Brian

Yes. Digital video signals can suffer from earth loops just as much as an analogue audio signal can. Too much voltage on the screen and you might exceed the common-mode voltage range of the input stage of the receiving unit.

So an M10 threaded sleeve... https://www.ebay.com/itm/THREADED-SLEEVE-ROD-BAR-STUD-ROUND-CONNECTOR-NUT-BRIGHT-ZINC-LONG-NUTS-M4-TO-M12-/111834853061 ...and an M10 to 3/8" adaptor... http://ukcameraequipment.co.uk/product/14-male-to-m10-to-38-male-threaded-screw-adapter-for-tripodmonopod-uk-seller/ ...locked together with a bit of threadlcok.

Farnell have been shipping some lines from Belgium for several years now. But that is Thomann's choice. They could deal with the VAT and duty on all orders if they wanted to. Plenty of suppliers to the UK do, I buy product for manufacturing from the US and China and all my suppliers deal with the VAT and duty up front.

It'll take a bit of Googling but there are ready to go PCBs out there designed for making custom MIDI controllers. Search on ebay for "MIDI PCB"

Oh, and all 70+ staff have been made redundant for the second time.

Le Maitre, the Peterborough based manufacturer of stage pyro, is in liquidation. As well as loads of small creditors they owe... HMRC (PAYE) £287,282 HSE £221,842 Barclays £200,000 for a CBILS ...plus there's the possible pending prosecution for the fatal accident. If you are interested there's loads of downloadable official documents on the Companies House website.

In a previous life I ran a large 24/7 broadcast engineering department. We used exactly that setup to clean very expensive broadcast VTRs and PCBs. Static was never an issue.

What are you wanting to dust? I have one of these... ..which is amazingly blowy. Search on ebay for 'datavac'.

Didn't we pass this point several days ago? I usually apply the 'Crew Catering' test. As someone who seems to spend a lot of time in catering I've learned to pick up on when a conversation is starting to go where it shouldn't. And the art of good management is letting people blow off steam when needed but being able to draw a line which shouldn't be crossed. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And, before this gets too political and we have to start removing posts, how are people finding the different approaches to VAT that EU sellers have adopted?

Soundproofing? Do you mean stopping sound going outside or controlling what's going on inside? To stop sound transmission, rather than control sound reflection, requires mass. You'll not get much reduction from a draped material. Sorry but that the physics. You can get away with lighter materials but you then require multiple (ie more than two) layers spaced apart by a goodly fraction of the wavelength you want to control.

I sometimes think to myself "FFS, people need to get a grip. We're only on day 31 of the new arrangements. Did people really think that everything would be to their liking on Day 1?"

How are the packs shipped. In the same product box as the radio or in a separate product box? There are two different UN Classifications depending on how they are shipped... Class 9 – UN3480 – Lithium ion batteries – Batteries that are not packed with or installed with the equipment. Class 9 – UN3481 – Lithium ion batteries contained in or packed with the equipment, but not attached to the source. Class 9 – UN3481 – Lithium ion batteries contained in or packed with the equipment, installed / integrated at the source. ...where 'packed with' means in the same product packaging, not the same shipping box. UN3480 is sometimes seen as the more hazardous. I found this regarding DHL... https://www.dhl.com/content/dam/downloads/g0/express/shipping/lithium_batteries/lithium_batteries_interactive_tool.pdf

With my admin hat on... BREXIT, and the repercussions thereafter, and COVID, and it's effects on our industry. The Blue Room has always been a politics free zone. Some latitude has always been permitted where it was felt in keeping with our general ethos. In the past few days I've hidden quite a few posts which cross the line. BREXIT The situation was best summed up by a member in a current topic... We are now left with the practicalities of getting on with what we do. Be that importing equipment, exporting equipment, touring Europe, or crossing invisible borders. So can we please keep any conversation on those topics? COVID Yes it's crap out there. Yes our industry, along with plenty of others, has been badly hit. Yes we've all seen people flout the rules. Yes you may have a different idea on how things should be done. But, like Brexit, we are in the reality zone. The situation is what it is. We should be concentrating our efforts on being in a position to get up and running again in a safe and secure fashion as soon as permitted. So, again, please can we keep conversations focussed on the positives please?

