Return-Path: X-Scanned-By: RAE MPP/Clamd 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 27235078; Thu, 02 Feb 2006 03:00:51 -0800 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 #676 Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2006 03:00:17 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Disposition: inline X-Spam-Status: No, score=-5.7 required=5.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00 autolearn=ham version=3.0.4 X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.4 (2005-06-05) on prxy.net X-TFF-CGPSA-Version: 1.4f2 X-prxy-Spam-Filter: Scanned For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Stagecraft Digest, Issue #676 1. Re: tech riders [Camlok Gender] by "Marc Palmer" 2. Re: tech riders by Bruce Purdy 3. side lighting by Bruce Purdy 4. Re: Pre Wired Candelabra Light Strings (UPDATE) by "Mike Wade" 5. Re: side lighting by Greg Bierly 6. Re: Mic stand recommendations... by "Fritz, Barry L" 7. Re: Pre Wired Candleabra Light Strings by "Sam Fisher" 8. Re: Expanded metal flooring by Dale Farmer 9. Re: side lighting by Stephen Litterst 10. Re: side lighting by Stephen Litterst 11. Re: Expanded metal flooring by "Paul Schreiner" 12. Re: Tech Riders [CamLok Gender] by Stephen Litterst 13. Re: side lighting by "Paul Schreiner" 14. Re: Mic stand recommendations... by John Penisten 15. Re: Mic stand recommendations... by "Paul Schreiner" 16. Re: Expanded metal flooring by "Fred Schoening, Jr." 17. Re: odd / mistaken equipment titles by "Paul Schreiner" 18. Re: odd / mistaken equipment titles (or what will they think of next?) by "Paul Schreiner" 19. Re: Job titles by "Paul Schreiner" 20. Re: Expanded metal flooring by "Stephen E. Rees" 21. Re: Expanded metal flooring by SS 22. Re: odd / mistaken equipment titles by Bruce Purdy 23. Re: odd / mistaken equipment titles by "Jon Ares" 24. Re: side lighting by SS 25. Re: Expanded metal flooring by Christopher Haas CEHAAS 26. redirect of attention by b Ricie 27. air cylinder by Greg Bierly 28. Re: redirect of attention by Bruce Purdy 29. Re: Job titles by CB 30. Re: air cylinder by Bruce Purdy 31. Re: Job titles by "Jeffrey E. Salzberg" 32. Re: tech riders by CB 33. Re: tech riders by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 34. Re: side lighting by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 35. Re: tech riders by Brian James 36. Re: air cylinder by Stephen Litterst 37. Re: tech riders by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 38. Re: air cylinder by "G. D. George" 39. Re: tech riders by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 40. Re: tech riders by "Randy B." 41. Re: air cylinder by "Jon Lagerquist" 42. Re: tech riders by Bruce Purdy 43. Re: tech riders by "Joe Golden" 44. Re: tech riders by "Matthew Breton" 45. Re: air cylinder by Delbert Hall 46. Re: air cylinder by Delbert Hall 47. Re: air cylinder by Stephen Litterst 48. Re: air cylinder by "Laura McMeley" 49. Re: Job titles by "Occy" 50. Re: Expanded metal flooring by "Occy" 51. Re: tech rider by June Abernathy 52. Re: tech riders by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 53. Re: tech rider by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 54. Re: tech riders by Stephen Litterst 55. Re: tech riders by Jerry Durand 56. Re: air cylinder by "Brian Busch" 57. Re: air cylinder by Greg Bierly 58. Re: redirect of attention by Jim Hyslop 59. Outdoor period fixtures by Brian James 60. tix for Cirque in San Jose by "Jared Fortney" 61. Re: tech riders by "Bill Nelson" 62. Re: tech rider by "Bill Nelson" 63. Re: tech riders by "Bill Nelson" 64. Re: tech riders by "Bill Nelson" *** 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: RE: tech riders [Camlok Gender] Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 08:06:51 -0500 Message-ID: From: "Marc Palmer" The gender thing is a nudge in the right direction - it won't "prevent" anything, but it might guide people in the right direction where they otherwise would have make an error.=20 If you're looking for a real solution on this, Powerlok connectors in use in Europe are physically keyed to L1, L2, etc., so even if you're blind or thinking of another country's old color code you won't be able to cross-plug anything.=20 Of course you'll still be able to mess it up with the Camlok adapters and turnarounds we'd all have to use to make them work with everything we already have - can you say Posi-Lok? Marc ___ From: "Bill Nelson" >> The rational, as I understand it, is to prevent >> careless and/or colorblind folks from accidentally >> plugging a hot line into a ground or neutral, or vice >> versa. >Maybe a color blind person should find a different occupation? >There is little that can be done to protect equipment from a careless or >Tired person - except check their work before the feeds are powered up... ___ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 08:21:10 -0500 Subject: Re: tech riders From: Bruce Purdy Message-ID: In-Reply-To: > I have seen many stage plugs and adapter cables wired incorrectly. I have > made testers to check for these faults - essentially the same thing as > the neon testers that you plug into a wall outlet to check the wiring > there. I have one of those neon testers, and use it with a "Stage pin to Edison" adapter. I already had both in stock, so I could never see the time and effort to make up a special tester just for pins. Bruce -- Bruce Purdy Technical Director Smith Opera House ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 08:36:52 -0500 Subject: side lighting From: Bruce Purdy Message-ID: In-Reply-To: Thanks for the suggestions on combating "Tippy" off balance booms. The threaded tie-off points sound good, but as I recall the booms we rent in don't have a threaded top. They are actually 8' pipes, a coupler, then a four foot pipe (8' cut in half) on top. Some good ideas and concepts to mull over though. I think the ideal solution would be to use a 6' tall boom for the shinbusters etc. (Less tippy), and hang the higher instruments from taildowns. Unfortunately we don't have the budget, and it's a lot of work for the occasional (Once a year maybe) one-off dance show that we need them for. I can think of other shows where the taildowns would come in handy though. Great - *Another* thing to add to my "Wish list"! ;-) Great new ideas for me to ruminate on in the mean time. God I love this list! Bruce -- Bruce Purdy Technical Director Smith Opera House ------------------------------ Reply-To: From: "Mike Wade" Cc: mike [at] focusnote.com Subject: Re: Pre Wired Candelabra Light Strings (UPDATE) Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 08:49:43 -0500 Message-ID: <001101c62736$5d6a90a0$d47cfea9 [at] Mike> It looks like I forgot to mention that I would like to find panel mount versions. Thanks for the input do far, I am certainly heading in the correct direction. Mike Wade ------------------------------------------------ ... I have seen the product I am looking for before... Little black plastic sockets mounted to 14ga (maybe 16ga) wire. I know that particular brand offered different spacing and multiple circuits with a shared neutral. ... ------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <54E5E065-FD16-49CF-A385-90B0B9450ADE [at] dejazzd.com> From: Greg Bierly Subject: Re: side lighting Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 08:59:47 -0500 > I recall the booms we rent in > don't have a threaded top. In that case if it is a standard boom. Run your rope down through the entire boom to below the boom base and run it through a large enough washer then tie an knot below the washer. Or you could tie an icicle hitch or similar knot to the top of the boom pipe to safety to the grid. Greg Bierly Technical Director Hempfield HS ------------------------------ Subject: RE: Mic stand recommendations... Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 09:20:29 -0500 Message-ID: From: "Fritz, Barry L" > Anyone want to make a recommendation for mic stands and a vendor? Looking > for mainly boom stands. >=20 > Thanks! >=20 > Steve >=20 >=20 I've been using Atlas for my round base stands. (MS-12CE for vocals, DMS-10E & DMS-7E for percussion, amps, etc.)=20 For tripods I've been using AKG (K&M) mic stands with booms (KM-21091B) I like the Atlas booms (PB-11XE & PB-21XE) better than the booms that come with the AKG stands. The Atlas booms have a nice big counter weight. Locking the boom's position has been an issue with both brands. You have to really crank on the AKG stands to lock down the tilt. Setting the boom length on the Atlas booms can be a pain. The locking bolts always seem to be just short enough to not allow you to tighten them down enough. A group was in a few weeks ago that had stands with squeeze clutches for their height adjustment. Didn't get a chance to find out who makes them. Markertek's stand prices and selection aren't bad. www.markertek.com Hope that helps, Barry ------------------------------ From: "Sam Fisher" Cc: mike [at] focusnote.com Subject: RE: Pre Wired Candleabra Light Strings Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 09:59:47 -0500 Message-ID: <001201c62740$24be7690$180aa8c0 [at] ftoffice.local> In-Reply-To: Try www.nationalartcraft.com Sam Fisher General Manager / VP Fisher Theatrical, LLC. 410-487-0100 office 410-487-0090 fax All information contained in this email, including any attachments, is to be treated as Confidential. -----Original Message----- From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Mike Wade Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 3:15 PM To: Stagecraft Cc: mike [at] focusnote.com Subject: Pre Wired Candleabra Light Strings For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Hello list. I am finding myself in a situation that I come up against regularly: I need cost effective, prewired candelabra base light strings. It will cost me to much to have my shop make the strings (a la McMaster parts), the belt light (from Action Lighting) is a little to clunky for what I want. I have seen the product I am looking for before... Little black plastic sockets mounted to 14ga (maybe 16ga) wire. I know that particular brand offered different spacing and multiple circuits with a shared neutral. Has anyone seen something like this on the market? Thanks for the help- Mike Wade ------------------------------ Message-ID: <43E0CF02.1090804 [at] cybercom.net> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 10:08:50 -0500 From: Dale Farmer Organization: I'm working on that.... Subject: Re: Expanded metal flooring References: In-Reply-To: Jeremiah Minh Greenblatt wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Heather, > > What Strand Width/Strand Thickness are you working with? I don't have a spec > sheet handy but it is difficult to estimate safe working spans without > knowing the gauge. Also, how is the metal attached to the wooden frame (i.e. > is all the flex occurring in the field or is the mess bending up at the > edges?)? Might it be possible to double up the sheets to increase the > strength without significantly changing the look? > > - J.Minh I don't recall seeing expanded metal being used as flooring except in small animal cages before. If it's flexing under your weight, that is a danger sign. Is the stuff even rated for decking? Why do you want to use this material? --Dale ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 10:13:26 -0500 From: Stephen Litterst Subject: Re: side lighting In-reply-to: Message-id: <43E0D016.2070004 [at] ithaca.edu> Organization: IC-Dept. of Theatre Arts References: Bruce Purdy wrote: > --------------------------------------------------- > Interesting. How do you do it? AC cable? Rope & "Rabbit ears"? > and how do you attach to the boom? Is it as simple as tying to a pipe clamp? > On the rare occasion that we use booms, we rent them in, and they are simply > 12' of pipe and a 50# base, so welding on an attachment point is not an > option. Tying to a pipe clamp will support your boom off of it's center of gravity. We use a fitting sold by City Theatrical -- essentially a pipe coupler with a hoop welded to it. Thread that to the top of the boom and attach your pick to it. Our picks are 1/4" wire rope, with chain to attach to the grid and a turnbuckle w/ chain to attach to the pipe and tension it. You could certainly use rope, but you'll need to figure in some provision for the rope stretching. Eons ago (around 10 years, oi!) this same discussion happened on the list and someone advocated for making the rope picks a few inches short and letting the rope stretch to lower the boom to the floor. Never tried it myself. Steve L. -- Stephen C. Litterst Technical Supervisor Ithaca College Dept. of Theatre Arts 607/274-3947 slitterst [at] ithaca.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 10:16:31 -0500 From: Stephen Litterst Subject: Re: side lighting In-reply-to: Message-id: <43E0D0CF.3070906 [at] ithaca.edu> Organization: IC-Dept. of Theatre Arts References: Bruce Purdy wrote: > --------------------------------------------------- > > Thanks for the suggestions on combating "Tippy" off balance booms. The > threaded tie-off points sound good, but as I recall the booms we rent in > don't have a threaded top. They are actually 8' pipes, a coupler, then a > four foot pipe (8' cut in half) on top. I know you have a tight budget, but pipe isn't really that expensive. I'd be willing to bet that buying the pipe would pay for itself in a year or two of not having to rent it. Then you could have it threaded any way you want. Boom bases are more expensive and larger to store, so that may still be worth renting. Steve L. -- Stephen C. Litterst Technical Supervisor Ithaca College Dept. of Theatre Arts 607/274-3947 slitterst [at] ithaca.edu ------------------------------ Subject: RE: Expanded metal flooring Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 10:18:22 -0500 Message-ID: <6E497ADB607656479C24E6D7BF6B505A042A9AF4 [at] exchange.rmwc.edu> From: "Paul Schreiner" > I don't recall seeing expanded metal being used as=20 > flooring except in small animal cages before. If it's flexing under > your weight, that is a danger sign. Is the stuff even rated > for decking? Why do you want to use this material? I used a bunch of it for "Getting Out" a couple of years ago. It's a beast to work with, and ended up being responsible for a partially-herniated L5 disc. That being said (though just that last part inclines me to echo the question of "why"), plenty of companies make the stuff for use in catwalk flooring and for stairways. It does flex, though, and it's not suited to completely unsupported spans; you want a rigid frame that gets legged up or supported appropriately, then "drop" the expanded metal into or on top of that. But you'll still need some sort of horizontal supports (even if it's just 1/8"x2" flat bar stock welded to the frame) to control the flex (which tends to be much worse parallel to the "grain"). ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 10:18:59 -0500 From: Stephen Litterst Subject: Re: Tech Riders [CamLok Gender] In-reply-to: Message-id: <43E0D163.5000707 [at] ithaca.edu> Organization: IC-Dept. of Theatre Arts References: StevevETTrn [at] aol.com wrote: > --------------------------------------------------- Unfortunately, the real electricians who made the tie-in at some > remote panel > managed to reverse the neutral and one of the hot legs on the lugs. The > dimmer smoked. > Every since, I personally verify their work. Even when I do the tie-in, I meter at the panel and at the cams to make sure each leg is correct. Then I connect the dimmers and meter there before throwing the switch. I'm just a little paranoid. Steve L. (Is it me, or are there too many Steves on this list?) -- Stephen C. Litterst Technical Supervisor Ithaca College Dept. of Theatre Arts 607/274-3947 slitterst [at] ithaca.edu ------------------------------ Subject: RE: side lighting Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 10:21:04 -0500 Message-ID: <6E497ADB607656479C24E6D7BF6B505A042A9AF5 [at] exchange.rmwc.edu> From: "Paul Schreiner" > Eons ago (around 10 years, oi!) this same=20 > discussion happened on the list and someone advocated for making the=20 > rope picks a few inches short and letting the rope stretch to lower=20 > the boom to the floor. Never tried it myself. Ye gods! I remember that too... ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Mic stand recommendations... Message-ID: <5257-SnapperMsgB0894D29C0067579 [at] [166.227.64.217]> In-Reply-To: References: From: John Penisten Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 07:24:18 -0800 (PST) These are made by Ultimate Support. http://www.ultimatesupport.com/s.nl/sc.14/category.46/.f I have seen and liked the MC-97 stacking stand. John ___ Sent with SnapperMail www.snappermail.com >A group was in a few weeks ago that had stands with squeeze clutches for >their height adjustment. Didn't get a chance to find out who makes >them. ------------------------------ Subject: RE: Mic stand recommendations... Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 10:38:22 -0500 Message-ID: <6E497ADB607656479C24E6D7BF6B505A042A9AF6 [at] exchange.rmwc.edu> From: "Paul Schreiner" > I have seen and liked the MC-97 stacking stand. I'll second the recommendation for these. The only complaint I have with the boom arm attachment is that the little clip that helps tidy up the mic cable tends to get lost very easily. Other than that, the fact that you can store four mic stands in the floor space one would normally take up makes them very handy. ------------------------------ Message-ID: <11830306.1138809323177.JavaMail.root [at] mswamui-bichon.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 09:55:23 -0600 (GMT-06:00) From: "Fred Schoening, Jr." Reply-To: "Fred Schoening, Jr." Subject: Re: Expanded metal flooring Expanded steel is commonly used for decking on catwalks, etc. The regular type (as opposed to "rolled") is used in places where a high degree of traction is necessary. We have this material as the walking surface in our grid (although, that doesn't necessarily mean much - Frank Lloyd Wright had some pretty funny ideas about what makes a good theatre!) Flexing isn't necessarily a danger sign. Everything flexes to some degree. It's a question of how much is acceptable. I wil say that a 3' x 5' panel of expanded steel with no support other than at the edges sounds a little iffy to me. I assume that, since it's built and installed already, building new panels with a different material is probably not an option at this point. I'm also going to assume that they want to shoot light and/or fog through the grating. So my first recommendation would be to build a couple of small studwalls to put under it, with perhaps a piece of thin but large steel angle fastened to the studwall, leg up, so that you get more support without seeing the thickness of 2-by. Or, if there's a steel frame around the perimeter of the grating, perhaps the angle could be welded straight to that. Hope this helps, "Big Fred" Schoening Technical Director, Dallas Theater Center Dallas, Texas, USA -----Original Message----- > I don't recall seeing expanded metal being used as flooring >except in small animal cages before. If it's flexing under >your weight, that is a danger sign. Is the stuff even rated >for decking? Why do you want to use this material? > > --Dale ------------------------------ Subject: RE: odd / mistaken equipment titles Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 11:00:35 -0500 Message-ID: <6E497ADB607656479C24E6D7BF6B505A042A9AF8 [at] exchange.rmwc.edu> From: "Paul Schreiner" > I worked on a production of Mucus Man years ago where the set=20 > designer kept=20 > referring on the drawings to the "gazbo." Forevermore, those white=20 > pavillions in parks will now be gazbos to me. The designer may have been betraying his interest in classic movies. IIRC, one character in the movie "The Gazebo" consistently refers to it as a "gaze-bo". Though I've never seen that one, my wife has, and ever since my brother got married in a gaze-bo (on the Virginia Tech campus, for those of you who might be familiar with that place) we've always referred to them that way as well. ------------------------------ Subject: RE: odd / mistaken equipment titles (or what will they think of next?) Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 11:02:51 -0500 Message-ID: <6E497ADB607656479C24E6D7BF6B505A042A9AFA [at] exchange.rmwc.edu> From: "Paul Schreiner" > Once, when left to my own devices to finish a build of one=20 > part of a set while the designer/builder/shop owner went to=20 > load-in the rest of a set (taking almost all of the tools in=20 > the shop with him) I started labeling the makeshift tools I=20 > had conscripted as the actual tool they replaced. His wife=20 > insisted that I take pictures, and I think that I may have=20 > one on my computer at home. I'll be back on Tuesday, and=20 > I'll put it on the web somewhere if I get a reminder. Consider this your reminder! :) ------------------------------ Subject: RE: Job titles Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 11:04:45 -0500 Message-ID: <6E497ADB607656479C24E6D7BF6B505A042A9AFB [at] exchange.rmwc.edu> From: "Paul Schreiner" Just remembered another job title from waaay back when. The first opera director I ever worked with used to refer to his singers as "screaming piglets". ------------------------------ Message-ID: <43E0DD00.2020209 [at] fredonia.edu> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 11:08:32 -0500 From: "Stephen E. Rees" Reply-To: Rees [at] fredonia.edu Subject: Re: Expanded metal flooring References: Instead of expanded metal that needs a lot of support framing and won't allow unsupported spans, you might try trading the goods for something called bar grate which has the same shaped openings (and other shapes) but is fabricated from narrow flat bar that is bent zig-zag fashion, set on edge and then welded/riveted to adjacent pieces to make up the piece of deck. Think subway grating. Check: www.mcnichols.com and look under grate Our experience with expanded metal was OK but it was supported on 12" centers. It still deflected but not so much as to defeat the purpose of the material choice. HTH. Steve Rees, TD SUNY-Fredonia ------------------------------ Message-ID: <8231e7ea0602010812i353ec9c9p4c327e6da9407aff [at] mail.gmail.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 11:12:10 -0500 From: SS Subject: Re: Expanded metal flooring In-Reply-To: References: >>>>But you'll still need some sort of horizontal supports (even if it's just 1/8"x2" flat bar stock welded to the frame) to control the flex (which tends to be much worse parallel to the "grain").<<<< Ditto. A gentlemen I used to work with/for (remaining nameless) was keen on using expanded metal for decking purposes once and a while. Unfortunately, I do not recall exactly what specs were used, but I want to say it was carbon, flattened, no more than a 1/2" diamond, and the gauge was...probably... 