Lighting | McKnight AV

1970sera of original analog lighting controls

7dedicated 250 W LED stage fixtures

5 + 2variable-white + RGBWW fixtures

$30,1912022 contracted project total before later change-order work

Current control system

The auditorium's original lighting circuit groupings were retained, but the old operator interface was replaced with a programmable Crestron control layer. Operators now use a Crestron touchscreen and wall control instead of remembering numbered rotary-dial positions.

Main processor	Crestron CP4 4-Series control system specified for the permanent installation
2023 temporary state	A used Crestron CP3 was documented while the CP4 was backordered; the surviving project archive does not identify the final swap date.
User interface	Crestron 7-inch color touch screen
Wall control	Crestron Cameo keypad / wall controller
Remote relays	3 × Crestron CEN-IO-RY-104 Ethernet relay modules (specified)
Relay panels	Custom 12-relay and 8-relay lighting control panels
Stage-light DMX gateway	ENTTEC 71020 DIN-ODE Mk2 Ethernet-to-DMX gateway

How the control path works

Touchscreen / wall controller→Crestron processor→Ethernet relay modules→House-light circuits

Crestron stage-light scene→ENTTEC DIN-ODE Mk2→5-pin DMX→7 stage fixtures

The modernization simplified volunteer operation by converting the old dial-based scheme into programmed scenes and clearly labeled controls while retaining the existing house-light circuit structure.

Crestron Lighting Control & Automation Rack

The equipment in the auditorium control cabinet is the control layer for McKnight's lighting system. It does not directly carry the full electrical load for the house or stage lights. Instead, it receives commands from the Crestron touchscreen and wall controls, runs the programmed lighting logic, and then sends low-voltage control signals to downstream lighting-control equipment.

Crestron CP4 4-Series Control Processor	The main system controller, effectively the "brain" of the lighting automation. It runs the Crestron program, receives commands from the touchscreen and wall keypad, and determines which lighting scene or control action should occur.
3 × Crestron CEN-IO-RY-104	Networked four-relay interface modules. Together they provide up to 12 isolated low-voltage relay outputs. These dry-contact closures can command contactors, dimming interfaces or other third-party lighting equipment. They are control interfaces, not the devices that directly switch the auditorium's high-current lighting loads.
NETGEAR GS305P Ethernet / PoE switch	Provides local Ethernet connectivity and PoE power for networked control devices in the cabinet, including the Crestron relay modules.
Relay / dimmer equipment elsewhere	The actual high-voltage switching and dimming for the auditorium lights is performed downstream by separate relay panels, contactors, dimmers or other lighting-control interfaces. Those components should be traced and documented separately.

Why this equipment is needed

Without this control layer, volunteers would have to operate individual lighting circuits or dimmers manually. The Crestron system lets McKnight use simple, repeatable controls such as Worship, House Lights, Stage, All On or other programmed scenes. One button can therefore cause several lighting zones to change together in a predictable way.

Touchscreen / wall controls→Crestron CP4→Ethernet / PoE→CEN-IO-RY relay modules→Lighting contactors / dimmers / interfaces→Auditorium lights

The relay modules provide only low-voltage control contacts. Their job is analogous to pressing remote buttons for the lighting equipment; they are not intended to power the auditorium fixtures themselves.

What still needs to be traced

The photographs establish the control hardware, and Diagram 1 below identifies the existing independently switched house-light groups. What is still missing is the exact mapping between those named groups and the available Crestron relay outputs. A future documentation pass should trace the relay wiring or review the Crestron program so each relay output can be matched confidently to R1–R9 and to any additional lighting functions.

Auditorium lighting diagrams

The 2022 project files include two useful auditorium diagrams. Diagram 1 documents the existing house-light switching pattern that McKnight wanted preserved in the new Crestron system. Diagram 2 illustrates the general concept for placement and aiming of the new stage-light fixtures; the proposal notes that final locations and coverage were to be determined during installation.

Open original auditorium-lighting diagram PDF Open 2022 executed lighting proposal / source document

Diagram 1 showing McKnight auditorium house-light switching groups — **Diagram 1 - Existing house-light switching groups.** The drawing identifies the auditorium's existing independently switched lighting pattern, including groups R1-R9 and local/legacy labels L1-L7. The note on the drawing states that McKnight wanted to maintain the same switching pattern with the new lighting system and controller. This is the best visual reference for understanding why the Crestron system needs multiple independent relay-controlled lighting groups.

