronically limited by the Autoprotect circuit
Outputs	3 x UK 15A round-pin sockets, one per channel
Control	DMX512 on 5-pin XLR with loop-through, addressable to any channel; three local faders
Channel protection	20mm 6.3A HRC fuse per channel
Supply	200-250V AC, 50Hz
Cooling	Convection, no fan
Mounting	M10 threaded holes on top and rear, safety bond point, optional wall bracket
Dimensions	308 x 242 x 82 (H x W x D); 336 high including safety point
Weight	3.7
True Dim — manufacturer and model	Transcension UP2 TRUEDIM 1 Channel Dimmer Pack; Transcension is a Prolight Concepts (UK) brand
True Dim — order code	BOTE39
True Dim — product type	Compact single-channel DMX/HTP dimmer pack, configurable as a switch pack
True Dim — channels	1
True Dim — maximum load	10A resistive (tungsten and halogen), 5A inductive; about 2.4kW of tungsten at 240V
True Dim — dimmed outputs	1 x 16A ceeform socket and 1 x PowerCON TRUE1 outlet on the front, both carrying the same single channel
True Dim — supply	240V AC, 50Hz, 10A maximum, on a PowerCON TRUE1 inlet; a second TRUE1 socket on the rear links mains through to the next unit
True Dim — control	DMX512 in and out on 5-pin XLR, start address 1-512 set on the front display; local HTP fader; dim preset 0-100 and dim limiter 10-100; switch-pack mode, always on or on above 40% DMX
True Dim — dimming	Trailing edge
True Dim — fuse	F10A 250V, 5 x 20mm, rear panel
True Dim — cooling	Convection, no fan; indoor use only, ambient up to 35°C
True Dim — mounting	Integral steel bracket with a keyhole slot for a hook or screw
True Dim — dimensions (mm)	210 x 148 x 130 (H x W x D)
True Dim — weight (kg)	1.7

Common questions

No, and this matters for both units. A dimmer chops the mains waveform, which is exactly what a tungsten filament wants and exactly what an LED power supply does not. Plugging an LED fixture into a dimmed channel can damage it, whether that is one of the AlphaPack's three or the TrueDim's one. LED fixtures take direct, undimmed mains and do their fading over DMX. If your rig is all LED you do not need a dimmer pack at all; if it is mixed, the tungsten lanterns go through the pack and the LEDs go straight to power. Send us a list of what you have and we will sort it honestly.
Each of the AlphaPack's three channels takes up to 6.3 amps, which is one 1kW lantern or two 500W or 650W fresnels on a splitter. Across the whole pack, the wall socket is the real limit: from a standard 13A socket, plan on about 3kW, so six 500W fresnels is right at the ceiling. Ask for more and the Autoprotect circuit holds the levels back rather than blowing the supply. For a bigger rig, add packs and feed each one from a different socket circuit. The TrueDim's single channel takes up to 10 amps: one 1kW or 1.2kW lantern comfortably, or two 1kW lanterns on a splitter at the most.
With an adaptor, yes, on either unit. The AlphaPack's outlets are 15A round-pin sockets, the standard theatre connector, and many school lanterns already carry the matching plug; for a 13A square-pin plug we supply adaptors, and a splitter lets two lanterns share one channel. The TrueDim's output is different again, a blue 16A ceeform socket, so it needs a 16A to 15A adaptor for a theatre lantern or a 16A to 13A adaptor for a square-pin one. Tell us what is on the ends of your lanterns when you book and the right adaptors will be in the case.
Yes, both are. The AlphaPack's three front faders give you full manual control of each channel, so you can set levels for a concert and leave them, or ride a fader by hand for a simple fade to black. The TrueDim has a single fader on the front and a stored preset level, so it can sit beside a followspot operator or light a display with nothing else connected. When you want proper cues, add a small DMX desk to the hire; both take 5-pin DMX and we include an adaptor if your desk or cable is 3-pin. On the TrueDim, remember to bring the front fader down to zero once the desk takes over.
When you need one channel and nothing more. The classic case is a followspot: the TrueDim sits beside the operator, they ride its fader, and there is no desk and no cable back to one. It also suits a single practical on the set, one lantern on a foyer display, or adding a channel to a rig whose dimmers are all in use, since it passes DMX through to the next unit. If you have two or three lanterns to fade, or you are not sure yet, take the AlphaPack: three channels for £7 a day, and its 15A sockets take a theatre lantern with nothing to adapt. For the TrueDim, contact us for pricing, and if it is spoken for on your dates we will offer the AlphaPack instead.