16, like Chris said. However, we never relied solely on the "sheet" for support. Flat stock, or at least 1x2 box tubing, was always used accordingly (toggles, on centers) when spanning the playing surface/platforms, just like when one is using good ole' fashioned wood!! Make sense? HTH. And refrain from wearing high heels!! :)- -SS TTS-EKU "Oh, and next Friday... is Hawaiian shirt day... so, you know, if you want to you can go ahead and wear a Hawaiian shirt and jeans. " --Bill Lumbergh ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 11:22:44 -0500 Subject: Re: odd / mistaken equipment titles From: Bruce Purdy Message-ID: In-Reply-To: > I worked on a production of Mucus Man years ago where the set > designer kept > referring on the drawings to the "gazbo." A couple of months ago I worked with a Hungarian troupe that had a "Less than perfect" grasp of English, and I think even less knowledge of technical Theatre. Their "Light plot" (Actually a chicken scratch diagram of their stage layout) made several references to "FERNERS". I correctly deduced that they meant Fresnels. Of course they also specified a "Source Four Model CE." After some hurried research, it turned out that the "CE" was merely the Canadian equivalent to the US's UL listing. A regular Source 4 was fine. Bruce -- Bruce Purdy Technical Director Smith Opera House ------------------------------ Message-ID: <003d01c6274c$eab8dfa0$0600000a [at] BRUTUS> From: "Jon Ares" References: Subject: Re: odd / mistaken equipment titles Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 08:31:13 -0800 > Theatre. Their "Light plot" (Actually a chicken scratch diagram of their > stage layout) made several references to "FERNERS". I correctly deduced > that > they meant Fresnels. Maybe they meant non-indigenous people strapped to the grid in prescribed locations... - Jon Ares www.hevanet.com/acreative ------------------------------ Message-ID: <8231e7ea0602010835r57ca981mcc665c1a139f1394 [at] mail.gmail.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 11:35:43 -0500 From: SS Subject: Re: side lighting In-Reply-To: References:

>>>>The guys at the music hall here use a flange and sleeve on the bottom of our tall booms which can then be lagged into the stage floor. Then drop a line from the grid and attach to a loop on top of the boom for added safety. There is still some tendency to lean, but it won't go over. If the boom is especially heavily loaded, they have added a come-along to the rope overhead to provide extra tension.<<<< A method I have seen used before on numerous occasions.Seems to do the trick for the most part. *Side note to this* --One house I worked in back in the day included "wing" booms in the house plot. Since they were always in place we would just loosen the lags, and swing the pipe/instruments out of the way when need be. Rarely did we have to remove a boom. Always found that to be a nice touch and extremely helpful. And quoting Steve: "I've found that if you can hang on a sidearm to the side of the boom, you can get the weight of the unit much closer to the pipe than if you were hanging directly off the yoke. We use short side arms and keep the fixtures as close to the booms as possible. When the design allows it, the units are hung on each side of the pipe to keep the boom as balanced as possible." Keeping that advice in mind, any tendency to be off-balance should, for the most part, be alleviated. Been there, done that, got the swag to prove it!!! :)- -SS TTS-EKU "Oh, and next Friday... is Hawaiian shirt day... so, you know, if you want to you can go ahead and wear a Hawaiian shirt and jeans. " --Bill Lumbergh ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: Subject: Re: Expanded metal flooring Message-ID: From: Christopher Haas CEHAAS Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 11:50:24 -0500 I concur with Chris. I've used the 3/4 #9 and set my supports at 24". It was a little to springy, but it got me through the production. Next time I'm moving my supports closer together. The industry recommendation is 1/4" deflection max (from my McNichols catalog). I can't find any recommendations for support spacing for flattened expanded metal, but the McNichols catalog does have load/span info for expanded metal that meant for catwalk and grating. It's on page 14 of my catalog, which I'm not sure is the most current. However all the information is at their website www.mcnichols.com. I've also found them to be very helpful when I've called just to ask questions. good luck Chip Haas Technical Director Department of Theatre The University of North Carolina at Greensboro 336-334-3891 ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20060201174003.35372.qmail [at] web50609.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 09:40:00 -0800 (PST) From: b Ricie Subject: redirect of attention In-Reply-To: Last night while flipping through the State of the Union coverage I noticed that the Religion channel was dark. Out of curiosity I checked back a few times during the speech and the channel remained dark through the entire speech. Just reminded me of how we in theatre "direct" what we want our "audience" to see. Brian Rice 508-685-0716 b_ricie [at] yahoo.com "Blessed are the cracked: For it is they who let in the light." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Message-Id: <55CDA274-CBD4-4FED-AB49-A65EE339FEAC [at] dejazzd.com> From: Greg Bierly Subject: air cylinder Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 13:16:15 -0500 I am looking for an economical air cylinder with a 30" stroke to run and "elevator" door. It will be driving two 36" hollow core luan door panels. Is there such a thing under $100 ea.? Greg Bierly Technical Director Hempfield HS ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 13:38:24 -0500 Subject: Re: redirect of attention From: Bruce Purdy Message-ID: In-Reply-To: >. Just reminded me of how we > in theatre "direct" what we want our "audience" to see. > That is the art of a Magician - and in a sense we are all Magicians. We create the Magic of the Theatre! Bruce -- Bruce Purdy Technical Director Smith Opera House ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20060201114446.00d080b8 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 11:44:46 From: CB Subject: Re: Job titles >The only offense in this is to demean a great band .... ...that took their name from a partly deroguetory reference for a stage performer. And thus the circle is complete. Chris "Chris" Babbie Location Sound MON AZ Delete key training and post trimming done by appointment. Rates negotiable, will trade for typing lessons/ADD treatment... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 13:58:23 -0500 Subject: Re: air cylinder From: Bruce Purdy Message-ID: In-Reply-To: > I am looking for an economical air cylinder with a 30" stroke to run > and "elevator" door. It will be driving two 36" hollow core luan > door panels. Is there such a thing under $100 ea.? > I'm reminded of a speech by Gene Roddenberry (Creator of the "Star Trek" TV series for you young whippersnappers) back at SU. He related how engineers were often hounding him for the secret to what kind of technology he used on the ship's elevator doors. They snapped open and closed much faster and smoother than the engineers had been able to accomplish with any elevators they could come up with. The high tech secret was of course, two stagehands behind the set, that pulled the doors open and pushed them shut on cue. It's amazing how intelligent people look for high tech solutions and overlook the obvious. This is theatre after all - not real life! (Of course the original Star Trek was more than just Theatre - it was more like a religion.) Anyway, just a thought, but the same solution might be practical in your situation as well. Much cheaper than $100! It all depends of course, on whether you have a community Theatre with volunteer stagehands for a short run, or have to pay two IA stagehands just to do this every night for a long run. ;-) Bruce -- Bruce Purdy Technical Director Smith Opera House ------------------------------ Reply-To: From: "Jeffrey E. Salzberg" Subject: RE: Job titles Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 14:00:53 -0500 Message-ID: <004301c62761$d36dd7a0$6501a8c0 [at] Dell> In-Reply-To: > ...that took their name from a partly deroguetory reference > for a stage performer. Partly? ------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.6.32.20060201120626.00d080b8 [at] pop.west.cox.net> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 12:06:26 From: CB Subject: Re: tech riders > I would point out that in dim light, EVERYONE is >color-blind. And we do often work in the dark, after all. I would point out that this is the reason that nearly every stagehand I know carries some sort of flashlight with him. "It was dark, I couldn't see well" ain't gonna fly as an excuse for hooking up four-ought incorrectly. "It was dark, I couldn't read my meter" would fly even less well. I agree, though, no matter what you do, or how it got there, the last thing you do is meter the connection before it gets made. If the colors look right and it meters wrong, it still wrong. Chris "Chris" Babbie Location Sound MON AZ Delete key training and post trimming done by appointment. Rates negotiable, will trade for typing lessons/ADD treatment... ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <85.368e4d91.31126185 [at] aol.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 14:09:57 EST Subject: Re: tech riders In a message dated 01/02/06 06:14:47 GMT Standard Time, alderson [at] uwosh.edu writes: > Frank (and I've told you this before, personally), the neutral and > ground are no more _legally_ interchangeable in the US than they are in > the UK. Physics doesn't recognize national boundaries, and our approach > isn't THAT much different than yours. We have a different voltage, and > make earth/ground in different places, but the biggest differences, I > believe, are in terminology rather than practice. I note the 'legally', which suggests that it sometimes happens. I think the usual difference is that our supply company supplies the ground. rather than having to use your own spike. Three-phase comes in on five wires; the three lives, neutral, and ground. These all arrive in the intake bus-bar chamber. The neutral is grounded at the sub-station, where the 11KV to 415V transformer is to be found. To our theatre, it makes no real difference, as the transformer is within 6' of the intake bus. Not all are so fortunate. The open-air Minack theatre, on the Cornish coast, was at the end of a long, single-phase feeder. With a 60A load on, the neutral was 90V above ground, and the meter in the control room indicated a 52A draw. It has been improved since last I worked there. Frank Wood ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <258.6183a53.3112641b [at] aol.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 14:20:59 EST Subject: Re: side lighting In a message dated 01/02/06 06:16:58 GMT Standard Time, seanrmc [at] earthlink.net writes: > We don't have a true gridiron (only I-beams overhead). So, we have to tie > off to beams or battens that have been gridded and their arbors chained off > to the rail. Rope tied to pipe below a c-clamp or cheesborough, or better > using a Boom Tie Off. In some ways we are lucky. With our low height, the bars of the lighting bridges are 20' and 22' above the stage floor. A 24' pole, clamped top and bottom, is very secure, if a nuisance to rig. If you are using hemp lines, there is a knot (timber hitch, I think) which works very well. It consists of a clove hitch round the pipe, with a half hitch about 2' above it. The half hitch carries the load, and the clove hitch leeps the tail in the right place. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Message-ID: <43E10A92.6060502 [at] gmail.com> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 14:22:58 -0500 From: Brian James Reply-To: brianedwardjames [at] gmail.com Subject: Re: tech riders References: In-Reply-To: Let's face it, there i no perfect solution to this, If you revers ground and neutral, you MAY get you ground and neutral connected wrong. If you do not reverse ground and neutral, then it would be just as easy to connect your ground to a hot connector. Seems this whole thing is a matter of preference, training, paying attention and taking reasonable precautions, like metering everything you connect. There is no perfect solution to many things, you just have to choose what makes most sense, or in some cases, choose the option that sucks less than the other options. CB wrote: >For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see >--------------------------------------------------- > > > >>I would point out that in dim light, EVERYONE is >>color-blind. And we do often work in the dark, after all. >> >> > >I would point out that this is the reason that nearly every stagehand I >know carries some sort of flashlight with him. "It was dark, I couldn't see >well" ain't gonna fly as an excuse for hooking up four-ought incorrectly. >"It was dark, I couldn't read my meter" would fly even less well. I agree, >though, no matter what you do, or how it got there, the last thing you do >is meter the connection before it gets made. If the colors look right and >it meters wrong, it still wrong. > Chris "Chris" Babbie > Location Sound > MON AZ > >Delete key training and post trimming done by appointment. Rates >negotiable, will trade for typing lessons/ADD treatment... > > > -- Brian James ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 14:25:35 -0500 From: Stephen Litterst Subject: Re: air cylinder In-reply-to: Message-id: <43E10B2F.7030308 [at] ithaca.edu> Organization: IC-Dept. of Theatre Arts References: Bruce Purdy wrote: > --------------------------------------------------- > I'm reminded of a speech by Gene Roddenberry (Creator of the "Star Trek" > TV series for you young whippersnappers) back at SU. He related how > engineers were often hounding him for the secret to what kind of technology > he used on the ship's elevator doors. They snapped open and closed much > faster and smoother than the engineers had been able to accomplish with any > elevators they could come up with. At my first internship we had a scene where six doors had to open and close simultaneously. The stage manager was switch that fired the cue light, so all six interns would shut the doors. After final tech, the SM came on stage looking for the mechanism that operated all the doors. All along she thought her switch was directly controlling the doors. Steve L. -- 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: Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 14:31:51 EST Subject: Re: tech riders In a message dated 01/02/06 07:01:07 GMT Standard Time, billn [at] peak.org writes: > On the other hand, there are many tools and appliances that have only two > conductors - hot and neutral. Oh yes, but these are supposed to be 'double insulated', which is a very specific standard. Testing it involves a 4KV probe. The only exception I know of is shaver outlets in bathrooms, which contain a cuttent limiting transformer. But most TV and HI-FI gear has only two wires, as has much domestic gear. Frank Wood ------------------------------ From: "G. D. George" Subject: RE: air cylinder Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 14:36:59 -0500 In-Reply-To: Message-ID: There's another half to that story though. After all the rehearsal to get people to walk straight through the doors (without pausing) that were to open quickly and automatically, there were a number of cast members with black eyes die to blown cues, distracted stages hands or the like. You pays your money and you takes your chances. Jerry G. D. George Assistant Professor and Technical Director Capital University Theatre Department of Communications 1 College and Main Columbus, OH 43209 (614) 236-6498 ggeorge [at] capital.edu -----Original Message----- From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Bruce Purdy Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 1:58 PM To: Stagecraft Subject: Re: air cylinder For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- > I am looking for an economical air cylinder with a 30" stroke to run > and "elevator" door. It will be driving two 36" hollow core luan > door panels. Is there such a thing under $100 ea.? > I'm reminded of a speech by Gene Roddenberry (Creator of the "Star Trek" TV series for you young whippersnappers) back at SU. He related how engineers were often hounding him for the secret to what kind of technology he used on the ship's elevator doors. They snapped open and closed much faster and smoother than the engineers had been able to accomplish with any elevators they could come up with. The high tech secret was of course, two stagehands behind the set, that pulled the doors open and pushed them shut on cue. It's amazing how intelligent people look for high tech solutions and overlook the obvious. This is theatre after all - not real life! (Of course the original Star Trek was more than just Theatre - it was more like a religion.) Anyway, just a thought, but the same solution might be practical in your situation as well. Much cheaper than $100! It all depends of course, on whether you have a community Theatre with volunteer stagehands for a short run, or have to pay two IA stagehands just to do this every night for a long run. ;-) Bruce -- Bruce Purdy Technical Director Smith Opera House ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <244.62a3dd0.31126848 [at] aol.