paulears Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 :) - Split from How to get a lighting grant ? :) Going back up a bit - why on earth did somebody waste money on a motorised set of tabs?A 100 seat venue - electric tabs - crazy! Tabs this big could be hand winched easily by somebody with upper body strength - most wheelchair users who can move themselves wouldn't have a problem with this. This sounds like using the DDA to twist an arm to provide funding. If the council were concerned, I think they were doing their job correctly. If you had a member with such limited motility, that is a great reason - but not if it is just in case? Link also added to referenced post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 On the subject of motorised tabs,... I have done one show in a newly built church with motorised tabs. They were absolutly awful. Fixed speed in both directions and the noise of the relays and the motor REALY spoiled the atmosphere. LX > Dim House lights ..SX > Fade Preshow, Expectant silence from the audience waiting in anticipation. <CLICK> - Tabs start to open<WHRRRRRRRRRTRRRRRRR> <Tabs Inch open v. slowly><Cue Sound and lights <CLICK> - Tabs hit their endstop<Cast start opening number> I hope my experience of motorised tabs is an isolated one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_s Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 motorised tabs could be useful in a small arts centre situation where there is often only one technician to do everything (rather in the way that cinemas have motorised tabs so that the projectionist can do it from the projection booth. otherwise, I'd agree with the artistic point of view that the noise and fixed speed is not very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewR Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 my experience of motorised tabs is: very handy if the winch is hidden away.....but one day the tabs catch on on a safety bond (not my mistake!) and jam.... Cue me spending about 3 hours in the 3 foot high space under the stage (I'm 6 foot) trying to fix the winch, only to admit defeat when it becomes clear new parts will be needed. Thankfully somebody made the new part and the winch was back in commision for the next show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDD Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 I have motorised house tabs on the refurb list inherited for my new job which I start next month (300-seat school theatre), with control from prompt side and the control room. I presume the logic is that I will be able to open/close the tabs from the control room when I'm the sole technician on duty. My concern, as has been mentioned above, is the speed of opening, reliability and ease of maintenance. Can I get variable-speed motorised tabs, for example? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Can I get variable-speed motorised tabs, for example? If the answer is "no", then yes you can, but it'll involve some work using a motor inverter, and probably a PLC. Which if you can get them commercially is almost certainly how they'll do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
london sound Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Yes you can get variable-speed motorised tabs, I have been looking into this for a venue where there is rarely more than one technician and the hand cranked system is a real pain. All the major drape companies can supply such and at quite a reasonable price. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tompw Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Any chance of some links to suitable sites? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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