Return-Path: X-Processed-By: Virex 7 on prxy.net X-Real-To: stagecraftlist [at] theatrical.net Received: by prxy.net (CommuniGate Pro PIPE 4.2.6) with PIPE id 5039267; Thu, 18 Nov 2004 03:00:20 -0800 X-ListServer: CommuniGate Pro LIST 4.2.6 List-Unsubscribe: List-ID: Message-ID: From: "Stagecraft" Sender: "Stagecraft" To: "Stagecraft" Precedence: list Subject: Stagecraft Digest #199 Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 03:00:00 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Disposition: inline X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.1 (2004-10-22) on prxy.net X-Spam-Status: No, score=-5.1 required=5.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED,AWL,BAYES_00 autolearn=ham version=3.0.1 X-Spam-Level: X-TFF-CGPSA-Version: 1.4f2 X-prxy-Spam-Filter: Scanned For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see --------------------------------------------------- Stagecraft Digest, Issue #199 1. Disney Contract Dispute by Jason Tollefson 2. Re: equipment maintenance by "Karl G. Ruling" 3. Re: Disney Contract Dispute by "richard j. archer" 4. Re: RJ-45 pinout by "Kevin Linzey" 5. Re: RJ45 and DMX by "Karl G. Ruling" 6. Re: Surtitles,,, again by Wood Chip-P26398 7. Re: Disney Contract Dispute by howie 8. Re: RJ45 and DMX by "Jon Lagerquist" 9. Re: RJ45 and DMX by Jerry Durand 10. Re: Disney Contract Dispute by Mat Goebel 11. Re: RJ-45 Pinout / DMX512 over Category 5 by ". Mitch Hefter" 12. Re: RJ-45 Pinout / DMX512 over Category 5 by Jerry Durand 13. Re: Surtitles,,, again by Boyd Ostroff 14. Re: Surtitles,,, again by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 15. Re: Surtitles,,, again by Boyd Ostroff 16. Re: RJ-45 Pinout / DMX512 over Category 5 by "John Vink" 17. Re: equipment maintenance by FrankWood95 [at] aol.com 18. Re: Surtitles,,, again by Stephen Litterst 19. Re: Surtitles,,, again by Stephen Litterst 20. Disco Balls by Mark Harvey 21. Re: Disco Balls by "Tony" 22. Re: Surtitles, again by "Stephen E. Rees" 23. Re: Surtitles,,, again by "Michael S. Eddy" 24. Re: Toolbox: ATA vs. Pelican by Patrick McCreary 25. Re: Flame Proof by Patrick McCreary 26. Skirpan Dimmers by "Steve" 27. Re: Disco Balls by "Joe Meils" 28. Re: Surtitles,,, again by Dale Farmer *** 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <20041117125423.22374.qmail [at] web51004.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 04:54:23 -0800 (PST) From: Jason Tollefson Reply-To: jason [at] tollefsondesigns.com Subject: Disney Contract Dispute In-Reply-To: I'm sure a few of you (in the U.S. at least) have heard of the contract dispute currently going on at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. After voting down the company's offer three times, a federal mediator was brought in to help resolve the dispute and jump-start the stalled talks. Disney negotiators arrived to talks on Monday and stated that the company was unwilling to budge from their current offer and that the Service Trades Council should vote again on the offer because they would terminate the current contract on Thursday this week, possibly cancelling any retroactive wage increase and cancelling bonuses. The major stumbling blocks include wage increases (we haven't received a significant increase in 8 years), Health Insurance (the increased cost will completely eat up the paltry raise they've offered) and pension plans (the elimination of pension plans for all new hires). So why am I boring you folks with all this? We down here in IATSE Local 631 and the other members of the Service Trades Council need help applying pressure to Disney leadership in this matter. Because a large number of employees and WDW are already living paycheck to paycheck there is great anxiety that a strike of any length could devastate employee's families. Disney knows this and is betting that they can outlast any local action. The only thing that will make them nervous is the possibility that this dispute could begin to affect other areas of the company. If you support us I would urge you to write to Disney leadership and express your desire that Disney adequately compensate their employees. I won't put words in your mouths but telling them how their actions affect your impression of Disney and what you might do in response to their actions would let them know that they can't expect to treat their employees this way and not have it affect business. Below are email addresses of leadership directly involved with Walt Disney World. If you know of others at Disney, write them as well. You can write Michael Eisner through a handy form at www.savedisney.com if you'd like. Remember that a large part of Walt Disney World's revenue comes from overseas' visitors so those of you internationally can make a difference as well. They need to know that people are noticing their actions. Al Wiess, President-Walt Disney World Resort: Al.Weiss [at] email.disney.com Lee Cockerell, Executive Vice President-Walt Disney World Operations: Lee.A.Cockerell [at] email.disney.com Thanks for reading all the way through this. If you want more information, let me know and I'll do my best to get it. Jason Tollefson IATSE Local 631 Orlando, FL jason [at] tollefsondesigns.com ------------------------------ From: "Karl G. Ruling" Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 