kitlane

Wow, that looks amazing, actually! It is fantastic because it is both exciting and very simple to be done.

Hi Rose, welcome to Blue Room.

Just in case you didn't realise, you are replying to a thread that is almost 3 years old. That's not a problem, and I think everyone in this discussion is still a frequent contributor to the forum, but it is always worth checking the dates.

Ignoring the dynamic load and friction, this could be reduced by using a multiple-block arrangement (e.g. a Gun Tackle using two pulleys reduces the force on the rigging point to 100% of the load). You have to pull the rope twice the distance but the force applied is halved.

I don't see any way of reducng the load to 100% of the weight of the kit. You yourself have already mentioned 50% of force to lift. Even using 10 blocks only reduces it to 110%, friction cannot be ignored and as more block are added the friction is increased along with the additional weight of the lifting tackle. Equally the snatch force has to be considered.

 

Yes. My bad!. I meant to type 150%. Slip of the keyboard. And I was unclear when I stated '..but the force applied is halved.' That, of course, is the force applied by the person pulling the line, not the force applied to the rigging point. Basically, my comment was somewhat less than helpful.

Yes they are. Ignoring the dynamic load of a lift, when you rope something up the force on the pulley (or bar) is twice the force created by the weight of the item.

You have the force of gravity pulling the item down, and the force being used to lift it which must exceed the gravitational force in order to make the item move upwards.

 

Add in the dynamic stop/start load and you could easily hit 5x the weight of the item if you were being a bit enthusiastic about it.

Ignoring the dynamic load and friction, this could be reduced by using a multiple-block arrangement (e.g. a Gun Tackle using two pulleys reduces the force on the rigging point to 100% of the load). You have to pull the rope twice the distance but the force applied is halved.

This is the VAT number on the Thomann invoice

Vat Reg. No: GB 227385494

Part of an email conversation between our Finance Dept and Thomann UK over the last couple of days.

"Thank you for your recent orders.

As of July 1st, we have simplified the ordering process so that the online price displayed on our website is the total price you pay with no additional fees paid to the couriers. The VAT (20%) and handling fees are now factored into the final online price.

Following the trade agreement between the EU and UK in early 2021, our pricing system was adjusted accordingly to comply with the new customs regulations. As a result, the prices displayed on our website were net prices as the VAT (20%) and handling fees were paid to the couriers on delivery.

Please also note that based on the new trade agreement; it is no longer possible for us to invoice VAT registered customers excluding VAT and VAT (20%) will always be charged by Thomann GmbH.

VAT (20%) will be applied and the invoice split between the net value of goods and services, the rate and amount of VAT, and the total value of the invoice."

Hey, I am new to this forum and I'm in agreement with the importance of quality and approved equipment of course.

 

I think the problem you are having is that your require a butane or propane cartridge that has a "dip stick" inside (between the exit point of the can and near the bottom of the can). This ensures that LIQUID butane / propane is sent to the nozzle of the flame unit... If there isn't a dip stick then gas from the top of the can is sent to the nose of the flame unit and that results in the small blue ball you mention.

 

Hope this helps and stay safe.

I have just bought a DMX "Flame Machine" and Put in a Butane cartridge raised the 2 faders for gas and ignition and only got a small blue flame and not the expected orange ball fire....should I have used propane gas as apposed to Butane?...any ideas?....Dave

Hi John

Welcome to Blue Room. Just to point out that you are dabbling in thread necromancy. The most recent post before yours is over 10 years old.

You need what Flints call 'Scene Shifters' - also called 'Turtles', triple wheels, and probably lots of other names

Three swivel castors on a triangular plate which itself is on a swivel. These are often used on scenery that has to spin on the spot and/or change direction without 'kicking out'.

They are expensive, but not impossible to make yourself

https://www.flints.co.uk/pdfcatalogue/castors.pdf

So I have recently installed a system with Ipad and AirDmx interface.

The software leaves a lot to be desired, but hey ho, that is what I have been given to work with.

 

So my problem is the fade between positions of the movers is say 8 seconds, all appears to be correct on the ipad, ie the faders move smoothly, however the output from the airdmx router appears to be in 1 second packets then pause then another second and so on.

 

Does anybody have an idea of a way to speed up communication between the wifi of the Ipad and the AirDmx router??

 

any help greatly appreciated.

 

https://photos.googl...Oa2sMKNkGWyewCQ

link to video.

404 error on the link

I would be very surprised indeed if a 1,200 watt lamp is regularly blowing a 5 amp fuse. The degree of overload is very small.

It is possible that some other fault or overload exists. More details required.

 

A 1,200 watt lamp designed for 240 volts and used on a 240 volt supply is exactly 5 amps.

A 240 volt lamp used on a 230 volt supply is slightly less than 5 amps.