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 14:38:48 EST Subject: Re: tech riders In a message dated 01/02/06 07:12:18 GMT Standard Time, billn [at] peak.org writes: > I have seen many stage plugs and adapter cables wired incorrectly. I have > made testers to check for these faults - essentially the same thing as > the neon testers that you plug into a wall outlet to check the wiring > there. Let me recommend a gadget called, in the UK, a 'voltstick'. Its functionality is the same as that of a neon tester, but it doesn't rely on contact, and it is more sensitive. It is capable of checking the two ends of a fuse, and noy lighting up on one end if the fuse has blown. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Message-ID: <017701c6276c$17206cb0$6a504898 [at] GLOBAL.SCJ.LOC> From: "Randy B." References: Subject: Re: tech riders Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 14:14:21 -0600 We have the same thing here as well, the two I have are made by Fluke, one in a high voltage range 90 - 600Vac and the other for low voltage 24-90 Vac. Just put it near a live conductor and it glows red. I think I paid about $25 USD each. ----- Original Message ----- From: To: "Stagecraft" Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 1:38 PM Subject: Re: tech riders > > Let me recommend a gadget called, in the UK, a 'voltstick'. Its functionality > is the same as that of a neon tester, but it doesn't rely on contact, and it > is more sensitive. It is capable of checking the two ends of a fuse, and noy > lighting up on one end if the fuse has blown. > > > Frank Wood > ------------------------------ From: "Jon Lagerquist" Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 12:26:18 -0800 Subject: Re: air cylinder Reply-to: jon [at] lagerquist.com Message-ID: <43E0A8EA.11080.102FBC05 [at] localhost> In-reply-to: I have been very happy with aircylindersdirect.com. Thy custom make them to your needs at a good price. Rather than a 30" cylinder I would think like 10" with a mechanical advantage. > I am looking for an economical air cylinder with a 30" stroke to run > and "elevator" door. It will be driving two 36" hollow core luan > door panels. Is there such a thing under $100 ea.? > > Greg Bierly > Technical Director > Hempfield HS > > Jon Lagerquist ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 15:40:18 -0500 Subject: Re: tech riders From: Bruce Purdy Message-ID: In-Reply-To: >> I have seen many stage plugs and adapter cables wired incorrectly. I have >> made testers to check for these faults - essentially the same thing as >> the neon testers that you plug into a wall outlet to check the wiring >> there. > > Let me recommend a gadget called, in the UK, a 'voltstick'. Its functionality > is the same as that of a neon tester, but it doesn't rely on contact, and it > is more sensitive. It is capable of checking the two ends of a fuse, and noy > lighting up on one end if the fuse has blown. > Frank, this sounds like a useful tool, and a good one to have - but is entirely different than the one being discussed. I believe that the OP, and certainly I, was talking about a device that has three neon lights. You plug it into an outlet and the lights will tell you if it is wired correctly or whether per chance the hot and neutral are switched, or one of them is switched with the ground. (Which is *always* different with neutral). Bruce -- Bruce Purdy Technical Director Smith Opera House ------------------------------ From: "Joe Golden" Subject: RE: tech riders Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 12:43:56 -0800 Message-ID: In-reply-to: But you can't use it for cams or bates plugs. > Let me recommend a gadget called, in the UK, a 'voltstick'. Its > functionality is the same as that of a neon tester, but it doesn't > rely on contact, and it is more sensitive. It is capable of checking > the two ends of a fuse, and noy lighting up on one end if the fuse has blown. > Frank, this sounds like a useful tool, and a good one to have - but is entirely different than the one being discussed. I believe that the OP, and certainly I, was talking about a device that has three neon lights. You plug it into an outlet and the lights will tell you if it is wired correctly or whether per chance the hot and neutral are switched, or one of them is switched with the ground. (Which is *always* different with neutral). Bruce -- Bruce Purdy Technical Director Smith Opera House -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.15.0/248 - Release Date: 2/1/2006 ------------------------------ Message-ID: In-Reply-To: From: "Matthew Breton" Subject: Re: tech riders Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 15:53:54 -0500 > I believe that the OP, and certainly I, was talking about a device >that >has three neon lights. You plug it into an outlet and the lights will tell >you if it is wired correctly or whether per chance the hot and neutral are >switched, or one of them is switched with the ground. (Which is *always* >different with neutral). GAM makes a very expensive version of these, although it also serves the purpose of testing continuity in lamps (a good thing to have handy). Sperry sells the kind you're talking about for less than $5 in most hardware stores. I got mine as a "Three-Wire Tester"; they also make one that checks GFCI circuits for faults. -- Matt _________________________________________________________________ On the road to retirement? Check out MSN Life Events for advice on how to get there! http://lifeevents.msn.com/category.aspx?cid=Retirement ------------------------------ Message-ID: Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 16:02:00 -0500 From: Delbert Hall Cc: jon [at] lagerquist.com Subject: Re: air cylinder In-Reply-To: References:

I think you meant to say "mechanical disadvantage." I agree that that a shorter cylinder makes more sense to me. -Delbert On 2/1/06, Jon Lagerquist wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > I have been very happy with aircylindersdirect.com. Thy custom make > them to your needs at a good price. > > Rather than a 30" cylinder I would think like 10" with a mechanical > advantage. > > > I am looking for an economical air cylinder with a 30" stroke to run > > and "elevator" door. It will be driving two 36" hollow core luan > > door panels. Is there such a thing under $100 ea.? > > > > Greg Bierly > > Technical Director > > Hempfield HS > > > > > > > Jon Lagerquist > > -- Delbert L. Hall ZFX Flying Director Phone: 714-585-7070 ------------------------------ Message-ID: Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 16:08:22 -0500 From: Delbert Hall Cc: jon [at] lagerquist.com Subject: Re: air cylinder In-Reply-To: References:

However, I think that the smartest way to rig this effect would be to rigthe doors to operate in the same fashion as a curtain track. You pull one rope and the doors open, pull another rope and they close.=20 This would seem to be a simple, inexpensive, and relatively failsafe way to accomplish this task. -Delbert On 2/1/06, Delbert Hall wrote: > I think you meant to say "mechanical disadvantage." I agree that that > a shorter cylinder makes more sense to me. > > -Delbert -- Delbert L. Hall ZFX Flying Director Phone: 714-585-7070 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 16:50:11 -0500 From: Stephen Litterst Subject: Re: air cylinder In-reply-to: Message-id: <43E12D13.9010006 [at] ithaca.edu> Organization: IC-Dept. of Theatre Arts References:

Delbert Hall wrote: > --------------------------------------------------- > > However, I think that the smartest way to rig this effect would be to > rigthe doors to operate in the same fashion as a curtain track. You > pull one rope and the doors open, pull another rope and they close. > This would seem to be a simple, inexpensive, and relatively failsafe > way to accomplish this task. But then you don't get that cool Star Trek "ssssh" sound. Steve L. -- Stephen C. Litterst Technical Supervisor Ithaca College Dept. of Theatre Arts 607/274-3947 slitterst [at] ithaca.edu ------------------------------ Message-ID: From: "Laura McMeley" Subject: RE: air cylinder Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 15:54:59 -0600 Message-ID: <000301c6277a$263b9450$6600a8c0 [at] tdolighting01> In-Reply-To: Isn't that what sound designers are for? Laura > -----Original Message----- > From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Stephen > Litterst > Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 3:50 PM > To: Stagecraft > Subject: Re: air cylinder > > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Delbert Hall wrote: > > --------------------------------------------------- > > > > However, I think that the smartest way to rig this effect would be to > > rigthe doors to operate in the same fashion as a curtain track. You > > pull one rope and the doors open, pull another rope and they close. > > This would seem to be a simple, inexpensive, and relatively failsafe > > way to accomplish this task. > > But then you don't get that cool Star Trek "ssssh" sound. > > Steve L. > > -- > Stephen C. Litterst > Technical Supervisor > Ithaca College > Dept. of Theatre Arts > 607/274-3947 > slitterst [at] ithaca.edu ------------------------------ Message-ID: From: "Occy" References: Subject: Re: Job titles Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 13:56:39 -0800 Chris this is the main reason that its really hard to get me to FOH sound these days. Everybody has a stereo and knows how it "suppose" to sound these days. ----- Original Message ----- From: "CB" > Go to the center center of any deck during the load-in and swing a dead > cat. You will hit more than a dozen 'experts' in sound. Everyone on the > deck has two jobs, whatever is on their contract and 'sound assistant'. > All day long I get advice as to how the mix sounds, from every corner of > the room. The basis of their expertise is that they wired their very > complicated home theatre system all by themselves (with 7.1 suround, even) > or that their car can produce more bass than a 747 at throttle-up. > Welcome > to my world, my brother! > Chris "Chris" Babbie > Location Sound > MON AZ > > Delete key training and post trimming done by appointment. Rates > negotiable, will trade for typing lessons/ADD treatment... > ------------------------------ Message-ID: From: "Occy" References:

Subject: Re: Expanded metal flooring Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 14:27:51 -0800 Dale you haven't been on many cat walks have you? He just used to small of gage to expanded metal is all it won't fail but feels funny when walked on. Expand metal is expensive too, as I have bought way to much of it my life and learned what gage to buy to get the right feel. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dale Farmer" I don't recall seeing expanded metal being used as flooring > except in small animal cages before. If it's flexing under > your weight, that is a danger sign. Is the stuff even rated > for decking? Why do you want to use this material? > > --Dale > ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20060201222925.20656.qmail [at] web33115.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 14:29:25 -0800 (PST) From: June Abernathy Subject: Re: tech rider >You and all of us. But it seems to be a US custom that ground >and neutral are interchangeable, when it makes a sort of sense. >We, in the UK, apply different and, I think, higher standards. >Wth us, a ground-neutral cross is a wiring fault, to be >eliminated. >Frank Wood Frank, I'm not sure you're following us here. When we say Ground & Neutral are reversed in some distros, we don't mean with each other. We mean that the hot lines have female connectors at the distro, and the Ground and Nuetral lines have male connectors at the distro. This makes it hard to accidentally plug a hot into a ground or neutral, and vice versa. Some places do this as a safety feature. Some venues, either because they are older, or because that particular feature has not caught on there, simply have all female connectors at the distro. June Abernathy IATSE #321 (Tampa, FL) FOH Electrician The Lion King National Tour (Gazelle) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <251.5a73445.3112a3f8 [at] aol.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 18:53:28 EST Subject: Re: tech riders In a message dated 01/02/06 20:44:33 GMT Standard Time, joe [at] stage-tech.com writes: > Frank, this sounds like a useful tool, and a good one to have - but is > entirely different than the one being discussed. A US source has been posted. > I believe that the OP, and certainly I, was talking about a device that > has three neon lights. You plug it into an outlet and the lights will tell > you if it is wired correctly or whether per chance the hot and neutral are > switched, or one of them is switched with the ground. (Which is *always* > different with neutral). I have met these devices, and accord them a limited approval. Some are more clever than others: a basic device is easy; a really useful one less so.This needs more than three neons. Most are designed for domestic, single-phase supplies. One to check real three-phase supplies is a lot harder, apart from the question of the three-phase connector. Is there a US standard for these? Frank Wood ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <1ed.4b47c6bf.3112a6ca [at] aol.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 19:05:30 EST Subject: Re: tech rider In a message dated 01/02/06 22:30:10 GMT Standard Time, jea00321 [at] yahoo.com writes: > Frank, I'm not sure you're following us here. When we > say Ground & Neutral are reversed in some distros, we > don't mean with each other. We mean that the hot lines > have female connectors at the distro, and the Ground > and Nuetral lines have male connectors at the distro. > This makes it hard to accidentally plug a hot into a > ground or neutral, and vice versa. Some places do this > as a safety feature. Some venues, either because they > are older, or because that particular feature has not > caught on there, simply have all female connectors at > the distro. I hear what you say, and I think it is probably the least bad way to do it, with lthe lowest potential for fatal errors. That doesn't mean that I like it, as an engineer. There must be a better way. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 19:12:42 -0500 From: Stephen Litterst Subject: Re: tech riders In-reply-to: Message-id: <43E14E7A.7000501 [at] ithaca.edu> Organization: IC-Dept. of Theatre Arts References: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com wrote: > --------------------------------------------------- > I have met these devices, and accord them a limited approval. Some are more > clever than others: a basic device is easy; a really useful one less so.This > needs more than three neons. Most are designed for domestic, single-phase > supplies. One to check real three-phase supplies is a lot harder, apart from the > question of the three-phase connector. Is there a US standard for these? With regards to single pole, connectors in use in theatre, there is no standard. And it would be hard to develop a gizmo that covers all five poles of the connection since they're all separate plugs. Many portable dimmer racks have indicator LEDs built in that indicate the presence of appropriate power. The rack I have -- which is a bit old, admittedly -- won't even power up unless all three legs and neutral are correctly connected. I wish it would check for ground as well. Steve L. -- Stephen C. Litterst Technical Supervisor Ithaca College Dept. of Theatre Arts 607/274-3947 slitterst [at] ithaca.edu ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References:

