Return-Path: X-Scanned-By: RAE MPP/ClamAV http://raeinternet.com/mpp X-Scanned-By: This message was scanned by MPP Lite Edition (www.messagepartners.com)! X-Real-To: stagecraftlist [at] theatrical.net Received: by prxy.net (CommuniGate Pro PIPE 4.2.10) with PIPE id 22103519; Fri, 29 Apr 2005 12:25:41 -0700 X-ListServer: CommuniGate Pro LIST 4.2.10 List-Unsubscribe: List-ID: Message-ID: From: "Stagecraft" Sender: "Stagecraft" To: "Stagecraft" Precedence: list Subject: Stagecraft Digest #381 Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 12:25:09 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Disposition: inline X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.2 (2004-11-16) on prxy.net X-Spam-Status: No, score=-5.6 required=5.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00 autolearn=ham version=3.0.2 X-Spam-Level: X-TFF-CGPSA-Version: 1.4f2 X-prxy-Spam-Filter: Scanned For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Stagecraft Digest, Issue #381 1. PAUL RICHARDSON/QVC is out of the office. by PAUL_RICHARDSON [at] qvc.com 2. Re: What's going on with the list? by "Jeffrey E. Salzberg" 3. Have a great summer by rlindsay [at] umich.edu 4. Phasing for Frank was RE: CD-80 flickering problem by "Paul Sanow" 5. Re: What's going on with the list? by Steve Larson 6. Re: CD-80 flickering problem by "Ken Romaine" 7. shared facilities, was Re: Storage in a Tiny Theatre by Jacqueline Haney Kidwell 8. Re: Have a great summer by Greg Bierly 9. Re: commas by "Paul Schreiner" 10. Arbor Day! by "Dan Culhane" 11. Re: CD-80 flickering problem by "Bill Nelson" 12. Re: Arbor Day! by Bill Sapsis 13. Re: What's going on with the list? by "Paul Schreiner" 14. Re: Storage in a Tiny Theatre by Shawn Palmer 15. Hmmmmm by Bill Sapsis 16. Re: commas by Bill Sapsis 17. Re: CD-80 flickering problem by Dale Power 18. Re: Arbor Day! by "Alex M. Postpischil" 19. Re: Arbor Day by mconn [at] cumberlandcollege.edu 20. Re: Phasing for Frank was RE: CD-80 flickering problem by "Bill Nelson" 21. Re: Arbor Day! by Greg Bierly 22. Re: CD-80 flickering problem by "Bill Nelson" 23. Re: Light lab activities? by "Bill Conner" 24. Re: commas by "Bill Nelson" 25. Re: tool preferences/ trammel points by "Paul Guncheon" 26. Re: Hmmmmm by "Bill Nelson" 27. Re: Arbor Day! by "Jon Ares" 28. Re: CD-80 flickering problem by "Bill Nelson" 29. Re: Arbor Day! by "Stephen E. Rees" 30. Re: tool preferences by "Paul Guncheon" 31. Re: Storage in a Tiny Theatre by Fierce Fish 32. Scissor Lift by Jonathan Wills 33. Re: Arbor Day! by "Merel Ray-Pfeifer" 34. Re: Scissor Lift by "Bill Nelson" 35. Re: Arbor Day! by "Bill Nelson" 36. Re: Arbor Day! by JDruc3737 [at] aol.com 37. Re: Scissor Lift by "Simon Shuker" 38. Re: tool preferences/ trammel points by "Paul Guncheon" 39. Re: Scissor Lift by "jsmith at theatrewireless.com" 40. Re: Scissor Lift by Mark O'Brien 41. Re: CD-80 flickering problem by Dale Power 42. Re: Scissor Lift by "Michael S. Eddy" 43. Re: Scissor Lift by Jonathan Wills 44. Re: CD-80 flickering problem by "The Elliotts" 45. Re: Scissor Lift by Bruce Purdy 46. Re: CD-80 flickering problem by Dale Power 47. Re: CD-80 flickering problem by "The Elliotts" 48. Re: CD-80 flickering problem by CB 49. Re: Light lab activities? by doran [at] bard.edu 50. Re: jefferson / adams by CB 51. Re: Light lab activities? by doran [at] bard.edu 52. Re: Light lab activities? by Mark Harvey 53. Re: What's going on with the list? by Ben 54. Re: Light lab activities? by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 55. Re: OT Electrical Engineering Question by Jerry Durand 56. Re: commas by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 57. Re: OT Electrical Engineering Question by Harold Hallikainen 58. Re: Light lab activities? by Stephen Litterst 59. Re: OT Electrical Engineering Question by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 60. Re: commas by Bill Sapsis 61. Re: commas by Bill Sapsis 62. Re: Light lab activities? by "C. Dopher" 63. Re: What's going on with the list? by "Paul Schreiner" 64. Re: Phasing for Frank was RE: CD-80 flickering problem by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 65. Re: CD-80 flickering problem by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 66. Re: Light lab activities? by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 67. Re: tool preferences by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 68. Re: Light lab activities? by "Michael Finney" 69. Re: Light lab activities? by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 70. Re: tool preferences/ trammel points by Shell Dalzell *** Please update the subject line of your reply to use the subject *** line of the message you are replying to! Please only reply to *** one message subject in each reply. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: PAUL RICHARDSON/QVC is out of the office. From: PAUL_RICHARDSON [at] qvc.com Message-ID: Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 06:39:38 -0400 I will be out of the office starting 04/29/2005 and will not return until 05/02/2005. In my absence, please contact Ryan at 6908 to take care of your live show needs. Scheduling questions should be refered to Chuck Lester at 1546. I will respond to any other emails as soon as I return. Thanks-- ------------------------------ Reply-To: From: "Jeffrey E. Salzberg" Subject: RE: What's going on with the list? Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:04:24 -0400 Message-ID: <000301c54cab$3768f0b0$6601a8c0 [at] Dell> In-Reply-To: > > I missed #373, #375, and #376. (There's another sue for commas! I > > remember this from sixth grade English class! Seperate items on a > > list!) > > Except for the one after #365. It should read "I missed #373, > #375 and #376." The "and" acts as the separator for the last > two items. There is not unanimity about this. I was taught that a commas should precede the "and". There was even a great example to illustrate why, but I can't remember it any more. ...Of course, I was also taught to not dip girls' pigtails into inkwells.... ------------------------------ Message-ID: <1114774714.42721cba44cac [at] web.mail.umich.edu> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:38:34 -0400 From: rlindsay [at] umich.edu Subject: Have a great summer Semester is over, wont be able to keep up reading.Logging off. cya all in the fall Safe summer theater to all Rich Lindsay Univ. of Michigan ------------------------------ Subject: Phasing for Frank was RE: CD-80 flickering problem Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 08:39:18 -0400 Message-ID: From: "Paul Sanow" Since this won't help Don et al I'll make this a new thread.... > -----Original Message----- > From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com [mailto:FrankWood95 [at] aol.com] > Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2005 6:16 PM > To: Stagecraft > Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem snip > I just don't understand the words "single-phase (120/240) 3-wire plus=20 > ground", or rather, I don't believe it. Let me tell you how=20 Frank: I made the distinction to be clear about the power I was talking about. = In most residential, some older commercial and similar neighborhoods = 120/240v is found in the panel. This is two hots at 180 degrees = rotation, a neutral (grounding conductor), and an earth ground (if = updated). The two hots have 240v potential between them, and each is = 120v from neutral. That is what the vast majority of the lister's = houses will see in the US. I did a little web search and this might be = more familiar to you as "Split Phase". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-phase_electric_power CD80 Packs are built with a jumper to internally redistribute the = incoming power to the breakers for 3-phase or single-phase as necessary. = A switch is used to redistribute the phase reference power at the pack = card to ensure proper dimming. This is true for older AMX only packs = and the newer Digital AMX/DMX packs. I wanted to make the distinction because sometimes people will say = "single-phase" meaning 120v (one hot, a neutral and a ground). This can = even show up on data sheets for products that simply plug into a wall = outlet with a NEMA 5-15. We can also use 240v (two hots, no neutral, = ground) to run dryers, motors, etc...=20 Why this isn't called two-phase I'll leave to others- I believe it = is/was something altogether different as the above article shows. =20 How this is generated, transformed and distributed within the grid I'll = leave to others. I'm sure Mitch or Karl will straighten me out further as required. Paul ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 08:37:29 -0400 Subject: Re: What's going on with the list? From: Steve Larson Message-ID: In-Reply-To: But we did, didn't we. Then the ruler across the knuckles was our reward. Steve > From: "Jeffrey E. Salzberg" > ...Of course, I was also taught to not dip girls' pigtails into > inkwells.... > > > > ------------------------------ Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 05:46:55 -0700 Message-ID: <35418D398577A34FB3A059F99B9F370202E13913 [at] nigel.tmbworldwide.tmb.com> From: "Ken Romaine" On or about Thu, 28 Apr 2005, Bill Nelson wrote: I am the person whom has been doing most of the troubleshooting of the CD-80 flickering problem at ACT that Don Taco mentioned. I tried everything that was suggested (before reading the suggestions) This is a real puzzler - and it being intermittant makes it even worse. Bill =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D OK, at the risk of being today's Captain Obvious, I haven't seen anyone = suggest a possible loose or otherwise bad neutral connection. It's possible that, after it heats up for a while, a neutral is becoming = loose and casuing the flickering. Loose neutrals do strange things, including causing flickering. Well, = I've seen things amazingly like what has been described happen, and = fixing a loose neutral connection has solved the problem. Of course, YMMV. Hope this helps. Ken Romaine TMB New York 201-896-8600 The opinions expressed herein are mine - all mine. I'm a happy miser. =20 ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20050429131059.58154.qmail [at] web52007.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 06:10:58 -0700 (PDT) From: Jacqueline Haney Kidwell Subject: shared facilities, was Re: Storage in a Tiny Theatre In-Reply-To: 6667 This is my fantasy as well, and indeed my fantasy job. Jacki --- Bruce Purdy wrote: > In my fantasy coalition, a part (or even full) > time paid position would > be created to administer the facilities and > collections. I envision a > database (complete with photos) of all the costume > items, and of the props. > This database would indicate which group owns the > item, what show it was > built for, and track subsequent use. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <21065e5a6158862d59f01df125f85a6f [at] dejazzd.com> From: Greg Bierly Subject: Re: Have a great summer Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:10:49 -0400 > Semester is over, wont be able to keep up reading.Logging off. > cya all in the fall > Rich Lindsay I don't get it. I am looking forward to the summer so I can catch up on my reading. Greg Bierly Technical Director Hempfield HS ------------------------------ Subject: RE: commas Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:15:52 -0400 Message-ID: <6E497ADB607656479C24E6D7BF6B505A0196C7EF [at] exchange.rmwc.edu> From: "Paul Schreiner" > The three dots are "ellipsis points". They are used to show deleted=20 > words. While they are technically supposed to have a space after the=20 > word and then a space in between each dot, in common usage=20 > (especially=20 > the relaxed formality of e-mail), they are found very often=20 > as I typed=20 > them. And if I remember correctly, an ellipsis at the end of a sentence is actually four dots long rather than three. Not that I ever really do this in practice... ------------------------------ Reply-To: From: "Dan Culhane" Subject: Arbor Day! Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 08:19:01 -0500 Message-ID: Today is Arbor Day up here in the thawing North and I believe that everyone of us should take a moment to recognize the impact that this hard working, often taken for granted and neglected piece of equipment has had on our industry. Where would we as an industry be without the advent of the arbor. We would be back using sand bags, remember the good old days when you tore the bottom and it started to leak weight out onto the floor? That rarely happens to the arbor, especially if you put the spreader plates in at regular intervals. Take a moment today to reflect on what the arbor means to the industry. Have a Happy and Safe Arbor Day! Dan Culhane d.culhane [at] secoa.com SECOA, Inc. The Stage Equipment Company 8650 109th Avenue North Champlin, MN 55316 Phone: 763-506-8800 Fax: 763-506-8844 www.secoa.com ------------------------------ Message-ID: <2189.64.28.53.38.1114780638.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References: Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 06:17:18 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem From: "Bill Nelson" > I'm going to demonstrate my ignorance of US power systems, here. The Uk is > very different, and some of the numbers I quote need divided by two. > > I just don't understand the words "single-phase (120/240) 3-wire plus > ground", or rather, I don't believe it. Let me tell you how it works in > the UK, and > you will understand my incomprehension. We have all sorts of power configurations available in the US. The major difference between the US and the UK is that many items run on 110/120 volts. While, in the UK, you use two "hot" wires without a common to get your power, we often have a "common"/"neutral" that acts as one of the legs. Non-residential user generally have either 110/208 volts three phase or 120/240 volts single phase, depending on total power requirements. Keep in mind that these voltage values are approximate, not exact, and are often designated differently in different parts of the country. Residences are almost exclusively single phase. For the 120/240 system: If you connect across the two feeders, you get 240 volts. If you connect from a feeder to the common, then you get 120 volts. The voltage is in phase in both of the legs, even though there are two legs, which it is called single phase. Think of a center tapped transformer, where the two feeders are the ends of the turns and the center tap is the common connection. If you go from either end to the center, you get half the total voltage. Connect to the two ends and you get the full voltage. High power sites usually have three phase power available. Here, each leg is out of voltage phase with the others by 120 degrees. As a consequence, if you connect from a feeder to the common, you get 120 volts. If you connect across two feeders, you don't get 240 volts, you get 208 volts. For our dimmers at the theatre, we are on single phase. There are two hot leads plus a common. There is also an equipment ground. That is why Don stated there were three conductors plus a ground. There is an interesting consequence of our single phase power configuration. A person might note that the common conductor is no larger than either of the feeder conductors, and may even be smaller. Now, why would this be allowed, as intuition says that the current flow in the common would be the sum of the current flows in the two legs? The worst case is that all the current draw is on one leg, so the current flow is identical in that leg and the common conductor. If the current in both legs is perfectly balanced, then there is no current flow in the common conductor (think about the center tap configuration a bit). My 240 volt electric oven has only the two feeders plus an equipment ground. I would guess that this is the configuration used in the UK for everything. The same thing happens with three phase power. If the current in all three legs is balanced, then there is no current flow in the common. For some industrial systems (such as large motors), there is no common conductor - just the three feeders. I hope this helps. I know it can be confusing. Bill ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:29:31 -0400 Subject: Re: Arbor Day! From: Bill Sapsis Message-ID: In-Reply-To: Dan. How nice of you to let us know. I hadn't heard that today was Arbor Day and I would have missed it. I agree that we need to recognize the importance of these devices so I'm instructing my staff to assemble at lunch time so we can have an appropriate ceremony. Thanks again for the update. And, by the way, how the hell are ya? Be well Bill www.sapsis-rigging.com 800.727.7471 800.292.3851 fax 267.278.4561 mobile Please support the Long Reach Long Riders on their 2nd annual benefit ride http://sapsis-rigging.com/LRLR.html on 4/29/05 9:19 AM, Dan Culhane at d.culhane [at] secoa.com wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Today is Arbor Day up here in the thawing North and I believe that everyone > of us should take a moment to recognize the impact that this hard working, > often taken for granted and neglected piece of equipment has had on our > industry. Where would we as an industry be without the advent of the arbor. > We would be back using sand bags, remember the good old days when you tore > the bottom and it started to leak weight out onto the floor? That rarely > happens to the arbor, especially if you put the spreader plates in at > regular intervals. > > Take a moment today to reflect on what the arbor means to the industry. > > Have a Happy and Safe Arbor Day! > > Dan Culhane > d.culhane [at] secoa.com > > SECOA, Inc. > The Stage Equipment Company > 8650 109th Avenue North > Champlin, MN 55316 > Phone: 763-506-8800 > Fax: 763-506-8844 > www.secoa.com > ------------------------------ Subject: RE: What's going on with the list? Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:27:51 -0400 Message-ID: <6E497ADB607656479C24E6D7BF6B505A0196C7F0 [at] exchange.rmwc.edu> From: "Paul Schreiner" > > I missed #373, #375, and #376. (There's another sue for commas! I=20 > > remember this from sixth grade English class! Seperate items on a=20 > > list!) >=20 > Except for the one after #365. It should read "I missed #373,=20 > #375 and #376." The "and" acts as the separator for the last=20 > two items. That's one of those "rules" that I've seen both ways. My personal preference (cuz it seems most consistent) is to use the comma after the penultimate item... ------------------------------ Message-ID: <42723647.4010405 [at] northnet.net> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 08:27:35 -0500 From: Shawn Palmer Subject: Re: Storage in a Tiny Theatre References: In-Reply-To: Bruce Purdy wrote: >>We are just hoping to hear any neat ways of >>hiding stuff. I'm thinking this theatre has to be built like a houseboat, >>storage at every turn, neatly tucked away. A place for everything, everything >>in its place. > > > I can dig it, Chris. > > One question: Will the audience seating be on the floor or will you have > tiered platforming for them? If you do, then under those platforms might be > potential storage space. Cabinets? > > Bruce When I tried to do it my AHJ told me I'd have to have the space under the seats tied into the sprinler system. Maybe he was having a bad day, but c'mon... Shawn Palmer Neenah WI USA ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:34:01 -0400 Subject: Hmmmmm From: Bill Sapsis Message-ID: In-Reply-To: Well, not that it's an embarrassing moment or anything, but I did intend to send that Arbor note back to Dan. My apologies for wasting bandwidth. I would never, ever want to take time away, not that I could, from the ever popular, exciting, scintillating conversation concerning punctuation. Or not. How you all choose to spend Arbor Day is entirely up to you. Enjoy Bill S. www.sapsis-rigging.com 800.727.7471 800.292.3851 fax 267.278.4561 mobile Please support the Long Reach Long Riders on their 2nd annual benefit ride http://sapsis-rigging.com/LRLR.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:35:18 -0400 Subject: Re: commas From: Bill Sapsis Message-ID: In-Reply-To: on 4/29/05 9:15 AM, Paul Schreiner at pschreiner [at] rmwc.edu wrote: > And if I remember correctly, an ellipsis at the end of a sentence is > actually four dots long rather than three. > > Not that I ever really do this in practice... I thought an ellipsis was a relative.... ------------------------------ Message-ID: <42723949.FA953E90 [at] swgc.mun.ca> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 11:10:26 -0230 From: Dale Power Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem References: Hi Ken, One other thing I can suggest is a continuity check on the data cable(s). If one of the clock signals is dropping out the packs might go into common mode signal detection giving you the symptoms described. You may have had a bad solder join for years and simply by updating your packs you moved the cable(s) in such a may as to give intermittent operation. Try re-soldering all of the data cable connections. Cheers Dale Ken Romaine wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > On or about Thu, 28 Apr 2005, Bill Nelson wrote: > > I am the person whom has been doing most of the troubleshooting of the > CD-80 flickering problem at ACT that Don Taco mentioned. > > I tried everything that was suggested (before reading the suggestions) > > > > This is a real puzzler - and it being intermittant makes it even worse. > > Bill > ============== > OK, at the risk of being today's Captain Obvious, I haven't seen anyone suggest a possible loose or otherwise bad neutral connection. > > It's possible that, after it heats up for a while, a neutral is becoming loose and casuing the flickering. > > Loose neutrals do strange things, including causing flickering. Well, I've seen things amazingly like what has been described happen, and fixing a loose neutral connection has solved the problem. > > Of course, YMMV. > > Hope this helps. > > Ken Romaine > TMB New York > 201-896-8600 > The opinions expressed herein are mine - all mine. > I'm a happy miser. ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20050429133856.46880.qmail [at] web61304.