CCT ?

[Steve B.]

Anybody over on this side of the Atlantic remember what CCT stands for, as in the lighting company CCT ?. I understand they are still around.

 

Thanks

 

SB

[musht]

Believe its Colin, Colin and Terry , seriously not a joke.

[Ahten]

I agree with Muscht as Colin, Colin & Terry was my immediate thought too.

http://www.cctlighting.com/

[Bryson]

CCT is indeed Colin (Philips), Colin (Turner) and Terry (Fitzgerald).

 

... production manager Terry Fitzgerald, started CCT Lighting with two local amateurs. Terry was the ‘T’ in CCT, the others being a local advertising agent Colin Philips and Colin Turner, a telecommunications engineer and a crew member of Ted Heath’s yacht, Morning Cloud.

Source

[Lincoln]

one time CCT employee here ! (Manufacturing then Sales then Hire manager)

 

Colin Philips, one of the "C"s also designed the back to back double D logo that you see on equipment with Dolby Sound system .

 

another CCT acronym was "KK" wheels... These units were the early day animation disks, usually made up of a large motorised aluminnium disk with lots of holes drilled or punched in it. Many years before David Hersey manufactured them.

 

The KK was "Kevin Kennedy" who was also a CCT employee.

 

There ya go.

 

Lincoln

[Steve B.]

Thanks to all for the very useful info. I do collect all sorts of tidbits such as this.

 

As another question, I recall the opening of the National Theater complex, with CCT being prime supplier of lanterns. I also recall the zoom ellipsoidals as being *very similar* if not identical to the ADB versions. So does anyone remember what, if any the link was between the 2 companies ?.

 

Thanks again

 

Steve B.

[Chiefy]

another CCT acronym was "KK" wheels... These units were the early day animation disks, usually made up of a large motorised aluminium disk with lots of holes drilled or punched in it. Many years before David Hersey manufactured them.

 

The KK was "Kevin Kennedy" who was also a CCT employee.

 

Wow thanks for that, this has been a question that I have been posing for a number of years now! I much prefer using KK as a pose to animation disk... Lets bring it back!

[gareth]

As another question, I recall the opening of the National Theater complex, with CCT being prime supplier of lanterns. I also recall the zoom ellipsoidals as being *very similar* if not identical to the ADB versions. So does anyone remember what, if any the link was between the 2 companies ?.

I don't know what the linik was, but I'm sure there must have been one somewhere along the line - we have some old ADB 1K fresnels (not used very often, but pretty decent lanterns when they are!) which bear a startling resemblance to the original CCT Starlettes.

[pritch]

we have some old ADB 1K fresnels (not used very often, but pretty decent lanterns when they are!) which bear a startling resemblance to the original CCT Starlettes.

 

Something I spotted a while ago is that the smaller fresnel ADB make (the ADB website tells me it's called the Eurospot) is pretty much identical to the CCT Minuette fresnel.

[Neil Hampson]

Something I spotted a while ago is that the smaller fresnel ADB make (the ADB website tells me it's called the Eurospot) is pretty much identical to the CCT Minuette fresnel.

 

Which in turn was remakably similar to the Zero88 focus range (fresnels and profiles...)

Then again the CCT Regal dimmer looked very similar to a MkI Betapack. Was there a connection there? as CCT were known more for the lanterns rahter than dimming, were as Zero88 seemed only to have a quick foray into the lantern market, with if I remember, only the 'focus650' Fresnel and Zoom profile.

[sparkyweb]

Terry was still lighting school shows and providing equipment to local societies up until his death a few years ago. He was a customer of ours and I remember once we had his car stored in our yard for about 3 weeks as it broke down just as he was about to make his journey back.

 

A pleasant man who often talked with satisfaction and pleasure about his time in this industry

[Barney]

As another question, I recall the opening of the National Theater complex, with CCT being prime supplier of lanterns. I also recall the zoom ellipsoidals as being *very similar* if not identical to the ADB versions. So does anyone remember what, if any the link was between the 2 companies ?.

 

If you look at the ADB Eurospot series, it says on them "under CCT licence". The deal was that ADB made the Minuette lanterns for CCT, in return for being able to make their own badged version.

 

ADB went on to make a few modifications to the design, and I think they may even have had a wider range of units within their range.

