Ynot

If you are interested drop me an e-mail to deeming.tony AT btinternet dot com

Posting here rather than jobs forum as it's very short notice.

A friend of mine is on a short tour of smaller venues with her Diva of the Decades show, and is in Haverhill Arts Centre this evening, Apr 26th, and has had a last minute problem with her sound tech for this  one. She asked if I was available to drop on to it but I'm already tied up on a show here.

Is there anyone local to Haverhill (ish) who might be able to help her out at all?

It would be a paid gig - not sure of the rate but hopefully around the £20 to £25 p/h mark - please DO check first if you choose to enquire further 🙂

12 hours ago, themadhippy said:

...that was a big improvement on the  old telephone handsets and a 9v battery that we started with.

Back in the 1970s when I first worked on shows/plays this was precisely what we had. (My father was a GPO telecoms manager so then he had access to the P.O. stores... 😄 ). All connected with 2 cores of GPO 4 wire internal phone cable.

With batteries not dissimilar to these 

I suspect that using a server based system is all well and good, allowing for that latency, but you'd always be at the mercy of that server losing connection (and law of sod will dictate it being at the worst time!) as well as getting busier (and hence more latency...) when you have a potential room full of people also wanting to access that server from their phones...

How often does the school NEED the talkback? 
If it's only a couple of times a year or so, then look at hiring in a proper setup - same with lighting/sound gear. You don't HAVE to buy everything at the same time. Hiring can also give you the opportunity to test out what you might purchase in the future to make sure you're getting the best bang for the buck 🙂

1 hour ago, KevinE said:

Many BUDGET/DJ fixtures come by default as 'stand alone' or 'sound to light' if they lose DMX ....

Fixed that bit for you 😄 

Does anyone have a link to known and proven high temp acetate sheets that might survive a hotter burning LED profile beam?

Had reasonable success with standard acetate in the past with the Chauvet EVE Z 50 spots, but using some of their Obsession E260 open white units earlier today and the images burned through within seconds of the lamps being powered up...

Whether that's to do more with the beam focus (they weren't focussed before the gobos went in) or just the fact that there's just way too much heat for rthem in this way is as yet unproven. But feedback anyone with any specific experience would be appreciated.

Update - looks like I found a source in Tamworth who can hopefully sort this in the morning so hopefully all good. 

😄

Urgent query...

Does anyone have a couple of Chauvet DJ EVE 50 profiles available anywhere near the midlands for this week?

Got a show at the Spa Centre in Leamington and could do with a couple to match the 3 that are already available.

If you could PM me asap if poss that would be great.

Thanks.

There's a LOT of info out there on fire retardency of soft goods in events scenarios, so feel free to use Google (other search tools are available) to whet your whistle on what they all say - which will be pretty much the same.

Every venue or space has to have their own fire safety policy in place and these days it's up to the local H & S guy/team to compile that to suit the venue and the type of events they'll be hosting. Part of that WILL be to at the very least dictate the level of FR of any drapes to be used either in-house or brought in by contractors.

It will then be the contractor's responsibility to a) read and abide by the local policy based on how the soft goods will be used and b) ensure that any contracted in hired goods comply with the conditions from the venue.

This means that if YOU bring in un-FR materials alongside ANYTHING that is capable of generating combustible heat ** such as tungsten LX kit, then it is YOU who would likely be liable under legal proceedings should your gear cause an incident/fire etc. 

** Let's not forget the adage that ANYTHING electrical can be a smoke machine if used wrongly or found sufficiently faulty... 😮 

So IMHO any supplier who is sending out drapes on a regular basis MUST be doing so with a specified level of FR certification.

2 hours ago, musht said:

Yeggi.com , STL search engine , as usual, case of keyword bingo, lot free, some paid

https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-print-models/miniatures/memorabilia/patt-123-vintage-strand-electric-stage-light

Tinkercad, online designer, more powerful than it first appears, easier than Fusion 360.

SketchUp, be aware of reversed faces, it's a surface modeler not a solid modeller 

Already been playing with TinkerCAD

Oooh - that looks interesting....

Thanks.

I'm a little late to the game here, but want to start playing with 3D printing, specifically at first to create block items I can use when designing my stage sets. 

So before I spend a lot of time trying to make .stl files for basic items, does anyone have the files available for - eg - Litedeck pieces and scaff legs I can use as a basis? Or even scenic flats?

We bought a couple from RS I believe but it was some years ago now.

I'll try and find the link if I can

Depending on the timescales and budget I MAY be able to put something together for you.

Would you want the LEDs inside to twinkle, or just be 'on' as a static colour or have a colour fade facility?

Makes a difference to the practicality of a standalone thing or something that needs a bit more control mechanism...

On 11/12/2023 at 4:59 AM, GOODN537433 said:

Does anyone still use or hire the 1 and 2k ripple tanks?