09:44:51 -0500 Subject: Re: equipment maintenance Reply-to: kruling [at] esta.org Message-ID: <419B1D93.32034.33818C [at] localhost> In-reply-to: > > If you really need short-circuit-proof dimmers, there are products > > on > > the market that will offer that, but they don't use SCRs. Of > > course, regularly scheduled equipment maintenance reduces the need > > for short- circuit-proof dimmers. > > Not sure about that. Lamp failure often involves a dead short. It's a > time question, whether the fuse or breaker will trip out before the > SCR goes. A concept called 'let-through I*T^2'. Perusal of fuse, > breaker, and SCR properties will lead to a right answer. These are all > published by the various manufacturers, usually as graphs. > > Frank Wood Ah.... So if I understand you correctly, if we peruse the fuse, breaker, and SCR properties, dead shorts are no problem and regularly scheduled equipment maintenance might not be helpful. Do you recommend a regular schedule of fuse, breaker, and SCR property perusal, or do you feel a once-in-a-lifetime perusal would be enough? ------------------------------ Message-Id: In-Reply-To: References: Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 10:06:10 -0500 From: "richard j. archer" Subject: Re: Disney Contract Dispute >For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see >--------------------------------------------------- >. Disney negotiators arrived to talks on Monday and stated that the >company was unwilling to budge fromtheir current offer and that the >Service Trades Council should vote again on the offer because they >would terminate the current contract on Thursday this week, possibly >cancelling any >retroactive wage increase and cancelling bonuses. > >Jason Tollefson >IATSE Local 631 If they are planning to terminate Thursday then I hope you guys get a permit for some "informational" picketing over at the convention center. IAAPA people ought to be a good target even if most are "management". Many are there already and by Thursday the exhibits will be open and everybody will be there. If you can't get a permit, then maybe Mr. Short would like an IATSE booth on the exhibit floor. Dick A TD, Cornell Univ. ------------------------------ From: "Kevin Linzey" Subject: RE: RJ-45 pinout Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 10:26:07 -0500 Message-ID: <004c01c4ccb9$c29afdd0$1101a8c0 [at] KLinzeypc> In-Reply-To: From my own personal "I'll need this some day" archive and probably the Stagecraft archive if it exists from that time: On Thu, 27 Nov 2003, Will Kent wrote: >From: "Will Kent" >Subject: DMX cable > >Am I correct when thinking i can use any Cat 5 cable for DMX=20 >transmission. I know that i have to have atleast 1 twisted pair in=20 >there but could i use any cat5 cable ?? The latest DRAFT of the standard basically states: =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Connection Schedule for DMX512 equipment using IEC 60603-7 8-position=20 modular connectors (RJ45) Wire # Color Function 1 white / orange data 1 + 2 orange data 1 - 3 white / green data 2 + (optional) 6 green data 2 - (optional) 4 blue Not assigned 5 white / blue Not assigned 7 white / brown Signal Common for Data 1 (0 v) 8 brown Signal Common for Data 2 (0 v) drain Note: Pin numbering and color in accordance with ANSI/TIA/EIA-568 = scheme=20 T568B. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Cabling is no longer addressed in the standard - it is being addressed = in a=20 separate document. The latest draft is going through comment resolution = to=20 the 3rd Public Review. Material may still change, but this section is = not=20 likely to be affected. Kevin Linzey Fisher Theatrical, LLC. http://www.fishertheatrical.com/ . . . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mitch Hefter mitch.hefter [at] DesignRelief.com ESTA / USITT DMX Revision (ANSI BSR E1.11) Task Group Chair USITT Engineering Vice-Commissioner, DMX512 Subcommittee Chair Office: Entertainment Technology / a Division of Genlyte Thomas mhefter [at] genlyte.com +1-214/ 647-7880 x 7967 (Direct Line 214/ 647-7967) +1-214/ 647-8032 Fax http://www.etdimming.com > -----Original Message----- > From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf=20 > Of Noah Price > Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 8:51 PM > To: Stagecraft > Subject: Re: RJ-45 pinout >=20 >=20 > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see=20 > > --------------------------------------------------- >=20 >=20 > On Nov 16, 2004, at 3:59 PM, Jerry Durand wrote: >=20 > > Is there a published (by USITT, ESTA, ANSI, DIN, etc.) pinout for > > DMX512 over CAT5 including what to do with shielding? >=20 > An ESTA task group investigated DMX512 over CAT5, but I couldn't find=20 > any final wiring recommendation. I bet Karl could tell us if=20 > there is a=20 > follow up to this which better defines the interface: >=20 > >=20 > Noah >=20 > --=20 > | Noah Price | =20 > http://stagecraft.theprices.net/ | > | Stagecraft Mailing List | =20 > stagecraft-web [at] theprices.net | >=20 ------------------------------ From: "Karl G. Ruling" Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 10:34:31 -0500 Subject: Re: RJ45 and DMX Reply-to: kruling [at] esta.org Message-ID: <419B2937.9283.60F6B1 [at] localhost> In-reply-to: > Is there a published (by USITT, ESTA, ANSI, DIN, etc.) pinout for > > DMX512 over CAT5 including what to do with shielding? > > An ESTA task group investigated DMX512 over CAT5, but I couldn't find > any final wiring recommendation. I bet Karl could tell us if there is > a follow up to this which better defines the interface: > ANSI E1.11-2004 (a.k.a. DMX512-A) has some advice about using RJ45 connectors: > 7.3 IEC 60603-7 8-position modular connectors > > The use of IEC 60603-7 8-position modular connectors (commonly referred to > as RJ45 type connectors -plugs/jacks) and associated punchdown terminal > blocks shall be limited to connections that are part of a fixed > installation and not normally accessible except to qualified, authorized > users, nor intended for regular connection and disconnection. > > External (user accessible) IEC 60603-7 8-position modular connectors are > permitted only on patch and data distribution products and only when > permanently installed in controlled access areas. > > 1 white / orange data 1+ > 2 orange data 1- > 3 white / green data 2+ (optional) > 6 green data 2- (optional) > 4 blue Not assigned > 5 white / blue Not assigned > 7 white / brown Data Link Common (Common Reference) for Data 1 (0 V) > 8 brown Data Link Common (Common Reference) for Data 2 (0 V) > drain > > Note 1: Pin numbering and color in accordance with ANSI/TIA/EIA-568 scheme > T568B. Note 2: Pin 8 should be wired as signal common even if pins 3 and 6 > are NOT wired so that both conductors 7 and 8 are at equal potential. It's recommended that the connection of data link common to ground (earth) be done at the transmitter, but that's not mandatory. Clause 10.4 Ground / Isolation Marking says, "All DMX512 ports shall indicate the relationship between Data Link Common and earth ground." ANSI E1.11-2004 was approved by ANSI last week, and we expect to get it published in about a month. There's little advice in ANSI E1.11-2004 about shielding and even less advice about cabling specifics. Between equipment cabling will be covered by other standards being developed with alphanumeric designations in the order of E1.27-x. The draft (not approved) BSR E1.27-1 for portable DMX512/E1.11 cable is in public review right now on the ESTA website. I suspect (this is my crystal ball gazing, not official pronouncement) that you'll eventually find advice about shielding and installing connectors and similar stuff in the recommended practice document that has just been started. It's not done yet and I haven't even seen a first draft, so I can't tell you what's in it, but one volume of it (it may be two books) is intended to be used by end- users. Best regards, Karl G. Ruling Technical Standards Manager ESTA 875 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1005 New York, NY 10001 +1-212-244-1505 Fax +1-212-244-1502 ------------------------------ Message-ID: From: Wood Chip-P26398 Subject: RE: Surtitles,,, again Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 10:24:47 -0700 Since it doesn't matter to PowerPoint, why not project white lettering on a black background? That is much easier on the eyes than black lettering on white. If you need it dark for a blackout then project a solid black image. -----Original Message----- From: Stagecraft [mailto:stagecraft [at] theatrical.net] On Behalf Of Stephen E. Rees They were painted with flat latex in a very light grey. Just a hint of color to take the edge off the white. They were mounted in front of a black, flat sewn velour valance. Worked pretty well. I've never tried a black projection surface. Seems you would need a real punchy projector to get a bright enough image. ------------------------------ Message-ID: <419B9049.2080403 [at] hillinteractive.net> Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 12:54:17 -0500 From: howie Subject: Re: Disney Contract Dispute References: In-Reply-To: Jason Tollefson wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > I'm sure a few of you (in the U.S. at least) have heard of the contract dispute currently going on > at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. Jason, is there a V.P. from the I.A. office assisting in these negotiations? Disney obviously has some big money shows with union labor running on Broadway and the road. ---------------howie ------------------------------ From: "Jon Lagerquist" Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 10:06:02 -0800 Subject: Re: RJ45 and DMX Reply-to: jon [at] lagerquist.com Message-ID: <419B228A.12628.AF86D0 [at] localhost> In-reply-to: References: Hurrah and Congratulations! Karl G. Ruling wrote: > ANSI E1.11-2004 was approved by ANSI last week, and we expect to get it > published in about a month. Jon Lagerquist ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.2.0.14.0.20041117102416.029c3860 [at] localhost> Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 10:25:35 -0800 From: Jerry Durand Subject: Re: RJ45 and DMX In-Reply-To: References:

Ditto on the cheers, now for it to show up on the ANSI page so I can buy a copy... At 10:06 AM 11/17/2004, you wrote: >Hurrah and Congratulations! > >Karl G. Ruling wrote: > > > ANSI E1.11-2004 was approved by ANSI last week, and we expect to get it > > published in about a month. > > >Jon Lagerquist ---------- Jerry Durand Durand Interstellar, Inc. 219 Oak Wood Way Los Gatos, California 95032-2523 USA tel: +1 408 356-3886 fax: +1 408 356-4659 web: www.interstellar.com ------------------------------ Message-ID: Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 10:32:23 -0800 From: Mat Goebel Reply-To: Mat Goebel Cc: jason [at] tollefsondesigns.com Subject: Re: Disney Contract Dispute In-Reply-To: References:

I crafted the following email to the members of management in the posting: I have been attending Disney parks for as long as I can remember. As an adult, I have always respected Disney's commitment to quality and excellence in guest service. No other company (especially any theme park) can come in even a close second. I have never had a bad experiences in dealing with any park associate, and I have always been impressed with the quality of individual chosen to be a cast members at your parks. The things I remember the most (particularly from my early experiences as a child) are the shows. I would call your park entertainment programme more than "added value" - that I am able to enter a Disney park and take in shows of such high caliber. If any of your shows performed off property, I would gladly pay the price of park admission to see them, simply because they are the best. I think that your entertainment programme is number one in the industry, and that it is an integral part of the Disney "magic" experience for park guests. Further, I strongly believe that the high quality of show product you are able to offer is in no small part due to the use of highly skilled union labour. I, myself, work for a theme park. I understand that the industry is in crisis mode and why management, like yourself, is largely concerned with the meeting the bottom line of next season's budget. Perhaps if the current IATSE contact negotiations had come at a different time, you would feel different about the offers you are willing to consider. In the park I work for, everyone is a guest. Park associated are "internal guests", and other guests are "external guests." My point is, everyone at the park should be part of the guest experience - associate or guest. There is no reason that your associates should not have many of the same wonderful things to say about their employment with you, as your park guests have to say about their experience in the park at the end of the day. So please, consider the guests that are in the park most often, the members of your own Disney familly. There is no reason that they should be mistreated. There is no reason to bring suffering to your wonderful entertainment show products. There is no reason to spoil the Disney "magic" park experience by making cuts to fill the bottom line. Thank you for your time. Hope doing my part in this helps. -- Mat Goebel Entertainment Technical Services Paramount's Great America Cell: 510.693.1448 ------------------------------ Message-ID: <55734.208.215.238.2.1100717683.squirrel [at] 208.215.238.2> Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 12:54:43 -0600 (CST) Subject: Re: RJ-45 Pinout / DMX512 over Category 5 From: ". Mitch Hefter" Reply-To: mitch.hefter [at] DesignRelief.com References: In-Reply-To: Jerry Durand wrote: > At 02:31 PM 11/16/2004, Joe Golden wrote wrote: >> Give these guys a call http://www.pathwayconnect.com/index.htm >> they don't have the pin out listed , but they have it in >> their price list. > > That would still only give me one manufacturer's pinout, not > a published standard (especially if they don't publish it). > To rephrase the question: Is there a published (by USITT, > ESTA, ANSI, DIN, etc.) pinout for DMX512 over CAT5 including > what to do with shielding? ESTA has a the studies validating use of Category 5 cable for DMX512 on its website: http://www.esta.org/tsp/DMXoverCat5.htm NOTE - THE STANDARD DOES NOT ALLOW RJ45 CONNECTORS IN LIEU OF XLR-5. From the new version of DMX512 (ANSI E1.11 - USITT DMX512-A) just approved by ANSI last week: # Wire Color DMX512 Function 1 white / orange data 1+ 2 orange data 1- 3 white / green data 2+ (optional) 6 green data 2- (optional) 4 blue Not assigned 5 white / blue Not assigned 7 white / brown Data Link Common (Common Reference) for Data 1 (0 v) 8 brown Data Link Common (Common Reference) for Data 2 (0 v) drain -- -- Note 1: Pin numbering and color in accordance with ANSI/TIA/EIA-568 scheme T568B. Note 2: Pin 8 should be wired as signal common even if pins 3 and 6 are NOT wired so that both conductors 7 and 8 are at equal potential. ======= NOTE - THE STANDARD DOES NOT ALLOW RJ45 CONNECTORS IN LIEU OF XLR-5, except in very, very special circumstances. There are 5 very restrictive rules plus a separate clause that apply before an RJ-45 can be implemented. Otherwise, just XLR-5. Again - RJ-45s ARE NOT ALLOWED. Yes - I am shouting. ESTA will be publishing the new standard soon, which you must get (they are doing the typesetting and related publishing issues now). I will be updating the USITT pages over the next few weeks as well. . . . ------------------------------------- Mitch Hefter mitch.hefter [at] DesignRelief.com Office: Entertainment Technology / a Division of the Genlyte Group mhefter [at] genlyte.com +1-214/ 647-7880 x 7967 (Direct 214/ 647-7967) +1-214/ 647-4738 Fax http://www.etdimming.com ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.2.0.14.0.20041117110605.029d5048 [at] localhost> Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 11:09:02 -0800 From: Jerry Durand Subject: Re: RJ-45 Pinout / DMX512 over Category 5 In-Reply-To: References:

At 10:54 AM 11/17/2004, you wrote: >NOTE - THE STANDARD DOES NOT ALLOW RJ45 CONNECTORS IN LIEU OF XLR-5. Actually, it apparently does (I don't have a copy of the new spec yet, waiting for the "published" version), so long as the connectors are not in some place where anyone could mistake them for Ethernet. Makes sense to me. I wonder if it would make sense for our future boxes (especially the ones intended for permanent installations) to just have RJ45 connectors on them with a BIG label that this is not Ethernet? Have to wait for the new Recommended Practices book to tell, probably. ---------- Jerry Durand Durand Interstellar, Inc. 219 Oak Wood Way Los Gatos, California 95032-2523 USA tel: +1 408 356-3886 fax: +1 408 356-4659 web: www.interstellar.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 14:17:43 -0500 (EST) From: Boyd Ostroff Subject: Re: Surtitles,,, again In-Reply-To: Message-ID: References: > Since it doesn't matter to PowerPoint, why not project white lettering > on a black background? Personally I have never seen titles projected with black letters on a white background. That would be a disaster because of the amount of light that would be reflected from the screen. It would also be a tough masking problem since as several of us have observed, the screen aspect ratio is somewhere around 8:1 but the projectors are 1.33:1. As it is, with white letters on black, we still have to matte off the spill above and below the screen since it shows in the dark theatre. Does anyone actually project black letters against white? That would seem very odd to me... Boyd Ostroff ooo Opera Company of Philadelphia Director of Design & Technology ooooooo 1420 Locust St, Suite 210 ostroff [at] operaphilly.com ooooooo Philadelphia, PA 19102 http://tech.operaphilly.com ooo (215) 893-3600 x225 ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: <9e.19b8c4bf.2ecd044d [at] aol.com> Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 14:45:17 EST Subject: Re: Surtitles,,, again In a message dated 17/11/04 00:16:33 GMT Standard Time, slitterst [at] ithaca.edu writes: > As to the front projection, it's a fairly common technique on this > side of the pond. I can't think of a single show on which I've worked > (many operas included) where I had the space to set up a rear > projection on the proscenium. The front projection systems I've used > (and occasionally designed) have worked remarkably well. Our stock > surtitle screen is off-white projection screen mounted on a black > flat. That greys out the screen when not in use but the white letters > pop out. You surprise me. In no opera house have I seen any evidence of front projection, nor, indeed, anywhere to site such a device. The system I suggested takes little room, up and down stage. Perhaps a foot square and as long as you need. All the projector takes is height, which opera houses usually have plenty of. It would be rigged infront of what we call 'No.1 bar', and so would cause no problems to the LD. It is naturally screened against spill on the screen, and the material I should use looks black, rather than grey, when unlit. I don't know enough about modern digital projectors to be able to work out the height. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 14:55:55 -0500 (EST) From: Boyd Ostroff Subject: Re: Surtitles,,, again In-Reply-To: Message-ID: References: On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 FrankWood95 [at] aol.com wrote: > You surprise me. In no opera house have I seen any evidence of front > projection, nor, indeed, anywhere to site such a device. C'mon everybody, Frank has TOLD you how to do it. Why do you keep mentioning FRONT projection? Boyd Ostroff ooo Opera Company of Philadelphia Director of Design & Technology ooooooo 1420 Locust St, Suite 210 ostroff [at] operaphilly.com ooooooo Philadelphia, PA 19102 http://tech.operaphilly.com ooo (215) 893-3600 x225 ------------------------------ From: "John Vink" Subject: RE: RJ-45 Pinout / DMX512 over Category 5 Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 14:07:17 -0700 Message-ID: <001e01c4cce9$6b4c8640$6501a8c0 [at] canadiansales> In-Reply-To: > ESTA has a the studies validating use of Category 5 > cable for DMX512 on > its website: > http://www.esta.org/tsp/DMXoverCat5.htm > > NOTE - THE STANDARD DOES NOT ALLOW RJ45 CONNECTORS IN > LIEU OF XLR-5. > Okay, humor me for a sec. I don't understand. You can use CAT5 cable but not RJ-45 connectors. What then is the point of using CAT5 cable? You are not suggesting that XLR connectors be soldered to CAT5 cable, are you? I must be missing something here. John Vink ------------------------------ From: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com Message-ID: Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 16:16:01 EST Subject: Re: equipment maintenance In a message dated 17/11/04 14:46:05 GMT Standard Time, kruling [at] esta.org writes: > Ah.... So if I understand you correctly, if we peruse the fuse, > breaker, and SCR properties, dead shorts are no problem and regularly > scheduled equipment