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 06:38:55 -0700 (PDT) From: "Alex M. Postpischil" Subject: Re: Arbor Day! Cc: d.culhane [at] secoa.com In-Reply-To: 6667 Just wondering if we should go out and plant an arbor or two in hopes that in a few years they'll reproduce, mature, and be ready for harvesting so we can increase the capacity of linesets?? Or will some Johnny Arborseed go around the country doing it for us??!! ;-P --- Dan Culhane wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > > --------------------------------------------------- > > Today is Arbor Day up here in the thawing North and I believe that > everyone > of us should take a moment to recognize the impact that this hard > working, > often taken for granted and neglected piece of equipment has had on > our > industry. Where would we as an industry be without the advent of > the arbor. > We would be back using sand bags, remember the good old days when > you tore > the bottom and it started to leak weight out onto the floor? That > rarely > happens to the arbor, especially if you put the spreader plates in > at > regular intervals. > > Take a moment today to reflect on what the arbor means to the > industry. > > Have a Happy and Safe Arbor Day! > > Dan Culhane > d.culhane [at] secoa.com > > SECOA, Inc. > The Stage Equipment Company > 8650 109th Avenue North > Champlin, MN 55316 > Phone: 763-506-8800 > Fax: 763-506-8844 > www.secoa.com > > -alex- Alex M. Postpischil, Technical Director Department of Theatre Arts University of Mississippi University, MS 38677 662.915.6993 662.915.5968 - fax __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Message-ID: <1114781627.427237bb4deaa [at] mail.cumberlandcollege.edu> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:33:47 -0400 From: mconn [at] cumberlandcollege.edu Subject: re: Arbor Day Dang! What do those of us without an Arbor do? Hmmmmm.... I know Make a donatione to Long Reach Long Riders and Broadway Cares/EFA in the name of Arbor, or one of the other participants. Moe Maurice "Moe" Conn Designer/Technical Director Kohn Theatre University of the Cumberlands 606-539-4520 mconn [at] cumberlandcollege.edu Thank You Everyone for Supporting the Long Beach Long Riders efforts to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. Stay Tuned as the Long Reach Long Riders set off on there second adventure. Check Out: www.sapsis-rigging.com/LRLR.html ------------------------------ Message-ID: <2239.64.28.53.38.1114782632.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References: Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 06:50:32 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Phasing for Frank was RE: CD-80 flickering problem From: "Bill Nelson" > I wanted to make the distinction because sometimes people will say > "single-phase" meaning 120v (one hot, a neutral and a ground). This can > even show up on data sheets for products that simply plug into a wall > outlet with a NEMA 5-15. We can also use 240v (two hots, no neutral, > ground) to run dryers, motors, etc... > > Why this isn't called two-phase I'll leave to others- I believe it is/was > something altogether different as the above article shows. It isn't called two phase because there is no phase shift between the two feeders. There is a 180 degree phase difference between the two feeders relative to the neutral conductor. In two phase systems, the two legs were 90 degrees out of phase. It was also called "sine/cosine" power. I have never seen it, and doubt if it is used any more. Bill ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <65dd6bf8299e33484e25b5d3cb3ee01d [at] dejazzd.com> From: Greg Bierly Subject: Re: Arbor Day! Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:57:28 -0400 We celebrate with the annual picnic and "pig iron" roast (I am sorry, our LD just put me up to it) Congrats Dan on the Friday morning spittakes now happening across the nation(and world). The sales of replacement computer monitors and keyboards is going to soar this afternoon. > Take a moment today to reflect on what the arbor means to the industry. ------------------------------ Message-ID: <2243.64.28.53.38.1114782913.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References: Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 06:55:13 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem From: "Bill Nelson" > =============OK, at the risk of being today's Captain Obvious, I haven't > seen anyone suggest a possible loose or otherwise bad neutral connection. > > It's possible that, after it heats up for a while, a neutral is becoming > loose and casuing the flickering. > > Loose neutrals do strange things, including causing flickering. Well, > I've seen things amazingly like what has been described happen, and fixing > a loose neutral connection has solved the problem. I did think of that, and checked all connections in the dimmer pack. I did not check the distribution panel, as the problem was only occuring on the one pack. When I get the chance, I will check the panel as well - but I will want someone else present since that will have to be done with the panel hot. I believe I mentioned that in one of my other posts - probably buried on all the other information. Bill ------------------------------ Message-ID: <006e01c54cc4$65285450$6b01a8c0 [at] BCA1> Reply-To: "Bill Conner" From: "Bill Conner" References: Subject: Re: Light lab activities? Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:04:38 -0500 Frank Wood posted "Colour is largely irrelevant." No I ask you, how could any one of us more succintly discredit Frank? Perhaps I'm a little prejudiced since I spent three years studying under Tom Skelton who I believe, among the great lighting designers for the stage, was a true master in the use of color. Regards, Bill ------------------------------ Message-ID: <2246.64.28.53.38.1114783169.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References: Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 06:59:29 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: commas From: "Bill Nelson" > > And if I remember correctly, an ellipsis at the end of a sentence is > actually four dots long rather than three. > > Not that I ever really do this in practice... If you want to be picky, it should be . . . . I think it would be more proper to use ". . .." at the end of a sentence, but that looks funny, so I can see why it is not recommended. Bill ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 04:11:12 -1000 From: "Paul Guncheon" Subject: RE: tool preferences/ trammel points Message-id: <001d01c54cc5$4dc3c0f0$0202a8c0 [at] yourxhtr8hvc4p> References: <> As I said I already have a se of trammel points... sold by General I think, http://www.acehardware.com/sm-general-trammel-points--pi-1292878.html They side clamp onto any material up to around 1-1/2" thick. In my opinion, way better than any set that requires a specific size or type material as the radius bar. (When building scenery I am almost always around wood and only sometimes around conduit.) The styli are ground with off center points to facilitate fine tuning by rotating them. I don't find trammel points particularly nice for drawing smaller circles. Just me though... Laters, Paul "What's the name of that street in Paris?" asked Tom ruefully. ------------------------------ Message-ID: <2252.64.28.53.38.1114783487.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References: Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:04:47 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Hmmmmm From: "Bill Nelson" > How you all choose to spend Arbor Day is entirely up to you. I think I will go to the theater and fill a few sandbags. Bill "Stoneage" Nelson ------------------------------ Message-ID: <002d01c54cc5$a92c7ae0$0600000a [at] BRUTUS> From: "Jon Ares" References: Subject: Re: Arbor Day! Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:13:47 -0700 >> Take a moment today to reflect on what the arbor means to the industry. That was truly wonderful. I could almost hear a Rosanne Rosanna Danna bit out of this: "What's with the arbor? Why should we dedicate a day to it? It's all 'Arbor Day this' and 'Arbor Day that....' " "Never miiiind...." -- Jon Ares Program Director, West Linn HS Theatre Arts www.hevanet.com/acreative www.wlhstheatre.org ------------------------------ Message-ID: <2262.64.28.53.38.1114783902.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References: Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:11:42 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem From: "Bill Nelson" > One other thing I can suggest is a continuity check on the data cable(s). > If one of the clock signals is dropping out the packs might go into common > mode signal detection giving you the symptoms > described. You may have had a bad solder join for years and simply by > updating your packs you moved the cable(s) in such a may as to give > intermittent operation. > Try re-soldering all of the data cable connections. If that were the case, you would expect the problem to occur with both packs. Or that the problem would switch packs when the link order was changed. Unfortunately, these are the old style packs with the TA4 type connectors. I have no idea how you get to the pin bases of the male connectors to resolder them. I suppose it would be possible to bore out the hole and replace the TA4F connectors with 4 pin XLRF connectors. But I don't want to do that if it can be avoided. Bill ------------------------------ Message-ID: <427242A0.5050909 [at] fredonia.edu> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:20:16 -0400 From: "Stephen E. Rees" Reply-To: Rees [at] fredonia.edu Subject: Re: Arbor Day! References: Bill, Allison will be late for the luncheon festivities. She just left here. Steve Bill Sapsis wrote: [snipped] I'm instructing my staff to assemble at lunch > time so we can have an appropriate ceremony. > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 04:21:48 -1000 From: "Paul Guncheon" Subject: Re: tool preferences Message-id: <002101c54cc6$c81879d0$0202a8c0 [at] yourxhtr8hvc4p> References: <> I have / had one of those... I found it useful for drawing circles on chalkboards but not much else... not accurate, too big and unwieldy. again, probably just me. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3142&item=5576981820& rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW Laters, Paul "This tuna is excellent," said Tom superficially. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:47:03 -0500 From: Fierce Fish Subject: Re: Storage in a Tiny Theatre Message-ID: <20050429144703.GL22596 [at] tragedy.biomass.to> References: In-Reply-To: > > We are just hoping to hear any neat ways of > > hiding stuff. I'm thinking this theatre has to be built like a houseboat, > > storage at every turn, neatly tucked away. A place for everything, everything > > in its place. > > I can dig it, Chris. > > One question: Will the audience seating be on the floor or will you have > tiered platforming for them? If you do, then under those platforms might be > potential storage space. Cabinets? Unfortunately, with the theatre being a black box and with a history of directors and set designers wanting to do bizarre things, I can't count on any storage within the theatre proper - with the exception of things like lights and such that I can stash in the grid. My life would be much easier if I could say "Thou shalt use the theatre in a proscenium arrangement", but that's not the way it is :) Oh, well. The weirdness gives me the opportunity for creativity and problem solving, and that's why I'm in theatre in the first place. I foresee some serious cabinet making in my future, in the green room and in every corner I can find that I know won't cause grief in the future. -cdr ------------------------------ Message-ID: Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:38:33 -0400 From: Jonathan Wills Reply-To: Jonathan Wills Subject: Scissor Lift Hello all, I have a fun question for the masses. I have a customer that wants to hang his bubble macines on his grid in his childrens room. He does not want to have to pull out the ladder all the time to fill them up. He would like to attach a lift of some kind so that he can lower it, fill up the machines, then repolace the machines to there previous position. The grid height is about 12-14' and each bubble machine weighs about 5-7 lb= s. Any suggestions. Thank you, Jonathan Wills Wills Lighting and Stage www.WillsLighting.com Toll Free 866.909.4557 Local 423.559.0606 Fax 423.559.0071 ------------------------------ Message-Id: Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:43:58 -0500 From: "Merel Ray-Pfeifer" Subject: Re: Arbor Day! Merel Ray-Pfeifer Production Manager Dept. of Theatre & Dance Millikin Univ. Decatur, IL 62522 217-424-3708 >>> bill [at] sapsis-rigging.com 4/29/2005 8:29:31 AM >>> For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Bill said," so I'm instructing my staff to assemble at lunch time so we can have an appropriate ceremony." Will there be a plantting ceremony? What would you plant for this Arbor Day? What is an appropriate tree? ------------------------------ Message-ID: <2321.64.28.53.38.1114785441.