Technical data

[revbobuk]

I'm putting together - for my own use - a data book with useful reference information. I don't want to include anything I already know, and I don't want the whole thing to be too big. But I'm curious - what would you include? Where do you get the data from? I'm mostly concerned about audio and data projection stuff, as that's most of what I'm involved with; but lighting info as well.

 

At present I've got stuff like maximum SPL exposure times, a preset list for my effects unit, Pi-attenuator resistor values, pilot, tap and clearance hole sizes for metric screws, Cat5 and SCART connection pinouts, Radio mic. frequencies, screen size calculations for my data projector, and a few other bits of info. What would you include?

[MarkPAman]

I might include:

• Manuals for all my bits of equipment, and other bits I think I may meet & should know about (mostly in electronic form though)
  Lists of shortcut keys & tips for the software I don't use every day
  Paper contacts list for when the technology fails
  

and some conversion tables in both directions:

• BPM - ms
  Binary - decimal
  Time - distance
  frequency - note
  

and if touring locations for Maplin, CEF & all those little shops that I've found in the past.

[Wysiwyg101]

For me, as a Video Specialist, I have downloaded most of the relevant manuals for almost every piece of gear I use. Whether it's for the Folsom sitching line or the newer Barco, I have it. And, even though Kramer swithcers aren't used much over here, I still have some of the manuals. I have never even seen any Analog Way devices on showsite, but I still have the manuals. I also have manuals to the Sony D50 and D35 cameras as well as the Sony CCU TX7 and TX50's. Grass Valley Indigo manuals. You just never know what you might need sometimes.

 

I also have the usual test slides in a powerpoint format as well as a texture slide deck (where the texture is actually a .wmv file and it moves in a 10 second loop) and those have been very, very helpful to have.

 

My most recent knowledge based download was a handy little resolution guide here. Need to find out what resolution you need to run something in 16:9? It's right there.

 

I also keep all of those files on my handy PNY 16GB thumbdrive. That's come in handy many, many times.

 

Rick

[Modge]

As to the topic: I tend to bring a laptop full of manuals to a gig where possible, mostly moving lights and, if I'm not alpha testing LimeLIGHT, console manuals. My laptop also contains random video and noise tests. The other written information I refer to a lot is a swatch book or should mine have escaped as a some what third rate substitute, the Lee website. Why third rate? because you can't shine a light through it, that's why! All depends what I'm doing of course - a warehouse rave has little call for a swatch book.

 

Contacts are another invaluable thing to have access to, be they stored in your email client or your phone.

 

(Off topic: I worry about the spell checker - it tried to change my spelling of warehouse to whorehouse!)

[revbobuk]

I also have the usual test slides in a powerpoint format as well as a texture slide deck (where the texture is actually a .wmv file and it moves in a 10 second loop) and those have been very, very helpful to have.

 

They sound really useful - any chance of a link?

[Joe Bleasdale]

Well I have one for lighting and lighting control. I carry spec sheets, manuals and manufacturer contact information for almost every console, and high end moving light on the market. However saying this I only carry the manuals for vari lite, martin, robe and HES. I have also started to included media server manuals and spec sheets. all of this fills my little 1GB flash drive.

 

joe