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I would second the recommendation for a Jands CL, I have used one a fair bit for a mix of conventionals tungsten lights and LED uplighters or par cans. I believe the ETC Colorsource is also an option, but I haven't used one. They do crop up rarely in the secondhand market, though I believe AC-ET are the UK Jands dealers if you are buying new. The only issue with going for a Jands CL, is that while they will handle multi channel LED fixtures, they are no good for moving lights if you are likely to need those in the future.

Vista needs a licence dongle. It also will only work with Vista's proprietary USB to DMX adapter or an SACN/Artnet interface, or a Vista wing. So it won't work with the hardware you have plus you will need a licence dongle as well.

Teatro was a subsidiary of Coemar wasn't it?

I believe that Clay Paky used to use home workers a lot for manufacture of sub assemblies for Goldenscans and the like in the 90's. A lot of the soldering was apparently done on various Italian kitchen tables.

Just heard this sad news. https://theatreprojects.com/richard-pilbrow-remembrance/

Thanks very much!

Is it an online manual? I could do with a link if possible for a couple mouldering in a dark corner of the warehouse...

I worked on a Robin Hood panto back in the early 80s, so memory is a little hazy... The archery board was an 8x4 sheet, with vertical slots which contained the arrows. The head of the arrow was attached to a spring type mouse trap. The trap was locked with a pin, and when the pin was pulled, the trap sprung and the arrow pivoted to stick out from the board. This was operated by a stagehand behind the board. I can't remember the exact way the arrow was connected to the mouse trap, but shouldn't be too difficult to work something out!

I worked on an exhibition stand for HP computers about 10 years ago, we had 60 or so computers on site. They all arrived in their cardboard boxes on pallets. So did the software licence which was a single sheet of A4 for each computer. Each in it's own envelope.. each envelope in it's own A4 x 100mm carboard box.. each box in a larger box with polystyrene chips... the larger boxes were stacked on pallets, then wrapped and fitted with edge protectors. So 60 sheets of paper took up 3 or possibly 4 pallets...

I have given up trying to enforce my payment terms on other (generally bigger) companies. What I do do without fail is ask what the payment terms are before accepting the booking, which means I can make a descision if I accept those terms, or bump up my quote to allow for a particulalrly long payment period. This year for instance, I have encountered the following. 30 days from receipt of invoice. Been working for these guys for years, and it is always exactly 30 days without fail. Invoice by 15th of month, paid on last working day of month. It does mean jobs in the last couple of weeks of a month go over 30 days, but I can live with it. Payment on last day of month following month of invoice. Can mean an almost 60 day wait, but they are charged a small premium! Payment on receipt of invoice. I like this customer! Earlier this year, I was phoned while on a train back from a gig and asked why my invoice wasn't in yet. 75% 60 days in advance, 25% day after load out. American client, apparently it's what they do with all suppliers. So it does vary, I just make sure I am happy with their terms. I did turn down a job last year because their terms were 90 days and they quibbled about every penny.

Might be worth considering eye bolts too. They can be finger tightened like a wing bolt, but you can put a screwdriver in if you need to tighten them up a little bit more. You might have more luck finding eyes rather than wings... Orbital fasteners have M10 x 70mm eyebolts for less than a quid each for instance https://www.orbitalfasteners.co.uk/products/m10-forged-eyebolts-73mm-shank-14mm-eye-steel-bright-zinc-plated

Totally agree with that. Ideally I want a wall panel with a dozen buttons each firing a preset, and that's it. No programming buttons, nothing else! I don't mind if we have to take a desk in for programming, so the DMX recorder approach is my favourite at the moment.

Can the Anytronics one deal with moving lights?

Two good ideas which I'll follow up on.

I've been asked to look at specifying some lighitng for a banqueting/wedding hall. I'm quite happy with the fixtures end of things, but am a bit out of date with small control systems. I'm looking for something that will control a handful of moving lights, some static spots, and wall washers. Ideally I would like to program a series of looks, and then have a wall panel or ipad to select various presets. Ideally, I would like to be able to lock out the user from fiddling so they can't screw things up! What's availabel for this sort of application?

There's a guy I used to work with, who has a little business repairing drapes, based in the Midlands. Turns up on your stage with seeing machines and does repairs on situ. Certainly used to do any running repairs at the ICC in Birmingham. I'll see if I can dig out a number and find out if he still does this.

Back in the 80s, a "friend" was involved with a theatre company who transported their kit to the fringe by buying a cheap van and then breaking down 50 miles from home and doing the rest of the journey by AA Relay. The same happened on the way home. They must have been really unlucky because this happened 3 years in a row!

The axial lamps were supposed to be better for gobo projection.

I think that's actually a 143 not a 145. Same body shape as a Patt 50, but opening back and a fresnel lens. Never seen one of those before!

I know of a Risk Assesment that was sent out dozens of times with a section on risks of working on roofs. It included as a potential risk "Attack by Dragon". I was also told by our Health and Safety advisor on a recent job, that a well known staging and rigging company listed in the section reffering to PPE, "Northern crew: large condoms, Southern crew: small condoms"...

You may need to keep Caterham as an option at least until I can get to the unit and confirm what I have actually got!

I seem to recall at the first theatre I worked in, we had an old Patt flood with three photo flash lamps in, with a control box with three flash buttons, so you could "play" the lightning effect, doubling up flashes to increase brightness etc.

I'll have a look Sunday or Monday and messeage you. Frankly can't rememeber what's there tbh! When do you need them?

Don't think I have anything in the "I really will get round to restoring these one day pile" that is as old as the 1920s. I have Patt 23, 123, 137, 76, 50A, some Furse 1kw profiles but these are all 1950/1960s really. Happy to loan to an amateur company, or small hire charge to professionals. Based in Birmingham which is not a million miles from you.

In the first theatre I worked in, we had an advance bar of 743s over the first row of the audience. The producton desk was only a couple of rows back and in those days pretty much everyone smoked so when I used to do the annual maintenance and dropped the whole rig for cleaning, I reckon we got about 20% more light out of the 6 or 8 over the production desk for about 3 months before they were recoated in nicotine! Standard practice was to remove the lenses and put them in the glass washer in the bar.