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References: Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:37:21 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Scissor Lift From: "Bill Nelson" Cc: jbwills [at] gmail.com (Jonathan Wills) > I have a fun question for the masses. I have a customer that wants to > hang his bubble macines on his grid in his childrens room. He does not > want to have to pull out the ladder all the time to fill them up. He > would like to attach a lift of some kind so that he can lower it, fill > up the machines, then repolace the machines to there previous > position. > > The grid height is about 12-14' and each bubble machine weighs about 5-7 > lbs. Why not a small pump and some tubing? When a machine stops making bubbles, just pump in a measured amount of goop to refill it. Bill ------------------------------ Message-ID: <2322.64.28.53.38.1114785579.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References: Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 07:39:39 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Arbor Day! From: "Bill Nelson" >>>> bill [at] sapsis-rigging.com 4/29/2005 8:29:31 AM >>> > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > > --------------------------------------------------- > > Bill said," so I'm instructing my staff to assemble at lunch > time so we can have an appropriate ceremony." > > Will there be a plantting ceremony? > > What would you plant for this Arbor Day? What is an appropriate tree? A light tree, of course. Bill ------------------------------ From: JDruc3737 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <1a0.32cfcc7f.2fa3a3e6 [at] aol.com> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:51:18 EDT Subject: Re: Arbor Day! Ironwood? How about Steel Magnolia? In a message dated 4/29/2005 10:44:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time, mraypfeifer [at] mail.millikin.edu writes: Bill said," so I'm instructing my staff to assemble at lunch time so we can have an appropriate ceremony." Will there be a plantting ceremony? What would you plant for this Arbor Day? What is an appropriate tree? Jeffrey Drucker Production Manager Bard College Theater & Dance Depts. 845-758-7956 drucker [at] bard.edu ------------------------------ From: "Simon Shuker" Cc: jbwills [at] gmail.com ('Jonathan Wills') Subject: RE: Scissor Lift Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 18:52:40 +0400 In-Reply-To: Message-Id: <20050429145303.052E25900 [at] mail05.powweb.com> What about the type of scissor lifts that hotels usually use to fly projectors from out of the ceiling. Simon -----Original Message----- From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Jonathan Wills Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 6:39 PM To: Stagecraft Subject: Scissor Lift For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Hello all, I have a fun question for the masses. I have a customer that wants to hang his bubble macines on his grid in his childrens room. He does not want to have to pull out the ladder all the time to fill them up. He would like to attach a lift of some kind so that he can lower it, fill up the machines, then repolace the machines to there previous position. The grid height is about 12-14' and each bubble machine weighs about 5-7 lbs. Any suggestions. Thank you, Jonathan Wills Wills Lighting and Stage www.WillsLighting.com Toll Free 866.909.4557 Local 423.559.0606 Fax 423.559.0071 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 04:56:48 -1000 From: "Paul Guncheon" Subject: Re: tool preferences/ trammel points Message-id: <003001c54ccb$ac150d20$0202a8c0 [at] yourxhtr8hvc4p> References: <> True, provided one can keep the pencil and the nail at consistent angles to the surface as one scribes the circumference. One can drive a nail with a rock too. Laters, Paul "I won't stand for painting," said Tom uneasily. ------------------------------ Reply-To: From: "jsmith at theatrewireless.com" Cc: jbwills [at] gmail.com ('Jonathan Wills') Subject: RE: Scissor Lift Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 11:00:25 -0400 Organization: Home of the RC4 Wireless Dimmer System In-Reply-To: Message-Id: <20050429150028.CQVB25800.tomts13-srv.bellnexxia.net [at] p3m866> How 'bout block 'n tackle? Raise and lower them on ropes. You don't need much to handle less than 10 lbs. safely. Jim www.theatrewireless.com > -----Original Message----- > From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf > Of Jonathan Wills > Sent: April 29, 2005 10:39 AM > To: Stagecraft > Subject: Scissor Lift > > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > > --------------------------------------------------- > > Hello all, > > I have a fun question for the masses. I have a customer that > wants to hang his bubble macines on his grid in his childrens > room. He does not want to have to pull out the ladder all the > time to fill them up. He would like to attach a lift of some > kind so that he can lower it, fill up the machines, then > repolace the machines to there previous position. > > The grid height is about 12-14' and each bubble machine > weighs about 5-7 lbs. > > Any suggestions. > > Thank you, > > Jonathan Wills > Wills Lighting and Stage > www.WillsLighting.com > Toll Free 866.909.4557 > Local 423.559.0606 > Fax 423.559.0071 > > ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <495bce42362f9c1b674971b1242556b4 [at] email.arizona.edu> Cc: marko [at] email.arizona.edu (Mark O'Brien) From: Mark O'Brien Subject: Re: Scissor Lift Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 08:14:59 -0700 What about a lighting pantograph from a TV studio? Seems those big Fresnel's weighed more than a bubble machine... Mark O'Brien Opera Technical Director University of Arizona, School of Music Tucson, AZ 520/621-7025 520/591-1803 Mobile On Apr 29, 2005, at 7:38 AM, Jonathan Wills wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > > --------------------------------------------------- > > Hello all, > > I have a fun question for the masses. I have a customer that wants to > hang his bubble macines on his grid in his childrens room. He does not > want to have to pull out the ladder all the time to fill them up. He > would like to attach a lift of some kind so that he can lower it, fill > up the machines, then repolace the machines to there previous > position. > > The grid height is about 12-14' and each bubble machine weighs about > 5-7 lbs. > > Any suggestions. > > Thank you, > > Jonathan Wills > Wills Lighting and Stage > www.WillsLighting.com > Toll Free 866.909.4557 > Local 423.559.0606 > Fax 423.559.0071 ------------------------------ Message-ID: <42725435.F374030 [at] swgc.mun.ca> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 13:05:17 -0230 From: Dale Power Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem References: > > > > One other thing I can suggest is a continuity check on the data cable(s). > > If one of the clock signals is dropping out the packs might go into common > > mode signal detection giving you the symptoms > > described. You may have had a bad solder join for years and simply by > > updating your packs you moved the cable(s) in such a may as to give > > intermittent operation. > > Try re-soldering all of the data cable connections. > > If that were the case, you would expect the problem to occur with both > packs. Or that the problem would switch packs when the link order was > changed. > Not necessarily, this is in fact one of the vaguaries of AMX 192 data transmission. In any event updating to 4pin xlr is a worth while effort if you plan on keeping the packs long term. Judging from what you did - upgrade AMX to DMX at the pack, my instinct tells me the issue is with the clock timing. Cheers Dale ------------------------------ Message-ID: Reply-To: From: "Michael S. Eddy" Cc: jbwills [at] gmail.com ('Jonathan Wills') Subject: RE: Scissor Lift Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 11:34:52 -0400 In-Reply-To: Jonathan Wills wrote: I have a fun question for the masses. I have a customer that wants to hang his bubble macines on his grid in his childrens room. He does not want to have to pull out the ladder all the time to fill them up. He would like to attach a lift of some kind so that he can lower it, fill up the machines, then repolace the machines to there previous position. The grid height is about 12-14' and each bubble machine weighs about 5-7 lbs. Jonathan, Okay, so the kid's room has a grid? Is your client looking to adopt? It sounds like what you are looking for is a Pantograph. These are used in studio lighting and can be set with tension to be pulled down and repositioned and stay in the up position. Usually a pole pulls them up and down. They are designed for studio lighting and come in different lengths and weight ranges. I have seen them from DeSisti, Arri, Bogen/Manfrotto, but at the moment, I cannot find any info on those company's websites! Here is a link to B&H Photo in NYC that carries a lot of studio gear: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&s ku=78572&is=REG There are a number of these units at B&H; this one is rated for "Loads of up to 26 lbs can be suspended using only the friction device, while loads up to a maximum of 40 lbs require the use of the optional springs. The pantograph can be adjusted to keep suspended loads from 2lbs to 10lbs perfectly balanced." Normally they have receivers on the top and bottom and you can clamp them to a pipe or other structure at the top (the Manfrotto one uses a rail system) and you can get/build an adaptor at the bottom with a tray to hold the machine. Some of these are used to do this with projectors. There are a variety of drop down hangers, but for those you have to go up and lock/unlock them, so you might as well just fill the machine in place! Good luck, Michael Eddy Eddy Marketing & Consulting ------------------------------ Message-ID: Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 11:44:08 -0400 From: Jonathan Wills Reply-To: Jonathan Wills Cc: mseddy2900 [at] hotmail.com Subject: Re: Scissor Lift In-Reply-To: References: Micheal, It is actually at a church. The children's room is incredible. http://dreambigstudios.com/ this is the site of the compnay that made the set for the childrens room. 90% of the stuff on the stage is made from foam. This is a children's pastor that loves to have gadgets and play toys. Thank you, Jonathan Wills Wills Lighting and Stage www.WillsLighting.com Toll Free 866.909.4557 Local 423.559.0606 Fax 423.559.0071 On 4/29/05, Michael S. Eddy wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- >=20 > Jonathan Wills wrote: > I have a fun question for the masses. I have a customer that wants to > hang his bubble macines on his grid in his childrens room. He does not > want to have to pull out the ladder all the time to fill them up. He > would like to attach a lift of some kind so that he can lower it, fill > up the machines, then repolace the machines to there previous > position. >=20 > The grid height is about 12-14' and each bubble machine weighs about 5-7 > lbs. >=20 > Jonathan, >=20 > Okay, so the kid's room has a grid? Is your client looking to adopt? >=20 > It sounds like what you are looking for is a Pantograph. These are used i= n > studio lighting and can be set with tension to be pulled