The ETC S4WRD II LED Retrofit is designed to work with either line-voltage dimming (your current dimming system) or through the universal lighting control protocol of DMX.
LINE-VOLTAGE DIMMING OF ETC S4WRD II LED RETROFIT
The ETC S4WRD II LED Retrofit is literally a plug and play LED retrofit that will let you just remove your existing lamp assembly cap on your existing ETC Source Four and replace it.
You do NOT have to run DMX control cables to the ETC S4WRD II LED Retrofit, but instead, you can just run it off of your existing dimmers.
When you put the existing dimmer at 50 percent power, the ETC S4WRD II LED Retrofit will be at 50 percent intensity. The LED just follows the line-voltage dimming curve.
DMX CONTROL OF ETC S4WRD II LED RETROFIT
If you choose to run your ETC S4WRD II LED Retrofit off of DMX, then you will want to provide a constant feed to the power side of the ETC S4WRD II LED Retrofit. The line power does NOT want to dim.
Instead, all dimming is completed through a DMX input (there is a DMX output for pass thru to other fixtures) and you will control the intensity with a DMX intensity of 0-100 percent.
DIFFERENT COLOR TEMPERATURE OPTIONS - BUT FIXED VALUES
The ETC S4WRD II LED Retrofit comes in three standard color temperatures:
1) ETC S4WRDT120 II LED Retrofit Kit is 3200K with an 80 CRI rating (learn more about CRI) This is the most commonly used product and is the most cost-effective.
You can find more information about this product here: ETC S4WRD II LED Retrofit Kit
2) ETC S4WRD II LED Gallery Retrofit Kit is 3200K with a 90 CRI rating. This unit costs more because of the higher CRI rating.
You can find more information about this product here: ETC S4WRDG120 II LED Gallery Retrofit Kit
3) ETC S4WRD II LED Daylight Gallery Retrofit Kit is 5900K with a 90 CRI rating. This unit costs more because of the higher CRI Rating.
You can find more information about this product here: ETC S4WRDDG120 II LED Daylight Gallery Retrofit Kit
COLOR TEMPERATURE CHANGING IS NOT POSSIBLE WITH THE ETC S4WRD II LED RETROFIT
Please note that the ETC S4WRD II LED Retrofit is not designed to change the white-light color temperature of the LED element.
Instead, you can choose to use either 3200K (warm-think incandescent) or 5900K (cool, think most fluorescent) in color temperature.
OPTION FOR COLOR TEMPERATURE CHANGING LED BASED LIGHTING FIXTURES FROM ETC
If you would like to change your white-light color temperature, then you may want to consider the ETC S4LED SS Source Four LED Series 1 Studio HD Light. This unit is capable of changing color temperature from 3000K to 5600K.
You can find more information about this product here: ETC S4LEDSS Source Four LED Series 1 Studio HD
This is replacement of the lighting fixture and MUST use DMX control to for the different aspects. You can use your existing lens tube assembly to save money, but there is no line-voltage dimming of this fixture.
COLOR CHANGING OPTIONS INSTEAD OF COLOR TEMPERATURE CHANGING
Color Temperature changing is when the "white" color becomes either warmer (yellow/orange tones) or cooler (blue/white) in color.
However, you may be trying to actually change color from white to blue to green to red and so on.
If that is the case, then you will want the color changing options of the ETC S4WRDC Source 4WRD Color Retrofit Kit which can allow a multitde of colors.
You can find more information about this product here: ETC S4WRDC Source 4WRD Color Retrofit Kit
This unit does require an additional step of installing a piece of media (gel) between the LED and the Lens assembly, which means taking the fixture apart over a few minutes (5 minutes).
The unit will require you to run a DMX control cable for running the different colors of the LED and you will need to supply constant power to the unit.
The ETC S4WRDC Source 4WRD Color, Retrofit Kit does not change color temperature, just straight colors.
We hope this helps you to better understand your options for the ETC S4WRD. You can find other blogs that might be helpful in our Blog Library under "LED Lighting" and "Theatrical Lighting." You can always call for support toll-free at 866-457-5937 or contact us via LiveChat.