maintenance might not be helpful. Do you > recommend a regular schedule of fuse, breaker, and SCR property > perusal, or do you feel a once-in-a-lifetime perusal would be > enough? You understand me correctly. If the installation has been properly designed, a dead short at the load should cause no serious pronlems. A new fuse, reset the breaker, that's all that should be needed. This isn't always true. An awful lot of people who design power distribution systems, which includes stage lighting installations, don't take 'discrimination' into account. This means that ONLY the relevant circuit fuse blows. If a dead short failure on circuit 39 takes out one whole phase, that's a badly designed installation. If it takes out the SCRs, that's a badly designed installation, although this is a lot harder to prevent. Frank Wood ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 16:26:53 -0500 From: Stephen Litterst Subject: Re: Surtitles,,, again Message-id: <419BC21D.F6595535 [at] ithaca.edu> Organization: IC-Dept. of Theatre Arts References: FrankWood95 [at] aol.com insisted: > --------------------------------------------------- > The system I suggested takes little room, up and down stage. Perhaps a foot > square and as long as you need. All the projector takes is height, which opera > houses usually have plenty of. It would be rigged infront of what we call > 'No.1 bar', and so would cause no problems to the LD. It is naturally screened > against spill on the screen, and the material I should use looks black, rather > than grey, when unlit. I don't know enough about modern digital projectors to be > able to work out the height. Again, I don't work on your side of the pond. However, the area in front of the No.1 Bar (which I'm translating to either Lineset 1 or the 1st Electric) is pretty valuable real estate in most sets I've worked on. Even if I could engineer it to fit the projector and mirror into a foot. FOH real estate for the projecter is much less sought after. Not to mention with front projection I only have to worry about controlling spill on the screen from one direction, not two. Steve L. -- Stephen C. Litterst Technical Supervisor Ithaca College Dept. of Theatre Arts 607/274-3947 slitterst [at] ithaca.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 16:31:32 -0500 From: Stephen Litterst Subject: Re: Surtitles,,, again Message-id: <419BC334.17847520 [at] ithaca.edu> Organization: IC-Dept. of Theatre Arts References:

Stephen Litterst grossly misspelled: > --------------------------------------------------- > FOH real estate for the projecter is much less > sought after. I'm so sorry. I noticed that too late. Mea Culpa. Mea Maxima Culpa -- Stephen C. Litterst Technical Supervisor Ithaca College Dept. of Theatre Arts 607/274-3947 slitterst [at] ithaca.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 16:08:20 -0600 From: Mark Harvey Subject: Disco Balls Message-ID: <7253315.1100707700 [at] umd52-36.d.umn.edu> Our department is producing The Heidi Chronicles in December and is interested in purchasing a disco ball for our production. Not to be confused with a mirror ball, a disco ball has a light source inside an opaque sphere that surrounds the light source. The opaque sphere has cut out shapes that allows for the projection of various shapes of light into the room as the fixture turns. Ideally, the cut out shapes would be five pointed stars and crescent moons. We found a Color Sphere for sale with American DJ, but I'm concerned with the quality of the engineering of the fixture. Their literature says the fixture can be used for only ten minutes at a time with a ten minute cool down time between uses. I'm also concerned with the amount of noise the fixture generates and the brightness of the images projected. If anyone has knowledge of alternate sources for disco balls that may be more applicable to theatrical venues, I would appreciate the information. Thanks. ____________________________________ Mark Harvey Associate Professor, Lighting and Sound Design University of Minnesota Duluth www.d.umn.edu/~mharvey ------------------------------ Message-ID: <001601c4ccf7$1b8e8550$0800000a [at] Tony> From: "Tony" References: Subject: Re: Disco Balls Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 22:45:12 -0000 Try Ebay - there are dozens of bits of disco gear on there all the time! Ynot ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Harvey" To: "Stagecraft" Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 10:08 PM Subject: Disco Balls > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > Our department is producing The Heidi Chronicles in December and is > interested in purchasing a disco ball for our production. Not to be > confused with a mirror ball, a disco ball has a light source inside an > opaque sphere that surrounds the light source. The opaque sphere has cut > out shapes that allows for the projection of various shapes of light into > the room as the fixture turns. Ideally, the cut out shapes would be five > pointed stars and crescent moons. > > We found a Color Sphere for sale with American DJ, but I'm concerned with > the quality of the engineering of the fixture. Their literature says the > fixture can be used for only ten minutes at a time with a ten minute cool > down time between uses. > > I'm also concerned with the amount of noise the fixture generates and the > brightness of the images projected. > > If anyone has knowledge of alternate sources for disco balls that may be > more applicable to theatrical venues, I would appreciate the information. > > Thanks. > > ____________________________________ > Mark Harvey > Associate Professor, Lighting and Sound Design > University of Minnesota Duluth > www.d.umn.edu/~mharvey > ------------------------------ Message-ID: <419BDE40.8060603 [at] fredonia.edu> Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 18:26:56 -0500 From: "Stephen E. Rees" Reply-To: Rees [at] fredonia.edu Subject: Re: Surtitles, again References:

Well, 'cause that's just how we do it - in at least three opera houses that I work in. Jeeez! ;) Steve BTW, let's loose the extra commas! s Boyd Ostroff wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 FrankWood95 [at] aol.com wrote: > >> You surprise me. In no opera house have I seen any evidence of front >> projection, nor, indeed, anywhere to site such a device. > > > C'mon everybody, Frank has TOLD you how to do it. Why do you keep > mentioning FRONT projection? > > Boyd Ostroff ooo Opera Company of > Philadelphia > Director of Design & Technology ooooooo 1420 Locust St, Suite > 210 > ostroff [at] operaphilly.com ooooooo Philadelphia, PA > 19102 > http://tech.operaphilly.com ooo (215) 893-3600 > x225 ------------------------------ Message-ID: Reply-To: From: "Michael S. Eddy" Subject: RE: Surtitles,,, again Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 18:36:19 -0500 In-Reply-To: Frank Wood wrote: >You surprise me. In no opera house have I seen any evidence of front >projection, nor, indeed, anywhere to site such a device. >Frank Wood Frank, You may want to check out an opera house in London, which you might have heard of - the Royal Opera House. ROH front projects their surtitles. I realize that I probably shouldn't smack the hornet's nest with my bat, but then where's the fun? Michael Eddy ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.1.2.0.1.20041117195019.019d8378 [at] incoming.verizon.net> Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 19:57:28 -0500 From: Patrick McCreary Subject: Re: Toolbox: ATA vs. Pelican In-Reply-To: References: At 10:03 PM 11/15/2004, Andy Leviss wrote: >Hey gang, >I've finally grown tired of carefully arranging all the loose gack (aka >tools and toys) stuffed into the Anvil ATA-style briefcase I've been >using as a toolbox, so I'm looking to upgrade to a slightly larger box. You might take a look at Jensen Tools - http://www.jensentools.com/ I have had one of their kits for about 23 years now, and the case and pallets are still going strong. Patrick G. Patrick McCreary Ass't. Professor - Technical Director Department of Theater and Dance Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA 15701 (Office) 724-357-2644 (Home) 724-349-4309 ------------------------------ Message-Id: <6.1.2.0.1.20041117195903.01abb9f8 [at] incoming.verizon.net> Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 20:09:27 -0500 From: Patrick McCreary Subject: Re: Flame Proof In-Reply-To: References: At 01:32 PM 11/16/2004, Michael Finney wrote: >I'd differ with him (sorry Patrick!) regarding the requirement for flame >retardant carpeting probably not being required. My experience with >current codes for public assembly spaces has been that most AHJ's and >most codes has been that floors are not exempted from the general >standards regarding flammability. I wish I could cite specific sections >of the IBC, but I'm not in the office and the books don't fit >conveniently in the briefcase (darn it!). Anecdotally, though - I saw >a burn test last year as part of a "flame spread" demonstration where >the flame actually managed to run *under* the carpet and reappear at the >wall edge. The test room went "fully involved" in something like 45 >seconds after the emergence of visible flame at the wall edge (as the >fire was already present under the carpet). It was a weird combination >of un-treated flooring, a carpet adhesive (one that's not used any more >but that is available in some shops still) that can sustain combustion >in a low-O2 environment, and a flammable carpet backing. YIKES! The >scary thing is that I can see just that weird combination of factors >very easily coming together in a stage installation.... That IS scary - reminds me of the issue a number of years ago when the "flameproof" foams used in places like airline seats would asphyxiate everyone on board when they (flamelessly) turned to vapor. I was talking about the carpet itself, and the ease of getting a variance for it, depending on location, etc. - I once spec.'d a new floor surface for the auditorium stage next door to me, complete with proper fire-retardent paint on both sides of a top (replaceable) surface of 1/4" A-C exterior plywood, only to have the contractor convince the buyers (and the AHJ) that using pressure-treated ply wood make the floor more flameproof; of course, it didn't, was reluctant to take any paint, and began to delaminate a year or so after it's installation (you could reach down and pull pieces of it up with your fingers). The TD has since gradually been replacing with my original spec., dutifully painted on both sides before it's laid