The new RC4 Series 3 LumenDimM4 is a battery-powered 4-channel wireless DMX dimmer for small props, costumes, and more.  A genuine LumenRadio CRMX radio transceiver is built-in, providing an outstanding wireless RDM (remote device management) experience.

With super-smooth LED dimming, high-power halogen dimming, hobby servo-motor control, HSL color control, a sophisticated effects engine, and DMX input/output (both wireless and wired, including RDM), a single LumenDimM4 could be used to construct a complete miniature moving light, and is barely larger than a matchbox. RC4 understands the demands facing lighting professionals, propsmasters and special effects gurus in live entertainment and motion pictures.

“Inspired by the Apple iPhone and the Leatherman multitool,
RC4 Series 3 technology delivers unparalleled versatility
to show electricians and propsmasters around the world.”

James David Smith, President and Chief Product Designer
RC4 Wireless

The smallest wireless dimmer in the LumenDim class, the RC4 Series 3 LumenDimM4 provides four dimmers.  Like all RC4 Series 3 devices, it includes a built-in radio receiver and uses RC4 OneTouch™ for easy assignment of any DMX channel and dimmer curve to any dimmer with a single press of a single button.  Device configuration can also be done with Remote Device Management (RDM) .

Four channels are ideal for Red-Green-Blue (RGB), Red-Green-Blue-White (RGBW) and Red-Green-Blue-Amber (RGBA) LED color-mixing.  The RC4 Hue/Saturation/Level (HSL) Color Controller delivers best-in-class color consistency over the entire dimming range, by ensuring precise primary color ratios even at very low dimmer levels using 16-bit (65,536 step) dimming.  Unlike single-channel DMX control of color mix from a console, which is limited to 256 steps and becomes heavily quantized at low levels, the RC4 HSL Color Controller maintains high ratiometric precision throughout the dimming range.

The warmth of incandescent lighting has long been favored by lighting designers, and for good reason; natural filament persistence ensures smooth fades even when control resolution is relatively coarse.  RC4 Digital Persistence™ brings this same pleasing smoothness to LED dimming, with a range of  eight persistence periods emulating a variety of halogen lamp sizes.  LEDs have never looked this good.

Many pulse-width-modulation (PWM) dimmers look good to the human eye, but produce banding, blinking, and other anomalies when used with video cameras.  For this reason, all RC4 Series 3 dimmers provide multiple PWM frequencies.  Low frequencies are most efficient, ideal for high-wattage incandescent lighting.  Mid frequencies improve the appearance of LEDs by eliminating visible strobing in human peripheral vision.  High frequencies eliminate video artifacts.  And finally, supersonic PWM frequencies, though least efficient for power handling, provide PWM dimming without audio interference when used near microphones and electified musical instruments.

Four dimmer outputs also provide an optimal experience with the RC4 Wireless Flkr Effects Engine.  Using DMX channels for control, dynamic animated effects are easily and quickly created — this is not a canned effect generator, it is a tool for creating unique looks to suit any need.  Effects can also be stored and recalled, and a saved effect can be enabled on power-up.  This provides a means of creating and using custom effects without an external DMX controller — perfect for standalone displays in retail, trade shows, and more.

The RC4 Series 3 LumenDimM4, and all RC4 Series 3 dimmers, provides a wired DMX data port.  In most cases this port is used to output data to nearby fixtures including fog machines, moving lights, and projector dousers.  The DMX port can also be configured as a DMX input, allowing the LumenDimM4 to be used as a wired dimmer.  Either wireless or wired, a comprehensive RDM implementation includes E1.37 dimmer configuration parameters, numerous status sensors (voltage, temperature, current), and each individual dimmer appears as an RDM sub-device.

With all that’s going on inside RC4 Series 3 dimmers, a means of routing signals within the device is needed.  RC4 HotPatch™  is the answer.  In the default mode, dimmers are directly controlled by DMX channels they are assigned to; the flicker effects engine and HSL color controller are bypassed.  From there,  RC4 HotPatch™ provides numerous other configurations, enabling internal processes with signal flow following a variety of paths.

The RC4 Series 3 LumenDimM4 includes all RC4 Series 3 Harmonized Design features, including:

• RC4 OneTouch configuration
• wired and wireless RDM configuration
• 16-bit dimming with multiple PWM frequencies
• RC4 Digital Persistence
• HSL Color Controller
• RC4 Flkr Effects Engine
• DMX data in and out
• RC4 HotPatch
• high efficiency 6V- 35VDC voltage input range

Screw terminals are provided for connection of the power supply (+/-DC IN) and load devices (+/-DimA, +/-DimB, +/-DimC, +/-DimD). The supply powers both the internal electronics and the connected loads. Dimmers switch on the negative side of the circuit, ideal for common-anode (common positive) LED tape.  Dimmer output voltage is precisely the DC power input voltage with no appreciable losses within the 16A total power handling limit of the device.

The DMX miniplug port can be used with a range of RC4 DMX cables, including 3-pin and 5-pin male and female XLR adaptors.  The most common adaptor is the RC4DMX5FA with 5-pin female XLR connector.

RC4Magic Series 3 LumenDimM4 Specifications

Dimensions: 80mm x 40mm x 20mm

Power Input: 6VDC – 35VDC, 0.4W idle draw, ~87% regulation efficiency, screw terminal connections

Dimmer Outputs: 4 low-voltage DC dimmers, screw terminal connections, 16-bit resolution PWM (16,384 steps)

Output Power, per Dimmer: 10A non-continuous, 5A continuous

Maximum Total Power Handling: 16A (limited by rating of input screw terminals)

Multiple PWM frequencies: 77Hz (high power), 615Hz (flicker free), 5kHz (artifact free for video), 20kHz (noise free for audio)

Multiple Dimmer Curves: Non-Dim, Non-Dim Inverted, Linear, Linear Inverted, Inverse-Square-Law (ISL), ISL inverted, servo motor pulse clockwise (CW), servo motor pulse counter-clockwise (CCW).

RC4 Digital Persistence™: 8 user-selectable persistence periods emulating a range of filament lamps

Series 3 Versatility: wired and wireless DMX dimming, RC4 Flkr Effects Engine™, RC4 HSL Color Controller, RC4 HotPatch™, extensive wired and wireless RDM support.

Sensors: Input voltage, internal temperature, total current draw (sum of 4 dimmers)

DMX Input/Output: RC4 3.5mm mini, USITT DMX512/1990 data, non-standard port, connector adaptors available. RDM E1.20 and E1.37 (dimmer configuration) support.

Wireless DMX Protocol: LumenRadio CRMX

RF Antenna: RP-SMA external, omnidirectional.  Alternate antennas can be used for increased sensitivity and directionality.

All prices and specifications are subject to change without notice.