jexjexjex Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Hi all. The LD of an upcoming local show has asked for CODA4s to be hung so as to wash across the cyc, as against down it. In theory, it should be simple enough to do - simply remove the hanging brackets and bolt a G-clamp on to one end. My problem is that this is not how these units are supposed to be hung and whilst I can't see that it would do the unit any operational harm, I am concerned about the load bearing on the screws that secure the body to the endplate. In short, I don't want gravity to tear it apart and for parts to land up on the cast! Has anyone tried hanging CODAs or other similar units like this? How did you do it? Or should I just say NO to the LD? All ideas gratefully appreciated. Mods: If you think that this is more safety orientated than lighting, please feel free to move it to the appropriate forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Pearce Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 How about halfcouplers on the existing yoke(s), then rig them off a vertical boom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Hi all. The LD of an upcoming local show has asked for CODA4s to be hung so as to wash across the cyc, as against down it.I personally see no reason why this cannot be done safely, as long as you mount them safely. You may be best off using some of the enclosed Doughty scaff-clamps (they've been discussed here before) - I would NOT recommend just using hook-clamps on a vertical bar (seen that, took it down as unsafe). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I've been told in the past that the lamps inside a Coda (and other similar cyc floods) aren't designed to burn 'vertically', so you may get some problems there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David A Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 theoretically they should burn horizontly but in practice they will burn vertically for a very long time without a problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 theoretically they should burn horizontly but in practice they will burn vertically for a very long time without a problemTrue.In reality, yes, burning the lamps end-up puts more heat stress on the bubbles, but as the OP is only talking of one show's duration (I presume) there shouldn't be a huge problem.May be best to replace the bubbles first, though - start with fresh ones....They're cheap & cheerful enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I'm surprised the lamps last any time at all. The fillament will droop down it's length, shorting turns in the coil as it goes. The manufacturers state horizontal ± 6° from memory. It may work, but I'd not bank on it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Threader Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Please consider: A K1 lamps aren't designed for vertical operation B The fixtures are designed to cool when used horizontally. The whole unit will heat up. The nearer the top, the hotter it will get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Please consider: A K1 lamps aren't designed for vertical operation B The fixtures are designed to cool when used horizontally. The whole unit will heat up. The nearer the top, the hotter it will get.I would agree that using the Coda this way is outside of normal use, and I would also agree that it would shorten the life of the bubbles, as I've already outlined.BUT I did, in one panto, run 4 Coda 4's in this orientation for 2 weeks with only a couple of lost bubbles. I started with a new set, and replaced them all when they went back as cyc lights, but no problems at all. If it works, fine. I see no likelihood of any safety issues with this, as long as the hanging is done properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Running K1 and many other linear lamps vertically is a bad idea!Not only does it drastically shorten the life of the lamps, it also damages the lampholders. One contact will run very hot, the other cold - this affects the springs badly.You'll see poor a electrical connection leading to arcing and burning of the contact points if run for long periods. I would try to find some other fixtures that achieve the look - running lanterns outside spec is generally a bad idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tokm Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 One suggestion that comes to mind is stick with the bit of vertical scaff, mount some boom arms at the right heights then just use single cell codas.. You should be able to get them near-ish as compact as you could with a 4cell coda unit. Just a thought Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musht Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Please consider: A K1 lamps aren't designed for vertical operation B The fixtures are designed to cool when used horizontally. The whole unit will heat up. The nearer the top, the hotter it will get. If it works, fine. I see no likelihood of any safety issues with this, as long as the hanging is done properly. Ive tried it as experiment before and with cheap lamps in a security floodlight, filament drooped with minor vibrational provocation and pushed against envelope, continued operating but with bubble of tungsten and fused quartz glass. Have seen blown out toughened safety glass on floods before, dosen`t even need to be switched on just weak and it gets a jolt. Kinda sore point cos just about got wiped by exploding fresnel some years ago..... Operating way outside design parameters is usually something frowned upon around these parts ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregB Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 vertical booms and a bunch of your old friend the Parcan might just do the job for you here. consider CP95 if you want that realy wide soft(er) wash of light... best off in a short nose if you have them to hand give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Baldwin Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 One suggestion that comes to mind is stick with the bit of vertical scaff, mount some boom arms at the right heights then just use single cell codas.. You should be able to get them near-ish as compact as you could with a 4cell coda unit. But the beam pattern would be wrong - i.e. there'd be an intensity gradient from top to bottom (because of the reflector design) and from offstage to onstage (because of the inverse square law not being corrected for by the reflector in this plane). I'm not clear what the LD is trying to achieve - normally Codas are used to light a cyc evenly, so that it's not obvious where the individual lights are. If the LD wants a colour gradient from the edges in (perhaps in conjunction with "normal" cyc lighting) then Howie battens might be more appropriate for the side lighting. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Q Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 If the LD wants a colour gradient from the edges in (perhaps in conjunction with "normal" cyc lighting) then Howie battens might be more appropriate for the side lighting.Tom I was thinking along the same lines - we just used Thomas Par 16 Mini Light Battens at the RSC for hanging on vertical booms.... I know you can hire the units for about £25 a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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