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Lighting lots of pinspots on one channel


Jamtastic3

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Hi,

I was wondering if there was a way to deal with lighting 20 pinspots (30W) on the one channel.

They all have individual cables and I want to create 5 banks of 4. Is it going to be a Trelco to Trelco deal or can I strip back the wiring somehow so that they all run from a small bar (4 on each one) or some adaptor with a 15A plug tailing off the end?

I can't seem to find anything across the net apart from IEC and bulgin groups but that's not much use for 15A connectivity. Any ideas would be great.

 

Cheers

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You could put them all on IECs, buy 4-way IEC splitter boxes, make 5 no. 15-IEC cables and then grelcos/trelcos from then on. Might be a bit fiddly, mind you.

 

Do you already have the pinspots? You can buy ones which are pre-wired in bars of 4, and which normally have a 13A plug at one end and a 13A socket at the other.

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http://www.terralec.com/prod.asp?I=16466&a...MP_PANEL_SOCKET

http://www.terralec.com/prod.asp?I=16477&a..._13_AMP_SOCKETS

 

Become a backless 15A multiway trailing socket. Build a backbox and attatch a suitable cable, gland and plug.

 

Or change the pinspots to 13a plugs and use commercial 13a 4 or6 way ext leads.

 

Time vs cost vs expertise available

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Hello,

 

There is a few ways of doing this, as proven from replies above.

 

The way I have done this before is to plug them into a normal 13 amp 4 way

Extensions lead (Could buy from Woolworths for about £4.99). Then put a 13/15/16/32 amp plug on the cord, and then you can plug that into the dimmer, then that channel on the dimmer should control that cord meaning it should control the pin spots on 1 channel.

 

Good luck with your problem.

 

Menghini,

 

P.s I have got a diagram but I don’t know how to get it to you, I found it extremely useful.

:stagecrew:

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If they weren't right next to each other, Lewden T-Lines could work, but they're relatively expensive, and start to become impractical and look very silly when you connect lots of them directly back to back. Otherwise if you look through an Argos catalogue (other, probably cheaper, suppliers available) they sell stuff for home HIFI, both a plug with the ability to hardwire four? leads into it (such as this from Maplin), and other ones with a custom connector so you can hard wire but still unplug. Usually I'm against this sort of thing, as you end up needing loads of adaptors, but if you're making bars of four anyway, it should be fine.
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I've usually gone with IECs on the pinspots and loads of the IEC 4 and 6 way block adapters.

 

Mostly because IEC plugs are fairly small, so it's easier to pass them through tight spaces.

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The way I have done this before is to plug them into a normal 13 amp 4 way

Extensions lead (Could buy from Woolworths for about £4.99). Then put a 13/15/16/32 amp plug on the cord, and then you can plug that into the dimmer, then that channel on the dimmer should control that cord meaning it should control the pin spots on 1 channel.

Hmmmm....

The problem with that option is the fact that you then have a series of fuses - one for each 13A plug-top you use.....

NOT a good idea when that 4-way is 20 feet off the deck....!

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The way I have done this before is to plug them into a normal 13 amp 4 way

Extensions lead (Could buy from Woolworths for about £4.99). Then put a 13/15/16/32 amp plug on the cord, and then you can plug that into the dimmer, then that channel on the dimmer should control that cord meaning it should control the pin spots on 1 channel.

Hmmmm....

The problem with that option is the fact that you then have a series of fuses - one for each 13A plug-top you use.....

NOT a good idea when that 4-way is 20 feet off the deck....!

 

Oh rite,

 

I thought that by changing the plug on the 4 way cord would act as a converter like you would have a 13 amp female to 15 amp male socket but useing 4 I thought would not be an issue, :stagecrew:

 

thanks,

Menghini,

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Oh right,

 

I thought that by changing the plug on the 4 way cord would act as a converter like you would have a 13 amp female to 15 amp male socket but useing 4 I thought would not be an issue, :stagecrew:

Think about it....

Regardless of what PLUG you put on the cable end of the 4-way extension, you still have FOUR 13A plugs from the outgoing circuits....

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So how would you do it using the 4 way extension cord,
There are several ways, some already mentioned, but I would NOT use anything with 13A plugtops at all.

Personally I'd probably build a custome connection box taking the feeds to the pins on hardwired cables, and send the supplies to the box on 15A lines.

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Thanks for the replies guys.

The pinspots I have at the moment all have 13A sockets on them at the moment so I would like to change these to 15A.

 

I've thought about the idea of putting them on a 4-way 13A extension with a 15A out but the mass of fuses is one thing as well as the extension likely to perceived as hard mains with someone plugging in anything from a UV to something disastrous like a guitar amp.

 

On the idea of daisy chaining could I do this:

 

Where I have 4 pinspots, connect 2 pinspots by wiring them to the same 15A plug, therefore from 20 pinspots I would get 10 pairs. The pinspots will not be moved at all really when in the right positions on stage. This means I only need a grelco per line and then connect the 5 lines with 2 Trelcos near the dimmers. Is this a good idea or a bodge job?

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