down. Patrick G. Patrick McCreary Ass't. Professor - Technical Director Department of Theater and Dance Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana, PA 15701 (Office) 724-357-2644 (Home) 724-349-4309 ------------------------------ Message-ID: <004f01c4cd13$c0235430$5d7e7244 [at] D78YGH41> From: "Steve" Subject: Skirpan Dimmers Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 20:10:17 -0600 Somebody dropped Steve Skirpan's name here not too long ago. I have 60 Skirpan dimmers running a show tonight. They keep running and running and running. They were installed in the early 70's. We replaced the firing cards and "updated" to DMX, but that is it. My boss won't fork up the $90,000 to replace it with a Sensor rack. They are going to die. I guess it is going to take something biblical like a flood, locusts or pestilence. Peace, Steve Schepker Southeastern Louisiana University ------------------------------ Message-ID: <001a01c4cd20$bc4c96c0$13ecbed0 [at] hppav> From: "Joe Meils" References: Subject: Re: Disco Balls Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 21:43:08 -0600 Mr. Harvey, Well, one possible alternative is to check out and see what sort of equipment the school's astronomy or planitarium might have in stock. Those guys have some of the most interesting custom projectors available. Joe Meils UCA Theatre Conway, Arkansas > We found a Color Sphere for sale with American DJ, but I'm concerned with > the quality of the engineering of the fixture. Their literature says the > fixture can be used for only ten minutes at a time with a ten minute cool > down time between uses. > > I'm also concerned with the amount of noise the fixture generates and the > brightness of the images projected. > > If anyone has knowledge of alternate sources for disco balls that may be > more applicable to theatrical venues, I would appreciate the information. ------------------------------ Message-ID: <419B6737.D71CA114 [at] cybercom.net> Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 09:59:03 -0500 From: Dale Farmer Subject: Re: Surtitles,,, again References:

Stephen Litterst wrote: > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > --------------------------------------------------- > > FrankWood95 [at] aol.com wrote: > > > > For info, archives & UNSUBSCRIBE, see > > --------------------------------------------------- > > > > In a message dated 16/11/04 21:30:57 GMT Standard Time, > > ostroff [at] operaphilly.com writes: > > > > All those who have posted seem to be using a DIY approach, and front > > projection to boot! No wonder that they are having problems. I don't say that you > > should buy the professional gear. I don't suppose that it comes cheap. > > As you point out, it's a very small market. So small that there is no > "off the shelf" product and every system becomes a DIY project. > > As to the front projection, it's a fairly common technique on this > side of the pond. I can't think of a single show on which I've worked > (many operas included) where I had the space to set up a rear > projection on the proscenium. The front projection systems I've used > (and occasionally designed) have worked remarkably well. Our stock > surtitle screen is off-white projection screen mounted on a black > flat. That greys out the screen when not in use but the white letters > pop out. As a practical matter, surtitles are typically on the procesnium wall, above the opening. In every venue I've been in with more than a hundred seats, that wall is a fire wall, and poking holes in a fire wall in the USA is frowned upon by the authorities. Even if you were able to get a hole in the proscenium for the thing, the space behind where the projector and beam would have to go are usually full of things like fly systems, lights and so on. So I don't see a rear projection system working in most venues. This leaves a couple of options. The most common I've seen was a video projector mounted out in the house, usually on the ceiling, with a masked lens. This has the problem of wasting most of the lumens out of the projector on the mask, with the heat issues that have to be dealt with, and video projectors are not noted for their heat tolerance. One venue had one that had the projector hung on a front catwalk, and the beam shot down and bounced off a mirror onto some rear projection fabric. They had to buy a custom lens to deal with the extreme skew needful, but it was very good, and cost them the use of about six feet of the front catwalk for lighting positions, due to light leaks reflecting off the mirror onto the RP screen. One place I saw used those LED streaming displays, al-la times square headline marquee. I thought it was rather obtrusive, and some patrons had difficulty reading the moving display of words. I've heard of optical film systems with specialized projectors scrolling a film strip. One could, I suppose, adapt a slide projector if you have access to inexpensive film processing. Advantage of slide projector is that they are cheaply available on the surplus market, and bulbs are an order of magnitude less expensive that video projector bulbs. No good answers from me though, many variables that are venue and budget specific. --Dale ------------------------------ End of Stagecraft Digest #199 *****************************