 

As far as I know this is still the case, although the deal was under discussion a couple of years ago when CCT went through its management buyout.

 

 

Barney

[Bryson]

CCT also used to licence the Starlette and Minuette designs to Selecon for the Antipodean market.

 

(I've heard tell that the Selecon ones were actually better than the originals....)

[Lincoln]

As another question, I recall the opening of the National Theater complex, with CCT being prime supplier of lanterns. I also recall the zoom ellipsoidal as being *very similar* if not identical to the ADB versions. So does anyone remember what, if any the link was between the 2 companies ?.

Thanks again

Steve B.

 

OK - CCT Manufacturing hat on. circa 1975-1978 ish!

 

National Theatre

Yep, equipment spec'd from Richard Pilbrow from Theatre Projects consultants and the Silhouettes (Zoom ellipsoidal) were slightly different than those on general sale at the time. They were called the "repertoire" range and their special feature was that they had a manufactured runner set (cassette) just in front of the gate which was able to accept a completely different lenstube thus turning it into any of the following. Sil 40, Sil 30, Sil 25, Sil 15.

 

There was also a sliding yoke arrangement to assist the balance of the heavier lenstubes Sil 15 and Sil 25.

 

From memory, I don't recall the Sil 10 or Sil 8 lenstubes being around at that time.

 

There was also a completely independent shutter set (4 blades) that would drop into the cassette also.

 

How do I know this ? because yours truly and a Mr Phil Grief were two of the young chaps in manufacturing assigned to spending hours milling out the aluminium runners and spot welding plates onto lenstubes and making up shutter sets.

 

ADB

The very earliest CCT Silhouettes lamphouses were originally made with perforated sheet steel (usually painted Blue) which was purposely designed to assist getting much needed airflow around the lamp, lampholder and ellipsoidal reflector and gate cone. Heat dissipation was particularly important especially as a so called "boosted" version was also available and had a step up transformer in the lamphouse to deliberately over-Volt the lamp and effectively make the lamp burn brighter albeit at an obvious cost to lamp life!... (over clocking 1974 style... eat yer heart out INTEL!)

 

Anyway, at this time, ADB, in Belgium had commenced making 1kW fresnels and, that European favourite, Plano-Convex (PC) lanterns using a custom made extruded aluminium which is that familiar finned heat sinking stuff that you associate with the lamphouses on early CCT Silhouettes.

 

This was also a time when ADB were more involved with making specialist fittings and lamps for airports and runway lighting.

 

I think Don Hindle (MD) secured the deal with ADB for them to provide their extrusion for use by CCT and thus compliment the ADB range of equipment with a zoom profile, the Silhouette.

 

So, for a good while, CCT made and provided the profiles to ADB and ADB made and provided the Fresnels and PCs to CCT along with some of their other accessories like stands and those AC1001 1kW floods that eventually had to have separate colour cassettes as they had originally been made to use high-temp slatted coloured glass in frames.

 

There is loads more to tell but for now, I hope this answers your question.

 

There ya go.

Lincoln

 

Also...

The inners of the CCT Command 6 dimmers were made for them by Green Ginger (Milton Keynes)... remember them ?

 

Originally a 4-way dimmer to electronically replace the Strand Junior-8 wirewound rheostat dimmers for Theatre Projects "Schools Kits" and probably a cheaper (1 x Triac over 2 x Thyristor) competitor to the Strand Mini II 6-way dimmers.

 

Somewhere from my CCT days, I have buried away a Contel 6-way dimmer rack and desk called "Thespak" the desk has linear slider faders but they still have rotary potentiometers inside that are operated with miniature pulleys and string !

 

The desk also features a 2 preset "dipless" crossfade !

 

memo to self: I must find it and get some pictures before it totally falls apart!

 

Lincoln

 

PS: before the spelling police "get ya" (Steve B) please be forewarned that we still spell Theatre, "re" over here This fact is likely to promote more interest and response than any other part of your welcome enquiry or my reply! :)

[Steve B.]

(qoute:PS: before the spelling police "get ya" (Steve B) please be forewarned that we still spell Theatre, "re" over here

 

Yes, of course, my mistake. This jumping 'cross the pond stuff tends to make my brain mushy.

 

Now, can we all say "Ah-Loo-Min-Um".

 

Grinning in Brooklyn

 

Steve B.