Message-Id: <817D5474-ABB5-48DA-8751-F2BED916A25A [at] interstellar.com> From: Jerry Durand Subject: Re: tech riders Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 16:19:37 -0800 On Feb 1, 2006, at 4:12 PM, Stephen Litterst wrote: > I wish it would check for ground as well. Not sure how you'd do that, since neutral and ground are tied together at the main panel. Electrically, they should look the same. ------------------------------ From: "Brian Busch" Subject: RE: air cylinder Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 17:45:45 -0800 Message-ID: <002901c6279a$62679440$0201a8c0 [at] smith> In-Reply-To: >Is there such a thing under $100 ea.? Absolutely, if the shoe fits. I cannot recommend www.aircylindersdirect.com enough for your fast, good, cheap and custom pneumatic needs. (I know, I know, but let us not start that thread again.) 866.404.5300, ask for Michael. While the actuator is cheap, control for that actuator is not always cheap. Brian Busch Assistant Technical Director La Jolla Playhouse ------------------------------ In-Reply-To: References: Message-Id: <00DBC879-6BCB-4001-94D5-12D8B78D7A1F [at] dejazzd.com> From: Greg Bierly Subject: Re: air cylinder Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 21:45:45 -0500 > Anyway, just a thought, but the same solution might be practical > in your > situation as well. Much cheaper than $100! Thanks all for your thoughts. I am actually looking for the pneumatics to add to inventory and also my present crew defines "rebuilding year." I have the set planned with four sets of doors that can be opened manually or pneumatically. I may wind up running tie line (two for each door, 1 open 1 close) to a central location (four pairs) and have one operator run all four. I can find at least one competent stagehand that can make this work if I can't find the pneumatics. Thanks again for the help. I am always looking for suppliers so I can add to my inventory. Greg Bierly Technical Director Hempfield HS ------------------------------ Message-ID: <43E17C2C.1090502 [at] dreampossible.ca> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2006 22:27:40 -0500 From: Jim Hyslop Organization: Dreampossible Inc. Subject: Re: redirect of attention References: In-Reply-To: b Ricie wrote: > Last night while flipping through the State of the > Union coverage I noticed that the Religion channel was > dark. Out of curiosity I checked back a few times > during the speech and the channel remained dark > through the entire speech. Whatever happened to separation of church and state? -- Jim Hyslop ------------------------------ Message-ID: <43E19722.5050907 [at] gmail.com> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2006 00:22:42 -0500 From: Brian James Reply-To: brianedwardjames [at] gmail.com Subject: Outdoor period fixtures Does anybody know of a good supplier or renter of reasonable priced period lighting fixtures. I think my client wants outdoor lamps that replicate the mid 1900s in New Orleans. -- Brian James ------------------------------ From: "Jared Fortney" Subject: tix for Cirque in San Jose Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 00:59:19 -0800 Message-ID: <43e1c9e9.7cd84d2c.1ce7.fffffb37 [at] mx.gmail.com> I have two comp tickets to today=92s (Thursday=92s) 4:00pm Cirque du = Soleil show in San Jose.=A0 Anybody want them?=A0 Email me if you can use them. -Jared Fortney CdS, Corteo rigger ------------------------------ Message-ID: <1131.208.51.52.122.1138873547.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References:

Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 01:45:47 -0800 (PST) Subject: Re: tech riders From: "Bill Nelson" >> I wish it would check for ground as well. > > Not sure how you'd do that, since neutral and ground are tied > together at the main panel. Electrically, they should look the same. Yep. You can verify that both neutral and ground connections are there, but you cannot tell if they are swapped. Bill ------------------------------ Message-ID: <1147.208.51.52.122.1138875251.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References: Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 02:14:11 -0800 (PST) Subject: Re: tech rider From: "Bill Nelson" > I hear what you say, and I think it is probably the least bad way to do it, > with lthe lowest potential for fatal errors. That doesn't mean that I like > it, as an engineer. There must be a better way. It would be possible to use different types of connectors for the neutral and ground. Combined with the females for phase power and males for neutral/ground, it would cut the risk of careless connections further. But that still does not eliminate a major risk - improper connection at the distribution panel itself. I believe someone mentioned where an electrician connected the neutral or ground pigtail to a phase bus in the panel. I always power up the panel (without any equipment connected) and test the voltages with my meter. I have never run across any problems, but there may have been swapped neutral/ground connections and I would not have detected them. Bill ------------------------------ Message-ID: <1167.208.51.52.122.1138876443.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References:

Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 02:34:03 -0800 (PST) Subject: Re: tech riders From: "Bill Nelson" > We have the same thing here as well, the two I have are made by Fluke, > one > in a high voltage range 90 - 600Vac and the other for low voltage 24-90 > Vac. > Just put it near a live conductor and it glows red. I think I paid about > $25 USD each. Cheaper ones are available for $10-$15. All they tell you is if the hot conductor is present. It does not tell you if the neutral or ground connection is disconnected. Bill ------------------------------ Message-ID: <1179.208.51.52.122.1138877481.squirrel [at] webmail.peak.org> In-Reply-To: References: Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 02:51:21 -0800 (PST) Subject: Re: tech riders From: "Bill Nelson" >I note the 'legally', which suggests that it sometimes happens. I think >the usual difference is that our supply company supplies the ground. rather > than having to use your own spike. Three-phase comes in on five wires; the > three lives, neutral, and ground. These all arrive in the intake bus-bar > chamber. Yes, our ground is at the building - usually near the building electrical entrance. I would rather have that than the ground being at a substation or other location. Since ground and common are tied together at the main panel, that means that both are referenced to the same point - and also at the same level as the common from the power transformer. > The neutral is grounded at the sub-station, where the 11KV to 415V > transformer is to be found. To our theatre, it makes no real difference, > as the > transformer is within 6' of the intake bus. Not all are so fortunate. The > open-air Minack theatre, on the Cornish coast, was at the end of a long, > single-phase > feeder. With a 60A load on, the neutral was 90V above ground, and the > meter in the > control room indicated a 52A draw. It has been improved since last I > worked there. In the US, we are not allowed to have runs that produce anywhere near that percentage voltage drop. Bill ------------------------------ End of Stagecraft Digest #676 *****************************