Pete Watts (Live LX up here in the midlands) used to have a couple - I had them from him a couple of years ago (and repaired one of them 🙂 ) but not sure if he still has them.

Pete's also a member here but not a regular contributor.

Getting them down to Dorset might be an expensive option tho unless he has a gig anywhere close...

This has been posted on the Set Exchange mailing list...

I still remember those halcyon days when I was a mere spotty faced teen back in the late 70s when I discovered electronics magazines (ETI, anyone?) and when I started work in '78 I could afford to actually mail-order components from Maplin to build some interesting projects.

There weren't many places available to me to get such things (Tandy - ugh..) though I did find a little shop in the precinct in Coventry (Electronic Services, I think) that did stock a surprisingly wide range of bits - though Maplin beat them hands down on price.

12 hours ago, adam2 said:

... who wants a 50 volt PIV diode when the 1000volt version is the same price.Or 8 watt fluorescent tubes in 12 volt and in 240 volts Why ?they are the same thing thing, the operating voltage is determined by the control gear not the lamp. And a vast choice of 5mm LEDs, only really needs two versions in each colour, a chep one and an an ultra bright one.

Surely that is down to what the customer wants, regardless of pricing differences.

If both/all slightly differing product specs cost the same to them to buy in and sell on, then what's the problem??

Your own design specs may have lower component tolerances meaning it matters not which you use BUT there may be others out there to whom it DOES make a difference.

I could understand your point if it were the other way, with fewer component options available, but this view just seems to be a pointless complaint...

2 hours ago, Stuart91 said:

Looking through the casDMX manual, I think I agree. So it looks like we have the blue core on the 4-core cable connected to DMX ground and the earth coloured core connected to mains earth...

Hang on - you're saying that you have mains cable running the data to your fixtures?

If nothing else, that won't be near the correct impedance for DMX, and where you're having data issues, that would be the first thing to rip out and re-do properly...

Unless I misunderstand your OP

As far as I know, (and stand to be corrected if wrong) there's NO reason for DMX to ever need a connection to mains earth. That, to me, is just another potential source of noise that could be introduced into the system.

17 hours ago, adam2 said:

An EIGHT gang 13 amp socket for fixed installation use, not a trailing socket for extension leads. Useful when large numbers of sockets are needed. Two versions, one with a 13 amp fuse when it is desired to limit the total load, and one without any such fuse and rated at 32 or 40 amps in total.

Close - Extension Lead Power Strip, THOWALL 7 Way Extension Plug Sockets with Cable, Wall Mountable Power Socket, 13amp Power Distribution Unit Rack Mount with Mounting Brackets, Surge Protection,1,8M: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Spot on - 19" Rackmount Power Distribution Unit, 8 Gang, 3 Pin UK Sockets - Adastra | CPC (farnell.com)

8 ways in a trailing lead - Extension Lead with USB Slots, 8 Way Outlets Power Strip with 4 USB Ports, 1800J Surge Protection Double Switch Plug Extension with 1.8M Braided Extension Cord for Home, Office: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo   (LOTS more of that type on Amazon)

On 9/3/2023 at 9:59 AM, ianknight said:

I'm sure someone will be in touch @J Pearce - The 520i with the dodgy LCD's is in my care at the moment (and I have two more for spares!) but I'm really a Zero88 'expert' so the fault is baffling me, it was working when I bought them from the Belgrade 5 years ago.

What would be really handy is someone who knows which section to dust with 'magic spray' or where to poke - the desk powers up otherwise and works but the LCD's aren't doing anything sensible (nor did swapping displays help). Some of the arcane knowledge for keeping this kit going (and so presentable in a working condition) is disappearing as folks retire or move on - it would be nice (where we can do so) to preserve that knowledge.
Even simple things like the old style Strand service manuals (even circuit diagrams for kit between Tempus & 500 series, Strand don't have them!) will help the collective and there must still be some lying in dusty corners - my small collection is already 'bequeathed' to the collective when I'm done. 🙂

I was about to say that there was a 500 series gathering dust in B2 the last time I was there.
Guess it isn't any more 🙂 🙂 🙂

We actually have one of those little beasts (if I can find it...) and that would be fine for Molloy's hat shop. 

But for the Vandergelder feed store, seeing as he's a 'half millionaire' I reckon he'd probably have something like the real deal 🙂

That said, I believe we may be in luck as my friendly props contact at Imagine in Cov thinks she may have one (again - if she can locate it!! 😮 )

Ebay

And I recall the last ones I got for Litedeck (same principle) were from Stage LX.

Also - when you say 70mm length but at least 30mm threaded, do you mean 70mm from end to end incl the butterflies, or just the bolt shank?

Bolts/set screws are usually measured just by the shank length.

🙂