down and > repositioned and stay in the up position. Usually a pole pulls them up an= d > down. They are designed for studio lighting and come in different lengths > and weight ranges. >=20 > I have seen them from DeSisti, Arri, Bogen/Manfrotto, but at the moment, = I > cannot find any info on those company's websites! >=20 > Here is a link to B&H Photo in NYC that carries a lot of studio gear: > http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=3Dproductlist&A=3Ddetai= ls&Q=3D&s > ku=3D78572&is=3DREG >=20 > There are a number of these units at B&H; this one is rated for "Lo= ads > of up to 26 lbs can be suspended using only the friction device, while lo= ads > up to a maximum of 40 lbs require the use of the optional springs. The > pantograph can be adjusted to keep suspended loads from 2lbs to 10lbs > perfectly balanced." >=20 > Normally they have receivers on the top and bottom and you can clamp them= to > a pipe or other structure at the top (the Manfrotto one uses a rail syste= m) > and you can get/build an adaptor at the bottom with a tray to hold the > machine. Some of these are used to do this with projectors. >=20 > There are a variety of drop down hangers, but for those you have to go up > and lock/unlock them, so you might as well just fill the machine in place= ! >=20 > Good luck, >=20 > Michael Eddy > Eddy Marketing & Consulting > ------------------------------ Message-Id: <200504291544.j3TFiqIV018268 [at] a.mail.peak.org> From: "The Elliotts" Subject: RE: CD-80 flickering problem Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 08:44:46 -0700 In-Reply-To: Dale, Actually, the dimmer PACKS are still the original AMX. We have not had the $$ to upgrade the packs or buy whole new ones. So, about 6 months ago we upgraded our light board to a DMX-only output (Bijou plus). We then placed a DMX-to-AMX converter in line as the signal leaves the board and before it reaches the XLR wall jack in the light booth. Then the XLR cable in the wall travels some 50' to the dimmer packs. The in-wall XLR cable and the dimmer packs have been in place since some time in the late 1980's (I think); they've certainly remained "unchanged" for the last dozen that I've been at the theater. No settings have been changed on the board or at the packs in the last 6 months other than the new light board and adding in that converter. Warmest regards, --John Yahoo! chat handle: Ymir20000000 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Eliminate annoying spam! My mailbox is protected by iHateSpam, the #1-rated spam buster. http://www.ihatespam.net -----Original Message----- From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Dale Power Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 8:35 AM To: Stagecraft Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- > > > > One other thing I can suggest is a continuity check on the data cable(s). > > If one of the clock signals is dropping out the packs might go into common > > mode signal detection giving you the symptoms > > described. You may have had a bad solder join for years and simply by > > updating your packs you moved the cable(s) in such a may as to give > > intermittent operation. > > Try re-soldering all of the data cable connections. > > If that were the case, you would expect the problem to occur with both > packs. Or that the problem would switch packs when the link order was > changed. > Not necessarily, this is in fact one of the vaguaries of AMX 192 data transmission. In any event updating to 4pin xlr is a worth while effort if you plan on keeping the packs long term. Judging from what you did - upgrade AMX to DMX at the pack, my instinct tells me the issue is with the clock timing. Cheers Dale ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 12:11:29 -0400 Subject: Re: Scissor Lift From: Bruce Purdy Message-ID: In-Reply-To: > I have a fun question for the masses. I have a customer that wants to > hang his bubble macines on his grid in his childrens room. He does not > want to have to pull out the ladder all the time to fill them up. He > would like to attach a lift of some kind so that he can lower it, fill > up the machines, then repolace the machines to there previous > position. > > The grid height is about 12-14' and each bubble machine weighs about 5-7 lbs. Thirty years ago, I remember something similar being used at our college TV studio for the lighting units. It allowed the positioning of the lights at various heights below the grid. I don't know whether they are still used, but that's one direction you might want to investigate. Bruce -- Bruce Purdy Technical Director Smith Opera House ------------------------------ Message-ID: <42725FFC.73C1FA67 [at] swgc.mun.ca> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 13:55:32 -0230 From: Dale Power Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem References: Hi John, You have just confirmed that you have timing issues - read on: AMX192 and D54 History - Strand's extremely popular Light Palette consoles and CD80 dimmers first appeared in 1979, and with them came a new multiplexed analog control scheme that would later evolve into USITT AMX192. It was soon incorporated into Mantrix consoles and Environ architectural dimmers; in fact, virtually every North American Strand product designed until very recently included at least one AMX port. Aswell, a number of their competitors made compatible products over the years. Strand's R&D group in the U.K. devised a somewhat different analog mux protocol they designated D54 (an internal standards number) to work with their Galaxy and Gemini control desks. D54 never made inroads into North America, but it ended up everywhere else in the world. On the other hand AMX192 is virtually non-existent outside of the U.S. and Canada, yet it was applied to a wide range of dimming and control product over the years, by a number of different designers and manufacturers. An unfortunate consequence is that many of these products are not entirely interoperable, even within Strand's own product lines. Details - Depending upon the type of console, a single AMX192 data line can handle either 96 or 192 dimmers. Dimmer levels are sent sequentially on one wire, referenced to a signal common wire that the other conductor is paired with. A synchronizing clock signal is sent differentially on a second pair of wires. When AMX first appeared on Strand products, it used the tiny Switchcraft TA4 connector. Its pinout was clock- on pin 1, common on pin 2, clock+ on pin 3 and mux analog on pin 4. Suffice it to say (with understatement) that the TA4 was not the greatest connector choice Strand ever made. Many users, especially rental shops, couldn't wait to replace it with the tougher 4-pin XLR. If they'd waited a bit longer, though, they would have had a standard XLR sex and pinout provided by USITT in the AMX192 standard that appeared in 1985. Instead, there's a lot of gear out there that uses the wrong connector sex and the TA4 pinout. This is how it should be: input connectors are female and outputs are male; pin 1 is common, pin 2 is clock+, pin 3 is analog, and pin 4 is clock-. D54 is easier to describe; it runs over 2 wires, a signal conductor that carries both the dimmer levels and the clock signal, and signal common. It uses only 3-pin XLRs and one pinout: common on pin 1, no connect on pin 2 and signal on pin 3. 384 dimmers are supported. Both AMX192 and D54 use 0-5 volt dimmer levels. Interfacing Hints - Anyone who has dealt with AMX192 gear for any length of time will tell you that they've had more than their share of problems getting things to communicate properly. No one console, for example, will talk to all receivers out there, and vice versa. The age and condition of receiver cards and power supplies can affect how well the data link works. The type and length of cable can also be a factor when changing to a different transmitter, such as a protocol converter. Just because your old Mantrix worked fine with your old CD80, it doesn't mean your new converter is no good because it doesn't. Designers of new AMX controls usually pick a set of signal timing parameters that are known to work well with most of the existing dimmer racks; you might just be one of the unlucky ones that gets a mismatch. Ask your supplier to let you test other makes of converters; at least one is likely to do the job. Cheers Dale The Elliotts wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Dale, > > Actually, the dimmer PACKS are still the original AMX. We have not had the > $$ to upgrade the packs or buy whole new ones. So, about 6 months ago we > upgraded our light board to a DMX-only output (Bijou plus). We then placed a > DMX-to-AMX converter in line as the signal leaves the board and before it > reaches the XLR wall jack in the light booth. Then the XLR cable in the wall > travels some 50' to the dimmer packs. The in-wall XLR cable and the dimmer > packs have been in place since some time in the late 1980's (I think); > they've certainly remained "unchanged" for the last dozen that I've been at > the theater. No settings have been changed on the board or at the packs in > the last 6 months other than the new light board and adding in that > converter. > > Warmest regards, > > --John > > Yahoo! chat handle: Ymir20000000 > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > Eliminate annoying spam! > > My mailbox is protected by iHateSpam, the #1-rated spam buster. > http://www.ihatespam.net > > -----Original Message----- > From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Dale Power > Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 8:35 AM > To: Stagecraft > Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem > > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > > > > > > > One other thing I can suggest is a continuity check on the data > cable(s). > > > If one of the clock signals is dropping out the packs might go into > common > > > mode signal detection giving you the symptoms > > > described. You may have had a bad solder join for years and simply by > > > updating your packs you moved the cable(s) in such a may as to give > > > intermittent operation. > > > Try re-soldering all of the data cable connections. > > > > If that were the case, you would expect the problem to occur with both > > packs. Or that the problem would switch packs when the link order was > > changed. > > > > Not necessarily, this is in fact one of the vaguaries of AMX 192 data > transmission. > In any event updating to 4pin xlr is a worth while effort if you plan on > keeping > the packs > long term. > > Judging from what you did - upgrade AMX to DMX at the pack, my instinct > tells me > the issue is with the clock timing. > > Cheers > Dale ------------------------------ Message-Id: <200504291624.j3TGODJS054399 [at] b.mail.peak.org> From: "The Elliotts" Subject: RE: CD-80 flickering problem Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:24:07 -0700 In-Reply-To: Thank you, Dale. Warmest regards, --John Yahoo! chat handle: Ymir20000000 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Eliminate annoying spam! My mailbox is protected by iHateSpam, the #1-rated spam buster. http://www.ihatespam.net -----Original Message----- From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Dale Power Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 9:26 AM To: Stagecraft Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Hi John, You have just confirmed that you have timing issues - read on: AMX192 and D54 History - Strand's extremely popular Light Palette consoles and CD80 dimmers first appeared in 1979, and with them came a new multiplexed analog control scheme that would later evolve into USITT AMX192. It was soon incorporated