Diagram 2 showing conceptual locations and aiming of stage lighting fixtures — **Diagram 2 - Stage-lighting placement / aiming concept.** This drawing illustrates the general idea of where the new stage fixtures could be located in the auditorium ceiling and the approximate areas they would illuminate. It is conceptual rather than an as-built drawing; final fixture locations and aiming were to follow Elite Technology Solutions' installation recommendations.

R1-R2	Paired end-area fixture groups shown on Diagram 1.
R3-R8	Six independently identified rows/bands of house-light fixtures spanning the auditorium.
R9	Separate side-area lighting group shown in red on Diagram 1.
L1-L7	Legacy/local labels retained on the drawing. Their precise present-day relationship to Crestron relay-output numbers should be verified from the wiring or program before relabeling.

The operational concept is therefore:

Touchscreen scene→Crestron CP4 logic→Selected relay outputs→Independent house-light groups→Desired auditorium scene

Important: Diagram 1 confirms the independently switched lighting pattern, but it does not prove that Crestron relay output 1 maps directly to R1, output 2 to R2, etc. That mapping should be documented only after checking the relay wiring or Crestron program.

Dedicated stage fixtures

Variable-white fixtures	5 × Mega Systems 7060-VW2 DRAMA PROFILE LED VW2, 250 W, tunable white 2700–6500 K, CRI 97
Color fixtures	2 × Mega Systems 7060-Q2W DRAMA PROFILE LED Q2W, 250 W RGBWW
Lens package	1 × 19°, 2 × 26°, 4 × 36° lenses
Mounting concept	Installed in existing recessed front/stage alcove locations and aimed at the platform
Purpose	High-quality face lighting for worship and livestream video, with two RGBWW fixtures available for color accents.

The stage-lighting upgrade was driven in part by livestream needs: the previous stage illumination did not provide enough consistent light on faces and supplemental floor lamps were sometimes used.

Current installation photographs

Crestron touchscreen at McKnight — Crestron touchscreen operator interface at the AV position.

Crestron equipment rack — Crestron control rack. The three small stacked units are Crestron CEN-IO-RY-104 four-relay modules, providing up to 12 low-voltage dry-contact control outputs. The NETGEAR GS305P provides Ethernet connectivity and PoE power. The rack-mounted Crestron CP4 is the 4-Series control processor—the system brain that runs the program and translates touchscreen commands into lighting-control actions.

Crestron rack equipment closeup — Closer view of the Crestron lighting-control hardware. The CEN-IO-RY-104 modules do not carry the auditorium lighting load themselves; they provide low-voltage relay closures to downstream lighting equipment. The exact lighting zone assigned to each relay output still needs to be traced.

Crestron Ethernet relay modules — Rear/connection view of the control stack. Ethernet/PoE links the Crestron relay modules to the control network, while the terminal wiring carries dry-contact relay signals. These contacts likely command separate dimming, contactor, or lighting-control equipment elsewhere in the building. Individual relay-to-zone assignments have not yet been verified.

Lighting relay and wiring cabinet — Lower lighting-control cabinet showing low-voltage wiring, network/control cabling, flexible conduit, and related interface hardware. This appears to be part of the path between the Crestron control rack and the building's actual lighting equipment. The specific purpose of each conductor/device should be field-traced before assigning circuit or zone names.

Project history

2021: McKnight documented the outdated analog controls and poor stage illumination and requested a modernization proposal.
March 23, 2022: the executed project agreement specified a Crestron-based house-light system and seven Mega Systems DRAMA PROFILE LED fixtures.
2022 installation: house and stage lighting were integrated under a common control approach; additional electrical work supported the new stage fixtures.
April 2023: project documentation still showed temporary Crestron hardware while final components were pending.
Sept. 29, 2026: current touchscreen, wall control, equipment rack and cabinet condition were photographed for this site.

Cost history

House lighting

$9,855

2022 proposal including equipment, installation, programming and estimated electrical work.

Stage lighting

$20,336

Seven fixtures, lenses, DMX gateway, installation, programming and estimated electrical work.

Contract total

$30,191

Executed 2022 project total before later electrical change-order work. Historical reconciliation records should remain archived with the project files.

Preserve the existing source-document links on the current server. This replacement page adds the 2026 current-state photography. If the existing lighting page contains links to the 2021 background, 2022 agreement, 2023 open-items notes, Elite follow-up and cost spreadsheet, keep those files in place.

Auditorium Lighting