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What do the numbers on Par 64 lamps mean?N.B. - the number in ParXX (e.g. Par64) is the diameter of the lamp in 1/8ths of an inch What size gel do I need for a...I need to make up some single-phase extensions. What cable should I use?16A 1P+N+E TRS - 1.5mm2 or 2.5mm2 32A 1P+N+E TRS - 6.0mm2 63A 1P+N+E TRS - 10.0mm2 or 16.0mm2 125A 1P+N+E TRS - 35.0mm2 I need to make up some three-phase extensions. What cable should I use?16A 3P+N(+E) TRS - 1.5mm2 or 2.5mm2 32A 3P+N(+E) TRS - 6.0mm2 63A 3P+N(+E) TRS - 16.0mm2 125A 3P+N(+E) TRS - 35.0mm2 I've found an old Strand lantern and I'd like some more information on itTry visiting the Strand Archive. On the site is a huge database of old and new equipment alike, and should be able to provide you with detailed information about your lantern. You can also get info on Strand's line of control equipment past and present, too.
I'd like to be able to work on the programming for my show before I go to the venue. How can I do this?By visiting the website of your manufacturers desk you can download a piece of software called the offline editor. This allows you to work or edit your show on your PC as if it was the lighting desk. The manufacturers that offer offline software are: ADB (for ISIS+ software on Phoenix and Mentor consoles) Strand (for the GSX, 300 and 500 series) ETC (for Congo, Eos, Obsession, Expression 3, Insight and Express Consoles) Zero 88 (for the Jester range, Frog range, Leap Frog 48/96, and for Frog 2.) Avolites (for the Pearl & Diamond 4) Flying Pig (for the Wholehog 2) Flying Pig (for the Wholehog 3) MA Lighting (for the GrandMA) Compulite (for the Compulite Vector) Clicking the links will take you to the relevant websites. I've downloaded and installed the Strand Offline Editor, but when it starts I get an error message asking for "TNT.dll". I'm using Windows XP. Whats going wrong?Unfortunately, the Strand Offline Editor doesn't work in Windows XP, not even in a DOS box. There are a few ways round this, but they're all a bit cumbersome. You can find a discussion of this here. The most elegant solution we've found so far is MarcTs' RAMdisk version of the OLE, more details here. Mac.Calder has also come up with a qEmu image, which may be even more useful, because qEmu runs on Linux and Mac OS X as well as Windows. More information available here. If Mac's solution appeals, unfortunately his copy linked to has been lost, but its mirrored here. What software can I run a show from and what about USB-DMX Dongles?There are lots of PC based lighting control products, the good, the bad and the ugly. Most are bad or ugly, some to look at are...
Dongles comes in all shapes and sizes, from built and tested commercial offerings to 'open source' projects... How many incandescent lights can I run off a 13A socket?For a normal incandescent lamp (the majority of generic lights, including parcans), you need to work out the current draw. The current drawn is given by the power (in Watts) divided by your mains voltage. We'll assume mains voltage to be 230v as this gives us a nice margin for error in the UK. If you're not UK based, insert your local mains voltage here instead! If we're looking at a 1KW Par64... Current = 1000 / 230 = 4.3A Taking our available current (13A), and dividing it by that, we find that we can run 3.02 Par64s off a 13A socket (For the sake of argument, we'll call it 3x Par64s, as you probably can't do an awful lot with the 0.02 left over). If you need to do the maths for a 10A dimmer, or a 16A socket or whatever, then it's similar. Work out the power in the same way for your load, but replace the 13A with whatever supply you're using. However... certainly in the UK, you can't assume that you can get the full 13A from your socket. Typically, 13A sockets are connected in ring mains, so you may be sharing your available current with something else. The total available current (you will probably need to look at the consumer unit to find this out) is normally 32A; check that there's nothing else pulling large amounts of current on the ring. If you're using your 3x Par64s on one side of the room, and have another set on the other side from a different socket on the ring, that's 26A. If someone then turns on a 2.2KW tea urn on the same circuit, you've got an extra 10A or so on the ring, giving you a breaker-tripping 36A, resulting in darkness and cold tea. Finally, it's worth noting that most double sockets aren't rated to give 2x 13A. Typically, a double socket will be capable of delivering around 20A across the pair of sockets. What's the pin-out of a Socapex/Lectriflex multicore?see: Socapex and Lectriflex (Harting) What's the pin-out