into Mantrix consoles and Environ architectural dimmers; in fact, virtually every North American Strand product designed until very recently included at least one AMX port. Aswell, a number of their competitors made compatible products over the years. Strand's R&D group in the U.K. devised a somewhat different analog mux protocol they designated D54 (an internal standards number) to work with their Galaxy and Gemini control desks. D54 never made inroads into North America, but it ended up everywhere else in the world. On the other hand AMX192 is virtually non-existent outside of the U.S. and Canada, yet it was applied to a wide range of dimming and control product over the years, by a number of different designers and manufacturers. An unfortunate consequence is that many of these products are not entirely interoperable, even within Strand's own product lines. Details - Depending upon the type of console, a single AMX192 data line can handle either 96 or 192 dimmers. Dimmer levels are sent sequentially on one wire, referenced to a signal common wire that the other conductor is paired with. A synchronizing clock signal is sent differentially on a second pair of wires. When AMX first appeared on Strand products, it used the tiny Switchcraft TA4 connector. Its pinout was clock- on pin 1, common on pin 2, clock+ on pin 3 and mux analog on pin 4. Suffice it to say (with understatement) that the TA4 was not the greatest connector choice Strand ever made. Many users, especially rental shops, couldn't wait to replace it with the tougher 4-pin XLR. If they'd waited a bit longer, though, they would have had a standard XLR sex and pinout provided by USITT in the AMX192 standard that appeared in 1985. Instead, there's a lot of gear out there that uses the wrong connector sex and the TA4 pinout. This is how it should be: input connectors are female and outputs are male; pin 1 is common, pin 2 is clock+, pin 3 is analog, and pin 4 is clock-. D54 is easier to describe; it runs over 2 wires, a signal conductor that carries both the dimmer levels and the clock signal, and signal common. It uses only 3-pin XLRs and one pinout: common on pin 1, no connect on pin 2 and signal on pin 3. 384 dimmers are supported. Both AMX192 and D54 use 0-5 volt dimmer levels. Interfacing Hints - Anyone who has dealt with AMX192 gear for any length of time will tell you that they've had more than their share of problems getting things to communicate properly. No one console, for example, will talk to all receivers out there, and vice versa. The age and condition of receiver cards and power supplies can affect how well the data link works. The type and length of cable can also be a factor when changing to a different transmitter, such as a protocol converter. Just because your old Mantrix worked fine with your old CD80, it doesn't mean your new converter is no good because it doesn't. Designers of new AMX controls usually pick a set of signal timing parameters that are known to work well with most of the existing dimmer racks; you might just be one of the unlucky ones that gets a mismatch. Ask your supplier to let you test other makes of converters; at least one is likely to do the job. Cheers Dale The Elliotts wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Dale, > > Actually, the dimmer PACKS are still the original AMX. We have not had the > $$ to upgrade the packs or buy whole new ones. So, about 6 months ago we > upgraded our light board to a DMX-only output (Bijou plus). We then placed a > DMX-to-AMX converter in line as the signal leaves the board and before it > reaches the XLR wall jack in the light booth. Then the XLR cable in the wall > travels some 50' to the dimmer packs. The in-wall XLR cable and the dimmer > packs have been in place since some time in the late 1980's (I think); > they've certainly remained "unchanged" for the last dozen that I've been at > the theater. No settings have been changed on the board or at the packs in > the last 6 months other than the new light board and adding in that > converter. > > Warmest regards, > > --John > > Yahoo! chat handle: Ymir20000000 > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > Eliminate annoying spam! > > My mailbox is protected by iHateSpam, the #1-rated spam buster. > http://www.ihatespam.net > > -----Original Message----- > From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Dale Power > Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 8:35 AM > To: Stagecraft > Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem > > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > > > > > > > One other thing I can suggest is a continuity check on the data > cable(s). > > > If one of the clock signals is dropping out the packs might go into > common > > > mode signal detection giving you the symptoms > > > described. You may have had a bad solder join for years and simply by > > > updating your packs you moved the cable(s) in such a may as to give > > > intermittent operation. > > > Try re-soldering all of the data cable connections. > > > > If that were the case, you would expect the problem to occur with both > > packs. Or that the problem would switch packs when the link order was > > changed. > > > > Not necessarily, this is in fact one of the vaguaries of AMX 192 data > transmission. > In any event updating to 4pin xlr is a worth while effort if you plan on > keeping > the packs > long term. > > Judging from what you did - upgrade AMX to DMX at the pack, my instinct > tells me > the issue is with the clock timing. > > Cheers > Dale ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20050429092636.00b403b8 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:26:36 From: CB Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem Having seen the following* more than a dozen times since yesterday's digest, I have come to the conclusion that squints are incapable of video and trimming thier posts. Somewhere deep down, I believe that there is a gene that contributes, and some sort of medication that would cure it, but then lights would begin to look ugly. We, as a race, must come up with a way to trim replies that requires only the pushing of a large, friendly, green 'go' button... ; > *>> For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see >> --------------------------------------------------- >> >> Bill Nelson wrote: >> >> >For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see >> >--------------------------------------------------- >> > >> >I am the person whom has been doing most of the troubleshooting of the >> >CD-80 flickering problem at ACT that Don Taco mentioned. >> > >> >I tried everything that was suggested (before reading the suggestions) >> >except setting the total channels number on the board to various different >> >values. I suspect that this would not have any effect since the problem >> >occurred when I removed the DMX board and converter and substituted the >> >old Mantrix AMX board. >> > >> >Some further information that Don may not have mentioned: >> > >> >The flickering occurred, no matter which of the two packs was first in >> >line on the daisy chained control cable. >> > >> >The flickering occurs only when a control signal is present. But it only >> >occurs on one pack - the chained pack does not exhibit the problem. >> > >> >The flickering was in the second pack. Substituting my spare control logic >> >board into that pack did not stop the flickering, but putting it into the >> >first (non-flickering) pack did - for 24+ hours (including one >> >performance). >> > >> >About 3/4 through the next night's show. the flickering started again. >> > >> >The next day, I started the flickering, then was able to stop it by >> >turning off dimmer 3. Don left shortly after, so he did not know that it >> >was not a total cure. By changing other light levels, I was able to make >> >the flickering start again. >> > >> >I went in the next day to do further troubleshooting, and everything was >> >working fine. I could not get any blips or flickering at all. >> > >> >So the possibilities seem to be limited. >> > >> >1) Both the original pack control board and my spare have the same problem >> >- extremely unlikely. >> > >> >2) The light board and converter have been eliminated, since the problem >> >continued when I swapped in the old light board. The cable from the board >> >to the wall connector is also eliminated, as I swapped that out as well. >> > >> >3) Either the data cable, connector at either end or the jumper cable >> >between packs is intermittant/bad. But that seems to be unlikely since the >> >second pack does not have any flickering problem. >> > >> >4) Something besides the control logic board in the pack is causing the >> >problem. It is hard to imagine what - as there is little there besides the >> >inductors and the SCR power cubes. I checked all connections to make sure >> >they are tight. >> > >> >This is a real puzzler - and it being intermittant makes it even worse. >> > >> >Bill Chris "Chris" Babbie Location Sound OTR Delete key training and post trimming done by appointment. Rates negotiable, will trade for typing lessons/ADD treatment... ------------------------------ Message-ID: <1114792244.4272613428a29 [at] webmail.bard.edu> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 12:30:44 -0400 From: doran [at] bard.edu Subject: Re: Light lab activities? References: In-Reply-To: Mr Wood and All, Not that Mr. Harvey needs my defense, but... I must say that colour is exactly as irrelevant as direction, shape, intensity, and shadow in simulating or illuminating anything on stage. If I am not correct, and you actually believe your statement, you will be able to truthfully tell me that you do not use any color medium, and that the lamps you use in the insturments are good enough on their own. Heck, you probably just flip on the light switch and call it good enough, right? Andy Champ-Doran Quoting FrankWood95 [at] aol.com: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > In a message dated 28/04/05 20:59:25 GMT Daylight Time, mharvey [at] d.umn.edu > writes: > > > Each semester I lecture an hour on color mixing in my beginning > > lighting course. > > You're not going to like this. This is a wasted hour. Teach your students how > > to cast shadows: how to simulate apparent light sources. Colour is largely > irrelevant. > > Frank Wood > ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20050429094136.00b403b8 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:41:36 From: CB Subject: Re: jefferson / adams >but also remember that in their own day, , , > > at least half of the country despised all of those founding fathers at one >time or another ...and Lincoln, Kennedy, and MLK were all shot down. This country has never lacked for a**es, but at least there were great men to balance them out. Where are OUR greats? BTW, the most important quote (for me) of JJefferson's from his educational publishings is, "The expenses of [the elementary] schools should be borne by the inhabitants of the county, every one in proportion to his general tax-rate. This would throw on wealth the education of the poor." It indicates that the wealthy are not obligated to pay for the poor's education because they are wealthy, but because they, the poor, and the country in general are better off when everyone is educated. And, he was, of course, correct, as evidenced by the countries present state of disarray and ignorance. Chris "Chris" Babbie Location Sound OTR Delete key training and post trimming done by appointment. Rates negotiable, will trade for typing lessons/ADD treatment... ------------------------------ Message-ID: <1114793592.4272667888c0d [at] webmail.bard.edu> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 