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Ken Coker

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    Working in the industry
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    I work as freelance LD/Prod LX for a variety of companies. kwf.coker@gmail.com
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    ABTT SBTD ALD BECTU BMC
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    Ken Coker

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    http://kencoker.wordpress.com
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    ken.coker58

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    Edale, Derbyshire

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  1. The email address in your advert appears to be wrong....Thanks KC
  2. Dear Jon Blimey...is this still going on... I have a copy of the dissertation of which this was part of if you would like to see it. My email is kwf.coker at geemail.com (Simon Lewis, if you're reading this, what is the position on releasing student work and are we in contact with Kevin Sysum to ask him?) Thanks KC
  3. Doesn't Freestyler support gaming joysticks?. Not an approach I'd take myself, but... (Oh, my Isadora guru tells me that there is a virtual Art-Net module/plug-in for it.) KC
  4. I don't think you'll do it for USD 100. However, and this isn't my area of expertise, I think Isadora can do motion control and can be linked to some kind of DMX interface. Have a poke around on the Isadora forum - https://community.troikatronix.com/topic/3096/controlling-moving-light-pan-with-myo-joy-and-problems/6 I will say that Isadora has a pretty steep learning curve, but.... KC
  5. Ian Sommerville - who sometimes pops up on here (Hi Ian!!) - had a hand in the development of this. He had one built for Opera North and there was one in Blackpool. I may have a manual for it somewhere. KC Oh.....I appear to have started this thread some years ago..... :)
  6. I've recently bought and used an AL NanoScope to try and track down a DMX problem - http://goo.gl/l7ZqkC. It doesn't do exactly what you want, but it might help. KC
  7. Ian I'll email you. If anyone is still interested. I wanted information because one of my then students was restoring the console for a BSc project. One night I was watching "Spinal Tap" and realised that the film was the same age as the console. I found the concert LD on the credits - Richard Ocean - and emailed him on spec, asking if he'd used a similar console. He then, having emailed some fairly big name US concert LDs, wrote back. Using this email and a few more sources, my student wrote: The 8100 was the first series of consoles created by Avolites around 1980. Some were a custom build model for TFA/Electrotec/Electrosound and were built just prior to the famous QM500-TD. TFA/Electrotec/Electorsound were a sound and lighting company established in the early 80’s by Colin Waters and Tom Fields. The 8100 consoles were custom built to match a SoundCraft sound desk of the time that had blue stamped fader panels, indented white lettering and wavy brushed aluminium side panels. The amparo blue colour was a limited edition colour also used to match the SoundCraft desk. The sloped frontage...... and separate inner panel construction were classic Avolites design. A total of six TFA custom built models were made now making them very rare. There were three styles produced; a 72 way, 84-way and a 96-way model. The departure of the wood and leather look was a radical change. The new design was courtesy of the late Bill Kelsey of Kelsey Acoustics in London. Due to its large bulky appearance and distinctive blue colour, the 8100 was nicknamed, ‘The Blue Steak’. Rob Steel of was one of the product assemblers at Avolites back in the 8100 days and currently has in his possession a non-custom 8100 series console with the original wooden side panels without the XY feature which gives it a much cleaner look. The wooden case was manufactured by a very high end cabinet maker in London. This desk was used on the Joan Jet tour in 1982 with John Broderick as Lighting Designer who later went on to light Metallica and other successful bands. The non custom models had no chase function and so Rob Steel arrived in the USA on his first visit to add one to this original model. ....... The 8100 was an entirely analogue output control desk using three or four 37-way female Socapex connectors that used one voltage line per channel outputting between 0 and 10 volts. However, Marshall Bissett of TMB Production Supplies recalled the 8100 using an early version of DMX called ‘ProPatch’ that used digital multiplexing for the first time in rock and roll concert systems to try and get away from heavy and bulky analogue multi-core control cables. ProPatch systems still exist today as a serial dimmer interface that converts DMX512 to 64 discrete analogue signals. ........ Due to the 8100 being a limited edition model and with Avolites being a fairly new company unsure of their future, they simply did not believe in instruction manuals despite TFA and other users requesting one. This means there is no actual published information on the operation of the 8100. Only those who used the desk back in the 80’s and early 90’s actually have experience in its operation. The QM500 began production in 1983 and the 8100 ceased production at this point. And no, I've never got around to writing my "History of Avolites"... KC
  8. Thanks for the postman pat link Ken! great analogy =] Yes would love the other stuff you mentioned so my email is rob93@mac.com

    thanks a lot

    Rob.

  9. I did look to see if anyone had posted, but clearly not closely enough. Apologies for any perceived thunder-stealing. At least we've flagged it up. KC
  10. Comrades Worth keeping an eye out for some Petzl counterfeits. I know it's expensive gear, but it's worth sticking to reputable dealers KC
  11. Now is it clear why Wikipedia has limited use as a research tool? KC
  12. Dear All Ok, the desk in question is a 80/100.........hmm, it would appear that I can only post a URL for pics......right, the pics may wella ppear on the Avo site soon!! Cheers Ken
  13. Aha.........well, the very old desk I actually have and a student is repairing it and adding an embeded DMX chip to it as a final year project. The TD is an important desk in the development of the Avolite OS, and that is part of a longer term project that I am working on..............yes, I should get out more!! Ken
  14. Dear All This is all very useful stuff. I am in contact with Avolites, oddly I have a meeting there on Tuesday, and they are indeed being very helpful. Patrick I am also in contact with. I'm going to Blackpool on Wednesday to look at a TD in operation and I shall follow up the Scottish Ballet link - Hi Graham!!, I feel a trip to the North coming on! As I say, all very useful, keep it coming and the fruits of my research will be unveiled in the medium term future!! Cheers Ken
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