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ojc123

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    Retired school technician. Responsible for sound and lighting in school because I understood Ohm's Law and have a screwdriver.
  • Full Name
    Owen Crawford

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    West Yorkshire

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  1. We had the same in the 60s. I'd be about 7 or 8 when they showed us a not at all age appropriate 'what to do in the event of a nuclear attack*' film. This, along with the teacher reassuring us that since we were surrounded by military and intelligence targets then we would be likely to be bombed sooner rather than later, scared the wits out of me. Everytime the siren went off thereafter I fully expected the end of the world, or at least my bit of it. *The answer was lie in a ditch. (20:28 in the video above.) In retrospect, standing in the middle of a field and being instantly vapourised seems a better option really.
  2. Before I retired we had quite a few (10+) of these Pulse DIs on our school stage. They were reasonably looked after and we only had one failure over about five years.
  3. My experience in a school led me to this conclusion. We had three Channel 70 and a couple of old VHF headset mics which we used to train the student technicians and actors to use them with care and respect. When we needed larger numbers we hired them in. The students already knew how to use the mics and we'd established protocols for transfers etc if needed, so it wasn't a last minute extra when they were all excited close to showtime. Just before I retired we had funds to buy a set of 10 Channel 38 headsets. We got a decent deal from 10 out of 10 (no connection) and felt it would be a worthwhile investment. I retired in 2020 and I'm informed they've just been used for the first time since, but no-one was thinking we'd have Covid in the way. I think the OP needs to consider what the company's needs are and act accordingly. There is only the answer that's right for the company.
  4. There's rarely anything to be gained by shouting the odds. All you'll end up with is a reputation for being an awkward so and so. If it was rubbish and you are able to say you've done your best, then walk away and learn from the experience. I worked in a school. In teacher mode, it was important to me that the students learned from their mistakes and thus became experienced. In technician mode, if an outside body came in and were disorganised* then I did what I could to make it work, waved them goodbye and forgot all about it. Not my problem. We've all been part of things we were unhappy with but it's just another gig. *Disorganised is very kind to some of the visiting speakers/groups.
  5. ojc123

    Strand Mini 2?

    That's the fella. I'm pleased others think it's green, I'm never sure in that part of the spectrum.
  6. ojc123

    Strand Mini 2?

    That's the one! Thank you. Case closed.
  7. ojc123

    Strand Mini 2?

    A long time ago the school I worked at had a Strand lighting desk and dimmers. I'm working with the new Performing Arts people to produce a history of the school theatre before my memory turns to engine oil. The dimmers had 2x5A sockets per channel with a fuse above each pair. As I remember it had a green hammerite type finish. (I'm colour blind so green-grey-blue might also work.) I'd always thought it was a Strand Mini 2 but the only images I can find looks different. This seems to be a mini 2+. Do any older members recollect a Strand desk and dimmers which match my description and can point me at what I'm looking for? Thanks in advance.
  8. I got some from 18650.uk for a project. Delivery, packaging etc was good. The prices seemed to be similar for decent brands though wherever I looked.
  9. We had a trial with one of our B205D. We discussed it's strengths and limitations. They tried it for a week or two before we got the bigger model. They'd had it a year before I retired and hadn't blown it at that point. No idea what's happened since. I did a bit of training on how to get the best out of it. They bought it themselves so I think that helped make them more responsible for using it sensibly. I think there was talk of getting a USB powered Bluetooth receiver like this so they could use Bluetooth. Not sure if this happened.
  10. On the boombox front, our PE department kept breaking the PA so we got a Behringer B207 MP3 Active PA Speaker/Monitor* which they loved so much they got another one. It's small and they can just take it anywhere there's a plug and it's quite loud enough without upsetting neighbouring classes. I gave them a 3.5 to RCA cable and cheap mic so they could use that too if they wanted. As an upside we could borrow them to use as monitors when needed. * Other suppliers are available.
  11. This happened to us in the 90s. The Bursar made the electrician go round and put every one back on. It's just that stage lighting is out of the general way of things for a normal sparky.
  12. This seems the only sensible option. Don't let the school talk you into getting a standard sparky in. It'll be cheaper but they don't all have experience of this kind of lighting. Get in a stage lighting electrician. There is a risk that they'll come in, turn a funny shade of green and condemn the whole system. This happened to our 5A system in the late 90s after the school's tame electrician told us it was ok. At the time, my concern was that we had a show coming up. I had to accept that the condemnation was preferable to having to explain to a partner/parent/judge why I was using a system that hasn't been checked properly and has known problems.
  13. I agree wholeheartedly with this. In your initial post you say, "I do realise I'm a bit out of my depth here..." I think part of realising that is to accept that this is something you can't guarantee to do safely and that you might end up liable for something you didn't realise was a problem. When I started using our school system in the 80s I knew nothing about stage lighting. I was in a state of unconscious incompetence*. Your next statement would have applied to me, "..I'm keen to learn and really want to help the School. In the current climate the drama department has really suffered and the kids are losing interest in the Theatre." I look back and shudder to think of some of the things I did then. I got away with it. No-one was hurt and times were different. You can't assume that the current system is safe, many school systems suffer from extreme neglect and misuse. After using the school lighting system for a year or two I discovered it was incorrectly wired and dangerous. It is to your credit that you admit that you aren't sure about some really rather basic things. My advice is to admit this and either get a professional in to help you set up a safe and effective system or let the school know that you are in a position of conscious incompetence* and walk away. * These aren't insults. they're part of the best model of learning I ever heard. By definition, I was never aware of getting above level 3. 4 Unconscious competence - You know what you're doing so well that you don't have to think about it. 3 Conscious competence - You know what you're doing but you have to think about it. 2 Conscious incompetence - You know enough about something to know that you know that you don't know how to do it properly. 1 Unconscious incompetence - You don't even know that you don't know how to do something.
  14. Following on from my post above we also had some reversing monitors from ebay at less than £20 which were very useful.
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