Zero88 Service and Repair based in Coventry

From my workshop in Coventry, I’m able to cover the UK for repairs & service. I can offer an onsite repair service if need be, so if you’re in Birmingham or the West Midlands then I can help you as well. I’ve even helped international clients with Zero88 equipment that needed support. 

I was previously employed for 19 years at Central Theatre Supplies so I have extensive experience of equipment repairs on Zero88, Rank Strand, CCT, Furse and Anytronics products as well as many others.

Zero88 Approved Service Centre

I’m a Zero88 Approved Service Centre and am regularly recommended by Zero88 to customers looking for repairs. As an “approved Service Centre” I’m authorised to carry out warranty repairs on equipment too (the warranty covers replacement parts but not my labour). I’m also the largest stockholder in the UK for reclaimed Zero88 parts.

Zero88, Signify & Strand become Vari-Lite

With the recent acquisition of Zero88 and Strand by Signify (you can find more about Signify here ) I find myself in the happy position of once more being a recognised Strand repairer albeit mostly legacy kit from Mini 2 up to 400/500 series desks and Act dimmers. With the recent news that all of the Signify entertainment brands will unite under the “Vari-Lite” name, I see no reason why my ability to repair Zero88 & Strand kit should diminish.

You bought Zero88 equipment off eBay?

There’s a lot of Zero88 kit available on eBay often sold by folks who don’t know what the equipment should do, whether it’s doing it properly or whether it can be repaired or not.  I’m also able to help with system configuration e.g. will these dimmers work with my Strand desk, will this desk work with my Furse dimmers?

From my time with Central Theatre Supplies I helped lots of clients with configurations that weren’t ideal but being on a budget it needed to work. Perhaps you’re looking to bid on eBay and you’re not sure if it will work with what you have or even if it’s worth the asking price? I might be able to help save you an expensive mistake…

Looking for manuals for your kit?

Zero88 still publish the manuals for their kit both new & old so don’t be tempted to buy a manual off eBay! The downloads are free from the Zero88 website – you can find them here

Zero88 products

I can repair all products in the Zero88 range from Alphapacks to Chilli install dimmers or FLX consoles, I’m also well known for being able to repair Zero88 “legacy” products.

Folks used to think that “legacy” products are the products that Zero88 became famous for designing & manufacturing e.g. the BetaPack, Sirius desks, Lightmaster & Demux 48, however that list is recently expanded – have a look here to see if you own a legacy product.

I can repair most of the common issues legacy units, I carry new & reclaimed spare parts for many of those units such as triacs, fuseholders, neons, channel chokes & case metalwork.

Zero88 Dimmers inc. Betapacks

Common issues with BetaPacks are:

• Pairs of channels stuck on – I can supply packs of the correct spec resistor to repair BetaPack Mk1’s
• Single Channels stuck
• Damaged fuseholders (usually on older hard working units) on BetaPack MK 1’s
• Uneven dimming on some channels

Parts for all marks of the Zero88 Betapack are relatively easily available, the only units that tend to take more work are early versions of the Mark 2 Betapack. I can even supply an OEM DMX512 interface for BetaPack Mark 1’s & BetaPack Mark 2’s.

It’s also interesting to note that the BetaPack Mark 1 also appeared with a CCT label & a Eurolight label. The layout of the front panel is always the same as the unit shown on the right but the case colour was darker – either black or dark grey.

Please note: Whilst I have repaired Zero88 ID1216 racks in the past – I will no longer do so, the spare parts for the processor & power boards can no longer be obtained and I have no reclaimed spares,  I can offer replacement sockets & triacs but that’s about it to be honest.

Zero88 Sirius 24 and Sirius 48

A much loved desk there are still Sirius desks in use by touring companies and theatres,  well looked after they will survive for many years:

Common issues include:

• Failed batteries – memories don’t save or the desk is temperamental on power up
• Scratchy or failed faders
• Missing knobs
• First 12 channels and last 12 channels don’t work on Sirius 48

Some of these issues are easily fixable but problems with the slave processor card on the Sirius 48 can be tricky nowadays.

Zero88 Lightmaster Series

A beloved series of desks because of it’s memory and effects section, there are still many in use by hire companies and AV hire companies to operate simple lighting rigs with some basic effects.