12:53:12 -0400 From: doran [at] bard.edu Subject: Re: Light lab activities? References: In-Reply-To: Just one more thing, and then I'll drop this, Mr Wood, I had the good fortune some twenty years ago to work with one of Mr. Harvey's (at the time, recent) UMD graduates. Steve Draheim was our lighting designer in a little Summer Stock bar/theater in Ames, Iowa. He used to tell me about this UMD class assignment they had where they had to go down by the lake with swatch books, and try to match up the medium colors to the colors of sunsets, sinrises, midday light, cloudy days, evenings, you get the picture. Well, the longer I'm in this business, the more I'm impressed with what that guy could do with a few old tired insturments, some questionable dimmers, and some pieces of gel. Andy Champ-Doran > > Not that Mr. Harvey needs my defense, but... > Andy Champ-Doran > > > Quoting FrankWood95 [at] aol.com: Teach your students > how > > > > to cast shadows: how to simulate apparent light sources. Colour is largely > > > irrelevant. > > > > Frank Wood > > > > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 12:00:05 -0500 From: Mark Harvey Subject: Re: Light lab activities? Message-ID: <2147483647.1114776004 [at] mharvey.d.umn.edu> In-Reply-To: References: --On Friday, April 29, 2005 wrote: > Teach your > students how to cast shadows: how to simulate apparent light > sources. Colour is largely irrelevant. I'm not surprised at Frank's response. My experience with European lighting designers tends to be towards the use of strong, saturated color choices or none at all. I toured Glass Menagerie to Hungary and the master electrician at one venue in Budapest told me I used more color in one show than all the shows he'd done in a year. I've grown to appreciate the more subtle influences color in lighting has on costumes and scenery. I also enjoy gaining the confidence of other designers by demonstrating precisely how the light will react with fabric, make-up and paint. I realize the course I teach is strictly introductory, but a quick glance at the daily schedule will reveal I also spend time discussing and demonstrating the use of angle, shadows, and simulating apparent light sources, as Frank suggests. Where Frank and I obviously disagree is whether additive color mixing is relevant to theatre or not. As an American-trained designer, it would be very difficult for me to give up all the wonderful options color offers a lighting designer. ____________________________________ Mark Harvey Associate Professor, Theatrical Lighting and Sound Design University of Minnesota Duluth http://www.d.umn.edu/~mharvey ------------------------------ Message-ID: <486dbc51050429100110fb4340 [at] mail.gmail.com> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 13:01:48 -0400 From: Ben Reply-To: Ben Subject: Re: What's going on with the list? In-Reply-To: References: Just wondering...=20 I got a bounce warning back to my gmail account. Does this mean that Google is filtering the list? Any other gmail users experience this? -ben ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <191.3e500835.2fa3c5f2 [at] aol.com> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 13:16:34 EDT Subject: Re: Light lab activities? In a message dated 29/04/05 01:45:52 GMT Daylight Time, taco [at] peak.org writes: > Shadows? Put an object between a light source and another object. Ok, > We're done with that. What shall we do with the rest of our lecture time? > Don't waste it examining anything interesting that might add to their > understanding of how the world works. The purpose of an education is to > learn to simulate apparent light sources, not to broaden one's knowledge > base, after all. I did say that you wouldn't like it. That doesn't make it untrue. Good lighting design is not just a matter of washing the stage with pretty colours. It reqires the lighting to have shape and form. It needs to reveal the actors, to model their faces and bodies, to separate them from the background. In conjunction with the set, it needs to provide a 'space' appropriate to the director's intentions. It needs to indicate the time of day, the weather, changes in location. In all of these colour can have a part to play. But having the correct luminaires in the correct places, correctly focussed, should be the starting point. Look at paintings. Look at the way a Vermeer is lit, or a Corot. Compare them with a Renoir. Look at the world around you, and learn from it. Take photographs, and study what distinguishes a good one from a mediocre one. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.2.1.2.0.20050429003822.00b27640 [at] localhost> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 00:40:33 -0700 From: Jerry Durand Subject: Re: OT Electrical Engineering Question In-Reply-To: References: At 09:26 PM 4/28/2005, you wrote: >Hmmmm... This is very close to the job of powering the Disney/Alweg >monorail cars {Models Mark I, II, III, and IV) that are located at the >various Disney parks, and now in Las Vegas running between the hotels, >except that the Alweg cars need to see 600VDC from the 480 VAC 3 phase >delta line, rather than 650VDC that you have called out, IIRC. It appears >that a 4:5 ratio step-up transformer, a big rectifier, and some >dielectric-filled capacitors are the ingredients for success here. Street cars often run on 600VDC, some time back we bid on designing the control system for a system in S. California. 3 phase power comes in, charges several buildings full of batteries, and the cars run off the batteries. That way power failures don't bother them for a while and they also don't charge the batteries during peak power time (about noon to 6pm). ---------- Jerry Durand Durand Interstellar, Inc. Los Gatos, California, USA tel: +1 408 356-3886 USA toll free: 1 866 356-3886 web: www.interstellar.com ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <6.4419ee03.2fa3c763 [at] aol.com> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 13:22:43 EDT Subject: Re: commas In a message dated 29/04/05 03:15:20 GMT Daylight Time, gwilliams [at] appstate.edu writes: > I'd be glad to, thanks for asking. When typing a phrase or sentence > where the meaning would be heightened by emphasis on a certain word, > italics may be used. Since common e-mail courtesy dictates that we not > use html code in our messages, but instead use plain text, the > underscore indicates a word of emphasis in e-mail where italics might > go in a regular letter. Thanks for the reply. It was not a convention I knew. In spite of the list not accepting html, there are a few messages containing html code which get by. Some contain text such as " l" or something similar, which is, I think, a text formatting code. Frank Wood ------------------------------ From: Harold Hallikainen Subject: Re: OT Electrical Engineering Question Reply-To: harold [at] hallikainen.com Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 10:27:48 -0700 Message-Id: <20050429172748.1AB2967965 [at] hosting4.userservices.net> =0D >Street cars often run on 600VDC, some time back we bid on designing the = =0D >control system for a system in S. California. 3 phase power comes in, =0D >charges several buildings full of batteries, and the cars run off the =0D >batteries. That way power failures don't bother them for a while and they= =0D >also don't charge the batteries during peak power time (about noon to 6pm)= .=0D >=0D =0D =0D I just started looking at this thread... so excuse my comments if they have= =0D already been discussed.=0D =0D A previous post mentioned rectification of three phase delta. It SEEMS it's= =0D easier to deal with a wye without adding a bunch of transformers. With a wy= e, you=0D could half wave rectify each phase with a single diode on that phase. You c= ould=0D full-wave rectify (giving bipolar DC or double voltage DC with the center a= t=0D ground, assuming a grounded neutral at the center of the wye) with two diod= es per=0D phase. In any case, it seems that there's going to be a pretty nasty power = factor=0D however you rectify it. I imagine the power factor could be reduced by usin= g a=0D choke input filter, but that's a big choke! So, in street car power, how is= the=0D AC typically rectified?=0D =0D Harold=0D =0D ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 13:28:11 -0400 From: Stephen Litterst Subject: Re: Light lab activities? Message-id: <42726EAB.2F29C583 [at] ithaca.edu> Organization: IC-Dept. of Theatre Arts References: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com wrote: > --------------------------------------------------- > In all of these colour can have a part to play. But having the correct > luminaires in the correct places, correctly focussed, should be the starting point. *twweeeet* Time to break this up before it gets ugly. You're right, Frank. Having the lights in the right places is a great starting point. And that colour has a part to play. That's what Mark was saying, just in different words. (not to speak for you, Mark, but I will anyway). Very few people on this list advocate for area lighting in dark, saturate colors. I've seen some of the work from the list (mostly in portfolios) and I've been around the field for a while in the US. Colour is used in a supporting role over here. Without checking the archives I'd wager a bottle of good scotch that no one on this list has ever advocated picking colour as the first step of the design process. Now, before anyone else gets their dander up, let's all do a search on the archives for "Colour" and "Frank Wood" so we don't have to fight/watch this battle again. Steve Litterst -- Stephen C. Litterst Technical Supervisor Ithaca College Dept. of Theatre Arts 607/274-3947 slitterst [at] ithaca.edu ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <1c2.279fe4c7.2fa3ca2e [at] aol.com> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 13:34:38 EDT Subject: Re: OT Electrical Engineering Question In a message dated 29/04/05 04:31:03 GMT Daylight Time, limeking [at] gmail.com writes: > I need to find a way to convert 480VAC 3-phase to 650VDC. Dealing with > about 100kW. Please reply privately to save the list from OT > bandwidth. Thank you. Not too much bandwidth here. A straightforward three-phase rectifier will do most of what is needed. It depends on how tolerant the DC end is of ripple. Failing that, a mighty DC-DC converter is another option. These are not cheap. I will consult a friend, who deals with the control gear for such monsters. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 13:41:46 -0400 Subject: Re: commas From: Bill Sapsis Message-ID: In-Reply-To: on 4/29/05 1:22 PM, FrankWood95 [at] aol.com at FrankWood95 [at] aol.com wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > In a message dated 29/04/05 03:15:20 GMT Daylight Time, > gwilliams [at] appstate.edu writes: > >> I'd be glad to, thanks for asking. When typing a phrase or sentence >> where the meaning would be heightened by emphasis on a certain word, >> italics may be used. Since common e-mail courtesy dictates that we not >> use html code in our messages, but instead use plain text, the >> underscore indicates a word of emphasis in e-mail where italics might >> go in a regular letter. > > Thanks for the reply. It was not a convention I knew. > > In spite of the list not accepting html, there are a few messages containing > html code which get by. Some contain text such as " l" or something > similar, which is, I think, a text formatting code. > > Frank Wood Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhh (comma) I can't take it. I, do, not, care, anymore. You can put the damn punctuation anywhere you damn well feel like it, including where the son don't shine. OK? OK Jeez Louise. Bill S. www.sapsis-rigging.com 800.727.7471 800.292.3851 fax 267.278.4561 mobile Please support the Long Reach Long Riders on their 2nd annual benefit ride http://sapsis-rigging.com/LRLR.