Portable Lighting Rig - What do i need??

[kingsiwel]

Hey,

 

I am looking into a portbale lighting rig for a small venue, only need about 8/10 lights and maybe have the ability to add more in the future. All I know is that you need a desk, dimmers and lanterns. But I dont know if you need anything else and also I dont know what cables to connect the dimmers to the lanterns. I know about DMX512 but thats about it in terms of cabling.

 

The lanterns will be on a couble of tee-bars, I dont know what power supply is needed, all there is are normal 230v wall sockets. Also, have you got any tips on what lanterns to use for lighting a band.

 

Any help and info is greatly apprciated!

 

Lewis

[boatman]

It would be a good idea to read this thread which only started two days ago.

[kingsiwel]

It would be a good idea to read this thread which only started two days ago.

 

Thanks for that, very helpful!! :D

[benweblight]

Yes, but the OP wants to light bands, that post was a little different.

 

I'd reccommend Par56s (300w) or Par64s (with 500w lamps in) and a pair of small dimmers and desk.

 

Bearing in mind you'll only be able to run about 2.9kw off a socket (depending which ring they're on obviously), so best to split the rig over two dimmers ran from different sockets.

[lampieman]

where do you get the figure 2.9kw from?

[boatman]

.... all there is are normal 230v wall sockets.

 

230V @ 13A = 2.99kW

 

Allowing for some losses in the dimmer pack, 2.9kW seems about right. Now, if you meant to say 240V in your original post, then 3kW is possible, but you haven't filled in your location in your profile so we can't tell.

[lampieman]

so am I wrong in thinking its 3.7kw thats safe on normal UK mains at 13a?

 

Edit... My bad its 3120@240v which I would expect from a UK socket... now where did I get the 3.7kw figure from? I am most likely thinking of 16a connections.

[Trunker]

Yes that seems about right. 16a @240v is about 3840 watts or 16a @ 230v is about 3680 watts. Remember your resistance in the dimmers and cable, which shouldn't affect it really as long as your not @ 100% on all channels (thinks about overload light on alpha pack).

[kingsiwel]

** laughs out loud **, all this working out is great, but im in the UK, and I couldnt remember if it was 230v or 240v (I was tired), they are 13a sockets.

 

Also, im kinda new to all this (in college), but what do you need to connect the dimmers to the lights? What cables and connectors do they use? And do the lights plug straight into the dimmers?

 

Thanks for all the info. (Will sort out profile now)

[Yorkie]

Lights plug straight into the dimmers, although normally though extension cables. In theory there are several different connectors that could be used, but standard UK practice is to use 15A connectors. These can be bought premade or made up by a competent person using 1.5mm^2 TRS cable. Alternatively, if you need to power several lights in the same place (like the T-bar you suggested) then you could invest in Socapex with appropriate breakouts. This limits your options if you decide to do a different rig with lights in separate places.

[boatman]

** laughs out loud **, all this working out is great, but im in the UK, and I couldnt remember if it was 230v or 240v (I was tired), they are 13a sockets.

 

Also, im kinda new to all this (in college), but what do you need to connect the dimmers to the lights? What cables and connectors do they use? And do the lights plug straight into the dimmers?

 

Thanks for all the info. (Will sort out profile now)

 

As Yorkie has said the conventional connector in the UK is the 15A round pin plug. You only need to use these if you wish to hire in extra lighting in the future. However, to get you started you could use dimmer bars with either IEC (kettle style), or Schuko (continental style) connectors.

 

Probably the cheapest thing to get you started is a couple of these kits and a DMX controller. Two kits will give you 8 PAR56 NSP lanterns. Note that they are 230V lamps and you will be running them at 240V so they will consume around 327W each, which is just over 2.6kW in total. All of that will run from a single 13A socket. The only extra cables you will need are a couple of DMX extensions and a couple of mains extensions.

 

Similar kits will be available in the UK, probably using IEC or 15A connectors, but may not be as cheap as Thomann.

 

HTH.

[AndyJones]

Hello,

 

Basically you have about 3kw to play with. (3kw divided by 240 = 12.5a) that means you can run either 10 x 300watt lamps or 6 x 500watt lamps. You would need to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages. More lamps means more colour mixing etc etc.