Common issues (as with the Sirius) include:

• Failed batteries – memories don’t save or the desk is temperamental on power up
• Scratchy or failed faders
• Missing knobs

These desks are getting harder to maintain, some parts are available from sources other than Zero88 but PCB’s and some chips re no longer made so repair can be impossible.

Zero88 Level 12 Plus & Alcora/Elara

Arguably the workhorse range of desks from 1998 through to about 2002/2003 – the Level Plus series re-worked the case & style of the steel cased Level series to give a lightweight and more portable control with analog & DMX outputs. The Alcora introduced a theatre style memory stack to the low end of the range (whereas the Elara is a preset/scene memory stack desk) with channel capacities equal to the Sirius range in a more compact shell.

The most common faults with these are failed faders or missing power supplies but I carry spares to allow these to be repaired for a fast turn round. I also have spare mouldings for the cases to repair those desks that have been dropped.

The products here are just a brief example of where my expertise lies – if you’re not sure whether I’ll be able to help then drop me an eMail or give me a call.

Have you checked the battery inside your Zero88 kit lately?

With so much Zero88 equipment changing hands via eBay (and just as much only used a couple of times a year for shows), it’s easy to forget that some of this kit does have a battery that needs replacing. If you’ve never had the the battery replaced in your desk or Demux 48 in the time that you’ve owned – it’s time to look!

If your battery is starting to look like the one above then it’s time to act! It’s not an expensive battery to replace and doesn’t take long for me to do. If you own a Lightmaster, Sirius 24 or 48 or Demux 48 then you have at least one of these batteries inside .

If you have a Frog, Fat Frog, Leapfrog, Bullfrog, Solution, Frog 2, Sirius 250/500, Illusion 120 or Illusion 500 then you have a different style battery and if you have to reload your show each time you turn the desk on – then your battery is probably dead. Not sure where to look for your battery then drop me an eMail or give me a call.

So you just repair old Zero88 stuff then?

I can repair nearly all Zero88 products including Jester, Solution, Illusion 120 & 500, Fat Frog, FLX, Orb & FLX S desks as well as BetaPack, Rack 6, Alphapack Mk2/Mk3 and Chilli dimmers. I am also an authorised warranty repair centre so if your dimmer or desk is still in warranty – then Zero88 will replace the parts, you only pay for my labour.

I carry spares for Alphapack, BetaPack, Level Plus series desks, Alcora, Elara, Jester, Frog/Solution & Orb series as well spare PSU’s. As an authorised independent repair centre I  can also order parts direct from Zero88 and call on them for support.

I bet you’re expensive…

Not really – currently my bench labour rate is £50 per hour charged to the half hour plus parts used, you can either drop off & collect kit or I can send stuff back by DPD which proves very reliable. I’m also happy to offer an inspection service if you’re not certain a repair is possible – I charge half an hours labour for this.
Advice by eMail is free – sometimes folks don’t realise they need to change batteries in desks like Solution or Jester or that triac swaps on BetaPacks can be done with a screwdriver hence my motto “Ask me first…”

But my Zero88 kit isn’t in Coventry – can you still repair it?

At the moment I don’t have a fixed delivery address you can send stuff to, so we’ll  need to be creative if you’re a distance from me, I am also used to using DPD to return kit – they do it in a timely & safe way. If you’re within the West Midlands then I can either come to you and do the repair on-site (some kit can be repaired this way) or I can collect the kit from you. The main thing to remember though is that I can probably help so ask me first before deciding to consign the equipment to a skip.

Do you hire equipment for my show whilst you do my repair?

I’m a  big believer in “The show must go on…” & with that in mind I keep a stock of dimmers, lighting desks  & demuxes so that I can loan you equipment to keep your show going whilst I effect repairs. Things like lanterns or other equipment – you might need to hire those. If you need radio mikes for hire or moving heads, I have contacts for those so if we need to service those – I can help.

I have Zero88 kit I want to get rid of?

A lot of Zero88 products find there way to eBay but schools and colleges financial regulations don’t allow them to use such outlets.  I’m always need for spare parts for older equipment as some items are no longer available from the manufacturer.

Talk to me, I might well be able to take the kit off your hands to reclaim some of it and then I’ll dispose of the remainder in an environmentally sensitive manner.