Would inrush current to a cold filament be enough to tip it over the edge, or would the fuse cope because it is HRC?

Absolute best way and most fool-proof way would be to hand them a Macbook (for basic SFX it could be a cheap and cheerful £200 to £300ish one from Ebay- doesn't have to be top of the range) running the free version of QLab with all your cues pre-programmed such that they just need to hit spacebar to run each one.

I had wondered about something like that. It would mean familiarising myself with the Mac and its ways, but that might be no bad thing. Questions arising:

 

Would I be able to convert my wav files to whatever the appropriate Mac format is without loss of quality?

Does the free version of QLab permit mixing from cue to cue and/or playing a specific spot cue over a continuous background?

 

In rehearsal and our few tryout shows I've been handling the sound from a Windows laptop running a package called Cue Player Pro which does allow these and I've been expecting to have to simplify the sound design to remove the necessity (imagining that the software isn't widely used professionally).

QLab will almost certainly play back the wav files without any changes.

The free version will allow you to do what you need.

https://qlab.app/docs/v4/general/features/

Hi Jeff, Welcome to Blue Room

Just in case you didn't spot it, the original posts on this thread are almost ten years old. Take a look at the profile of the person that said they had the drawings. If you don't recognise their name, google them. Then take it from there.

 

I think Thomann have been pretty clear with the situation.

 

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.

I am far from knowledgeable about VAT, import duties, etc. But you seem to be suggesting that Thomann are just being bloody minded about it which seems unlikely.

make sure it does not have a fibreglass lead.

Do you mean asbestos? whilst fiberglass aint nice stuff its not really a concern

I read the word 'fibreglass' but in my head it was translated into 'asbestos' because I subconsciously knew that was what was meant.

 

I concur with Kit on the MX colour wheels, they were perfectly functional for a choice of colours in the days before the whizzing, slapping, and often, snapping, when it came to badly managed scrollers. The whirr of a colour changer was quite a novel sound in the theatre, but of course today would probably be inaudible above the cacophony of fans in moving lights, digital projectors and other kit.

I can't remember who said it (it might have been me - the little grey cells aren't what they were) but the noise we lampies and vidiots make with fans and motors is equivalent to the sound engineer mounting a couple of 60 Watt light bulbs on the main speakers and leaving them switched on.

 

One thing to bear in mind is the sightlines...In one venue, I was opping from pretty high up in the auditorium, and I thought the projector was on the blink, as the imagery looked a lot darker than it had been in previous venues...turned out it was due to the steep angle I was looking at the stage from (therefore the 'gaps' in the gauze were smaller), as when I went down to the lower levels, it was fine! Kind of the opposite of the principal that applies when lighting a transformation gauze!

This was probably also because of the optimum viewing angle of the screen material. Different types of screen are optimised for viewing at different angles. There is usually a compromise between wide viewing angles and screen gain/transmission/brightness.

LIke this There was a control box available but I never saw on in use.

At Derby Playhouse we used about half a dozen of those colour changers with the control box until maybe the late 90's. I then repurposed them as projector shutters and used them until the early 2000's. I think I have a picture of the controller somewhere but haven't been able to find it quickly. The wheel had small magnets attached and the position was read by a reed switch on the mounting frame. They were a lot quieter than scrollers.

Deary me! We are all getting in quite a tiz over this aren't we?

Perhaps everyone should just check the original post.

"Does anybody know who we can turn to for design" seems to be the main thrust of it. So trotting out the old 'if the OP is asking then they aren't qualified' is somewhat redundant. The OP doesn't seem to be asking us for a solution, or instructions on how to DIY. They just want a name and number. Quite possibly a ground support truss structure is not the best solution, but the designer they have asked us for can decide that when they have looked at the job in detail.

We always number from the "Plaster Line" (real or imaginary!)

 

* = We don't ALWAYS succeed. :(

 

I'd usually describe it as either the 'setting lline' in theatre or DSE (downstage edge) in concerts and events. Personally I've not heard of 'Plaster Libe' before but if you used the term I'd certainly know what you mean!

My understanding of Plaster line is a line that touches the upstage face of the proscenium arch. So no good in a non-proscenium theatre. Setting Line is more universal but is always defined locally.

Indeed it is, thanks Whiskers!! I've passed this on to our Technicians who are going back in to see what happens! I'll keep y'all posted :)

 

Any update on this? I have the same problem and I'm looking for possible fixes

 

Thanks also to Whiskers for very helpful post, especially re pitch change matching refresh rate...

Welcome to Blue Room, Ian. Don't be too surprised if you don't get a response to this. The thread is 6 years old. It might be better if you start a new thread with your specific circumstances.

I believe we are being asked...

 

By whom?

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