Central Theatre Supplies were the original supplier of the Criterion's Zero88 ID1216 dimmers and Sirius 48 lighting desk back in 1994. The Sirius 48 was replaced some years ago with a Zero88 Illusion 500 (which in itself is an update candidate in due course).
Karl Stafford, facilities manager of the Criterion said, "The ID racks have served us well for 21 years and having the one person in the UK that Zero88 recommend to repair ID's as one of our members has been a part of that. However, the racks are 21 years old and beginning to age in ways that make it difficult to keep on top of - so the time has come to replace them with something more modern.
"We've been donated some Chillis previously which we'd got in storage but as it became apparent recently that we needed to move forward, the board decided to invest in changing all of the dimming over as we approach our brief summer dark period. We are looking forward to a further 20 years of reliable dimming."
The Chilli 1210's will give the Criterion 60 channels of fixed dimming which along with the small number of portable dimmers they own will give them the flexibility that their venue demands. The ability to control the dimming via Chilli Net push button panels without using the lighting desk also opens up possibilities for the Criterion and its varied programme of events.
Ian Knight from Central Supplies was the person who originally specified the ID1216's back in 1994 and subsequently became the person responsible for servicing and repairing the same units.
Ian said, "It's been a long journey with the ID racks from when I first came across them at the turn of the 90's. The fact that I actually saw very few of them for repair when they were current devices is testament to their sturdy design and the units that I have seen for repair over the last few years have generally all been in sound condition and just needed some basic repairs. It will be sad to see the Criterions ID's powered down for the last time but we have to be realistic about their age and reliability."
(Jim Evans)