 

You may also want to consider LED lighting. Some of the newer LED lamps are the same size and roughly the same brightness as a par 56, although they can be more costly to buy, they offer lower power consumption and a greater range of colours, as well as a very long lamp life, there are disadvantages though... If you search for LED pars then there is a long running topic on this.

 

Once you have selected your lamps you need to find which dimmers to use. (Unless you choose LED pars which don't need dimmers) You will need to find a dimmer big enough to handle all the lamps. It will need to be DMX to allow for expansion in the future. It will also need to be able to handle the load you want to put on. You will need to learn about how to plug the dimmers up correctly so that you don't overload each channel. You may be able to get away with a smaller dimmer by running two lamps off of one channel (may keep all the red together for example.)

 

I think the best option for a band, (at this budget!) is an equal number of lamps on two tee bars from the front (out of the way of the public.) If you then put a small 6 channel dimmer pack next to each tee bar, it means you only need to run a small amount of cable from each light to the dimmer. With any luck you can site your tee bars so there is a 13amp socket close on each side.

 

Next issue to solve is data (DMX.) Do you need to be able to control the lights? If not then you can just set each dimmer to be full on and leave them (maybe not even use dimmers at this stage! If you want some form of control then you will need to use a suitable DMX controlled. DMX is a signal sent from some sort of control interface that will need to plug into each dimmer pack via a daisy chain type cable system.

 

One other thing to think about is colour. Are you going to colour the lights? If so then the most common company to use is lee filters, the trade name is 'gel' this is another thing to not worry about if using LED lanterns.

 

My final issue is safety! You need proper hanging clamps (g clamps) for each light, and each lantern needs a safety chain as backs up encase the g-clamp fails. You will also need some kind of mesh in front of the lamp encase you get a bulb explode. You need to know how the tripods erect properly, and keep them well away from drunk punters. Every thing needs to be wired properly (to include an earth wire) and all cabling needs to be well out of punters reach, and are taped down.

 

Control wise you have 4 options.

1) Leave it all on

2) Get a lighting desk with someone to operate it

3) Get a foot controller and operate it whilst playing

4) Get a pc-based solution

 

Again if you search the blue room there are many topics about each type of control weighing up the advantages and disadvantages. The main thing is you get a controller that will handle all you need it too. If you are still reading at this point then well done, have a gold star! I have almost certainly missed a few important bits out, as I have typed this out quickly, but there are lots of people who will jump in and put me right!

 

HTH

 

Andy Jones

[Wuddy]

Hello,

 

Basically you have about 3kw to play with. (3kw divided by 240 = 12.5a) that means you can run either 10 x 300watt lamps or 6 x 500watt lamps. You would need to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages. More lamps means more colour mixing etc etc.

 

If your supply is via a ring circuit and you can have exclusive use then max load could be in the order of 6Kw, two seperate dimmer packs fed from two seperate socket outlets, if taking supply from a radial circuit your loading would be determined by the value of the protective device, ie 3.5Kw on 16a radial, 4.5Kw on a 20a radial.

[adam2]

The official UK supply voltage, as declared by the supply company is 230 volts, and has been for some years, though it used to be 240 volts.

The actual supply voltage as measured with a voltmeter varies but is typically nearer 240 volts than 230.

 

A 240 volt 500 watt lamp will draw 2.083 amps on a 240 volt supply, therefore six may be used from a 13 amp socket. 6x2.083= 12.49 amps.

 

If the same 240 volt 500 watt lamp is used on a 230 volt supply, it will consume slightly less current (not more as some people believe), therefore six such lamps can STILL be used on a 13 amp supply.

 

If however lamps actually designed for 230 volts were used, then the current per lamp would be 2.17 amps, and six such lamps would draw 13.04 amps, and in theory should not be used from a 13 amp socket, though in practice it would probably be fine.

 

This is however of only theoretical interest since AFAIK no one sells lamps actually designed for 230 volts* in the UK. They would have a rather short life on a supply that in practice is 240 volts.

 

*They may stamp 230/240 volts on the carton, but I believe that it still really a 240 volt lamp.

[kingsiwel]

Thankyou everyone for all your help, this has solved alot of problems! Thanks for all the info! And thanks for the gold star AndyJones I knew the control side of lighting, just not the setting up, it all makes sense now! Cheers.