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 13:46:14 -0400 Subject: Re: commas From: Bill Sapsis Message-ID: In-Reply-To: Ooops. I forgot to put in the <> sign. Does that count as punctuation? Bill S. www.sapsis-rigging.com 800.727.7471 800.292.3851 fax 267.278.4561 mobile Please support the Long Reach Long Riders on their 2nd annual benefit ride http://sapsis-rigging.com/LRLR.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 13:56:44 -0400 Subject: Re: Light lab activities? From: "C. Dopher" Message-ID: In-Reply-To: Mark Harvey wrote: > I have each student > stand in front of the lights while I light them with various color > combinations. My point is that combinations of additive and > subtractive color mixing often produce unpredictable results and > lighting designers do the whole production a favor by taking the time > to look at costume swatches in a light lab demonstrating how colors > will interact. I haven't replied on this topic until now because the simple demonstrations advocated for the one-hour color class, while traditional, seem to me to miss the mark of what theatre lighting is FOR. Demonstrating basic RGB color-mixing is all well and good, but can be a two-minute demo and leave it at that. Anybody with a TV or monitor gets the concept. And subtractive mixing by combining two gels is rare enough that it, too, should be a two-minute demo and leave the rest for student experimentation in light labs or whatnot. "Great, fine, play with it later, moving on to what you'd better get right!" But Mark brings up a very good point: swatches, swatches, and swatches. To his costume swatches, I would add some painted scenery swatches, and as wide array of skin-tone PEOPLE as I could muster, even to the point of inviting guests into the classroom for that lecture. Cris Dopher, LD ------------------------------ Subject: RE: What's going on with the list? Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 13:58:21 -0400 Message-ID: <6E497ADB607656479C24E6D7BF6B505A0196C7F3 [at] exchange.rmwc.edu> From: "Paul Schreiner" Cc: ben.travis [at] gmail.com (Ben) > Just wondering...=20 > I got a bounce warning back to my gmail account. Does this=20 > mean that Google is filtering the list? >=20 > Any other gmail users experience this? *raising hand wildly* Oh! Oh! Mista Kottah! Mista Kottah! Got one m'self this morning... ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <1c3.27a868c5.2fa3d09e [at] aol.com> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 14:02:06 EDT Subject: Re: Phasing for Frank was RE: CD-80 flickering problem In a message dated 29/04/05 13:40:09 GMT Daylight Time, psanow [at] vls.com writes: > In most residential, some older commercial and similar neighborhoods 120/240v > is found in the panel. This is two hots at 180 degrees rotation, a neutral ( > grounding conductor), and an earth ground (if updated). The two hots have > 240v potential between them, and each is 120v from neutral. That is what the > vast majority of the lister's houses will see in the US. I did a little web > search and this might be more familiar to you as "Split Phase". I'm aware of its existance, and of the reasons for it. With the US lower voltage supplies, heavy current appliances would cost an arm and a leg in cable. Even in 230V-land, my cooker has a 40A feed. > > I wanted to make the distinction because sometimes people will say "single- > phase" meaning 120v (one hot, a neutral and a ground). This can even show up > on data sheets for products that simply plug into a wall outlet with a NEMA 5- > 15. We can also use 240v (two hots, no neutral, ground) to run dryers, > motors, etc... That, in my view, is correct usage. Oncer the number before "phase" is more than one, there are ambiguities. Frank Wood ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <129.5c1a0d80.2fa3d940 [at] aol.com> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 14:38:56 EDT Subject: Re: CD-80 flickering problem In a message dated 29/04/05 14:25:47 GMT Daylight Time, billn [at] peak.org writes: > While, in the UK, you use two "hot" wires without a common to get your > power, we often have a "common"/"neutral" that acts as one of the legs. NOT! Absolutely and unequivocally NOT. The power is usually distributed as 11KV three-phase delta. At the sub-station, this is transformed down to three-phase star, at 230V. phase to neutral, and the neutral is earthed. Here, and only here. It is then sent on to domestic consumers, together with an earth. Adjacent consumers are usually on different phases, to achieve some degree of phase balance. > Residences are almost exclusively single phase. > > For the 120/240 system: If you connect across the two feeders, you get 240 > volts. If you connect from a feeder to the common, then you get 120 volts. > The voltage is in phase in both of the legs, even though there are two > legs, which it is called single phase. No, it is not. It is in anti-phase. > For our dimmers at the theatre, we are on single phase. There are two hot > leads plus a common. There is also an equipment ground. That is why Don > stated there were three conductors plus a ground. By me, that is two-phase. From here, single phase implies one live feed, and one neutral. Period. The worst > case is that all the current draw is on one leg, so the current flow is > identical in that leg and the common conductor. If the current in both > legs is perfectly balanced, then there is no current flow in the common > conductor (think about the center tap configuration a bit). Patently obvious. What you say about real three-phase is also right. All that the neutral has to carry is the out-of-balance current. Frank Wood ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <20a.2deb6.2fa3db4f [at] aol.com> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 14:47:43 EDT Subject: Re: Light lab activities? In a message dated 29/04/05 15:05:16 GMT Daylight Time, bill-conner [at] att.net writes: > No I ask you, how could any one of us more succintly discredit Frank? > > Perhaps I'm a little prejudiced since I spent three years studying under Tom > > Skelton who I believe, among the great lighting designers for the stage, was > > a true master in the use of color. Only a little! Just ask yourself, in his designs, did your mentor not consider the locations and nature of the luminaires he used? Frank Wood ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <128.5bec7de3.2fa3dc33 [at] aol.com> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 14:51:31 EDT Subject: Re: tool preferences In a message dated 29/04/05 15:22:43 GMT Daylight Time, paul.guncheon [at] verizon.net writes: > < used for drawing circles on blackboards. When I was a college TD, I > kept one of these in one of my scene shop. I found it very useful for > drawing circles and arcs with a radius of 4" to 18".>> > > I have / had one of those... I found it useful for drawing circles on > chalkboards but not much else... not accurate, too big and unwieldy. > > again, probably just me. For me, a pencil or stick of chalk and a piece of string work fine. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Light lab activities? Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 11:59:02 -0700 Message-ID: From: "Michael Finney" From:=20 On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 FrankWood95 [at] aol.com wrote <> I know should be doing something else, and I'll probably sound a little = bitchy, but..... How in the name of all that is even questionably holy do you think that = colour is irrelevant to lighting design? You've spent an awful lot of = time telling us how the lighting designer's job is to create a sense of = time and place in service to the reality of an environment created by = the scenic designer and the director and *now* you're telling us that = colour has nothing to do with that? Intensity (relative and absolute), = source (location and type), colour, transition of state, and movement = are *all* part of how we perceive light, and I'd suggest that they're = all pretty essential elements for anybody who wants to call themselves a = lighting designer to learn. Not that this statement aggravated me, or anything... Back to the original question: I'd agree with everybody who suggested the "light your classmates in = brightly colored outfits" as the fun-and-games part of the = demonstration. Flower arrangements and arrangements of food can be fun = too (I do that a lot with architectural lighting demonstrations...it's = amazing how bad you can make a good meal look with the wrong colors!). = Working with a good color wheel (a painted/printed color wheel, not the = thing you have to illuminate your aluminum Christmas tree!) is more = objective, and gives a better sense of absolute changes in color. But = it won't get many people excited (it makes a nice lab project or "visual = quiz" option, though). =20 Personally, I like to work with both a single source (that you can drop = your choice of colors in front of), and a CMY set-up of 3 lamps colored = appropriately and dimmed individually (or one CMY source). You can also = play with other 3 color standards (Red/Green/Blue, for instance, or the = GAM primary/secondary colors from their "wheel-o'colour"). =20 I like the single source as it has a more immediate feedback to the = student ("oh, look what blue does to that blouse!"), and I like the CMY = set-up because it gives more control over the color mixing. In = addition, I like the CMY set-up because it can start to introduce the = concept of CMY color mixing for the day when the students start to work = with moving lights and LED colour mixing sources. Yeah, Frank, I know - no real designer would ever use a moving light, = and LED sources are spectrally inappropriate. We're all using them = anyway. It's our own little set of heresies.... Michael Finney Thinkwell Design & Production mfinney [at] thinkwelldesign.com www.thinkwelldesign.com =A0 ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <198.3e08b0e5.2fa3debe [at] aol.com> Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 15:02:22 EDT Subject: Re: Light lab activities? In a message dated 29/04/05 17:31:25 GMT Daylight Time, doran [at] bard.edu writes: > I must say that colour is exactly as irrelevant as direction, shape, > intensity, > and shadow in simulating or illuminating anything on stage. Why must you say that? I can think of reasons, which I am not prepared to post on this newsgroup. We try to preserve the courtesies. If I am not > correct, and you actually believe your statement, you will be able to > truthfully tell me that you do not use any color medium, and that the lamps > you use in the insturments are good enough on their own. I seldom use colour, true. As said, It has its uses. Heck, you > probably just flip on the light switch and call it good enough, right? Try not to be a bigger fool than God made you. There are many things I could say, but why bother? It sems to me that your intellectual capacity is not up to appreciating them. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 09:11:39 -1000 Subject: Re: tool preferences/ trammel points From: Shell Dalzell Message-ID: In-Reply-To: > A nail, a piece of string, and a pencil will do a fair job. > > Frank Wood Jeez (comma) Frank (comma) you are a freakin genius. I don't know how paul and I with a combined shop experience of about 80 years didn't come up with that mind blowing solution. Aloha, Shell ------------------------------ End of Stagecraft Digest #381 *****************************