of a DMX cable?Pin 1 = Ground Pin 2 = Signal -ve Pin 3 = Signal +ve (These pin numbers are true for both 5-pin and 3-pin connectors, although strictly speaking 3-pin connectors should not be used as they don't comply with the official DMX512 standard.) Some older Martin fixtures (such as the Roboscan Pro 518 and Robocolour 400) use the older Martin Protocol which switches Pin 2 and 3 so the pinout is Pin 1 = Ground Pin 2 = Signal +ve Pin 3 = Signal -ve If using these fixtures along side fixtures with standard pinouts, you'll need to create an short adapter (M-F, for use after the last standard fixture, and F-M for use before the next standard fixture) using the wiring shown below 1-1 2-3 3-2 Do I need to terminate my DMX line?Yes, all runs of DMX data should be terminated - this will prevent 'reflections' of stray data coming back up the line and corrupting the signal. To make a simple DMX Terminator, all you need is a 5-pin XLR plug and a 120-ohm 1/2-watt resistor. Simply solder the resistor across pins 2 and 3 of the XLR (sleeving the legs of the resistor is a good idea to prevent shorting). What's the pin-out of a 4-pin scroller cable?Pin 1 = Ground Why do I sometimes see two current ratings given for fixtures with discharge lamps?During the fraction of a second that a discharge lamp is striking, it pulls more current than it draws while running (perhaps several times as much). This can cause problems if you're trying to run several moving lights from a single power feed - the rating of the feed might be sufficient for the operating current drawn by all the units, but if all the lamps strike at once the current peak that's drawn momentarily might be several times what the supply is rated for - at best this can cause a voltage drop sufficient to prevent the lamps from striking, and at worst it can trip the circuit protection device.
Where can I buy second-hand lighting equipment?
What's this I've been hearing about a change in the colours of 3-phase cables?The IEE published an amendment to their wiring regulations at the end of March, specifying new cable core colours for single-phase and 3-phase installations. The old colours (red/yellow/blue for phases, black for neutral) or new or 'harmonised' colours (brown/black/grey for phases, blue for neutral) can be used until the end of March 2006, at which point it will no longer be permissible to use the old colours. See also this relevant article on the wiki. For further information, please refer to the IEE website. How can I use two lighting desks to run one rig, for example one to control generics and one to run moving lights?There are two ways this can be done.
Due to the serial multiplexed nature of a DMX signal, using a simple passive 'Y-lead' splitter to link two consoles into one DMX line will not work! How Do I Light A (Rock) Concert?As with any creative process, there are few rules other than the ones you make for yourself. This is a subject which has been discussed many times in the Blue Room, so have a read of the following for ideas, opinions and inspiration by the bucketload...
...If you have any remaining questions on the subject of concert lighting, please try (as usual) to add them to existing threads. What lighting equipment should I buy for my school / college / church / village hall / other small venue or system?A number of ideas and opinions on this subject can be found in the following threads...
How bright are LED Parcans?There have been many, many threads regarding this on the Blue Room, for an in-depth discussion, look here, if you're after actual numbers, then it seems that there is quite a difference when you measure it. I'm the lighting designer for (show). Does anybody have design ideas?There are several things you can do. Read the script (twice - once for sense, once for ideas), talk to the director of the play. Attend rehearsals, and make notes where the actors are on stage, and what mood is trying to be created. Don't get others to design for you: that's your job! And we don't know the slightest thing about your production: budget, stage size, directors ideas etc., it's up to you to take these into consideration. Recommended ReadingClick here to go to the Recommended Reading topic. Also have a look in the Wiki books category and specifically Wiki lighting books category. Also see Nic Lawton's Lighting Texts Link which has a list of lighting texts for beginners. Useful Links(N.B. - there are literally hundreds of links to technical production sites available on the Stagelink Website)
See here for those which haven't made it into the wiki yet.
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Lighting FAQ
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