Fresnels, Bulldog Clips and a pile of Tough Spun (aka Lee 214/215). Or, linear floods bounced off something reflective. Which is what thee are...

...except as the current administration have proven beyond all doubt - they consider arts/culture/entertainment/music to be a niche sector... But what standards needed for CE marking are there that are exclusive to the events industry? I'm struggling to think of any other than Section 2-17 of EN 60598. All of the electrickery standards are very broadly worded. Got a bit of audio/video kit? 60065 will likely cover it and if it doesn't then you'll be good with 60950. The safety standards have a long track record. EN60065 is derived from IEC65 which I first came across some time in the early 80s. Remember, CE paperwork is issued by the manufacturer, it's a self-certification system and won't change come 1st Jan.

I don't see much changing on the standards front, certainly in so far as those that affect us. All BS EN 6xxxxx standards, which deal with most things electric, are actually CEN editions of IEC standards. The IEC is an international body; CEN, whilst European, has members from outside the EU, eg Turkey and Switzerland. It is highly likely that most 'technical' standards will continue as they are at the moment. I think that the UK is already a member of CEN in its own right. CEN is also an independent organisation that is recognised by the EU, along with a couple of others, as the appropriate standards body for Europe. It would be commercial suicide for the UK to diverge. UK based manufacturers would still have to comply with standards laid out in other countries simply to be able to export. No-one is going to run a dual, different, set of standards. Likewise, CENELEC and ETSI deal with some areas of standards. Wikipedia says this about CENELEC..."Although CENELEC works closely with the European Union, it is not an EU institution. Nevertheless, its standards are "EN" EU (and EEA) standards, thanks to EU Regulation 1025/2012." The same goes for CEN. Where standards do differ it is likely to more in more 'niche' areas like food and agriculture.

As the purchaser you don't need to do anything. You certainly don't need to register anywhere. I suspect that many of the larger EU based suppliers will do what a lot of the US suppliers have done and register with HMRC to collect the VAT and duty, if applicable, on their behalf. For example...I buy quite a lot of components from Mouser in the US. They deal with all the VAT and Duties and I simply pay them in GBP. They deal with all the other stuff. (As I'm VAT registered they deduct the VAT from the invoice).

The kids in the audience loved it. It had all the necessary ingredients for a panto: a fairy, a dame, a baddy, a 'sidekick' and a hero. Lot's to boo at and lots to cheer at.

As well as working on live events and shows, I go to the theatre a lot as a paying customer. Last evening I went to my local theatre's panto replacement and I thought some people might be interested in my experience. The obvious changes... *) doors only opened 30 minutes before curtain up *) possibility of having to queue outside so asked to dress appropriately *) hands sanitised and temperature checked on entrance *) no contact ticket inspection *) no pit band, instead they were located off-stage *) small cast of just 9 people *) one 75 minute show with no interval *) cloakrooms closed *) everyone to wear a mask at all times Did it feel slightly weird? Yes, but that soon disappeared. Did I enjoy it? Oh yes. Having not been out socially since March 13th it came as a welcome 'reset' and reminded me of what a great thing live events are. Would I go again with the same changes? Yes, absolutely. Finally, a big THANKYOU to Cambridge Arts Theatre for taking a chance and putting this on.

Something like this... https://vimeo.com/314718350 from about 00:59

As dje says, an IP rating tells nothing about long-term weather resilience. A big problem is 'breathing'; the air in a unit, as it warms, expands and pushes its way out of the enclosure. As things cool down the air pressure inside drops and moisture is sucked in. You need to talk to your potential suppliers.

Blimey. They're not cheap are they? https://www.musik-produktiv.com/gb/zero-88-usb-cable-fuer-diablo.html [E2A] So it's an FTDI USB chip in an XLR connector which plugs into the DMX port on the Diablo. An FTDI to RS485 lead can be had for around £30. The only issue will be setting the chip to the right VID and PID but there's a forum post on the Z88 forums saying what they should be so you could use the FTDI utilities to set them.

I'm not sure there will be that much. Will venues have bought stock in for panto on the off chance that shows will run? Plus, manufacturers haven't exactly been running at capacity since March.

What sort of quantities are you after? I've used a UK based company to make custom battery packs for music stands and they weren't that expensive.