Volts Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Hello There I have Been out and Have Purchased a New Zero 88 Jester ML24, 6 (short Par 64),6 (short Par 56), and 5 Martin Mania SCX 600. both set of Par's do not have a plug on the end yet. Now I am currently studying Large Live Lighting solutions, so for dimming my generics I would instinctively put 16Amp plugs on the end, so I could use a socapex fanout to connect them to the schools Avolites 72way dimmer. Now here is my issue I also would like to be able to loan the generics to my mum for use in her small art studio. now I did a bit of research and found The Strand Act 6 for 15 amp connections but I can't seem to come up with a soloution for both. So in Summary I am looking for a dimming soloution that allows my to connect to my schools system as well as a way to run them from a standard house mains. without having to change the plugs on the light each time. On a side Note when they are not in use for either school or for mum I would like my dimmer to be able to have a DMX throughput so I can put the Martins on the same control line for the Jester. sorry for the long post but I wanted to make sure people fully understand my situation and the fact that I have spent the past 3 days looking for a soloution but not had much luck, thank you for your time and I hope somebody is able to help. Ben Holmes, (Named Volts By my Tutor because my spiky hair makes me look like I had a electric shock) P.S.If Mr Cannon ends up reading this please don't laugh at me in our next session :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyandi Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 You could make up some 15A to 16A adaptors or even always use socapex & have different fan in/outs depending on which dimmer you are using. Andi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDP Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 THE most logical solution is to have an appropriate Fan Out. Even if the Act 6 is on 15A, you will need TRS to get the cable in the air... If you do this with soca, why not have a 15A Fan In and a 16A Fan out... OR, just put your Parcans on 15A, and use a 15A Fan out at school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Just to clarify - you're looking to buy a small dimmer rack to drive your generic lanterns, and the choice of dimmer rack will determine the type of connector that you fit to your lanterns - correct? If it were me, I'd stick with 15A plugs - small 6-way dimmers with 15A outlets (e.g. Act6, Betapack, etc.) are much easier to find on the second hand market (which is possibly where you'll find the best bargains) than those with 16A outlets - and 15A connectors are probably more commonly encountered in the kind of scenario which it sounds likely that you'll encounter. If you do need to plug into 16A outlets at any time, just equip yourself with a set of 16A>15A jumpers - you can easily make them yourself, and the parts shouldn't cost you more than about £3-£4 per jumper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam2 Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 You will need to fit the PAR lanterns with either 15 amp or 16 amp plugs, whichever you will use most often.You then need adaptors, either from 15 amp to 16 amp, or the other way round dependant on what plugs you fitted to the lanterns. If you wish to use the lanterns direct from d0m3estic thirteen amp sockets, without dimming, then you also need adaptors from thirteen amp to 15 or 16 amp depending on what plugs are fitted to the lanterns. If you are young or inexperienced , have your work checked by someone experienced, the work is not complex, but mistakes can kill. Remember that if the lanterns and any adaptors are to be used in a place of employment, that they will probably have to be PAT tested.The venue may expect you to pay for for this, though if you are lending them the equipment they might meet the expense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volts Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Just to clarify - you're looking to buy a small dimmer rack to drive your generic lanterns, and the choice of dimmer rack will determine the type of connector that you fit to your lanterns - correct? yes this is correct If you wish to use the lanterns direct from d0m3estic thirteen amp sockets, without dimming, then you also need adaptors from thirteen amp to 15 or 16 amp depending on what plugs are fitted to the lanterns. If you are young or inexperienced , have your work checked by someone experienced, the work is not complex, but mistakes can kill. I wish to use the lanterns in a domestic environment, but with the dimming, So it would need to be a dimmer with a Domestic 13 amp socket? I am lucky that my theater Tech, Live Lighting and Electronics tutors are always willing to look over our electrical work. thank you to everybody so far with your ideas. Ben Holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spcannon Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 If only I had read this at lunch time I would of showed you a solution in our class, if only you had asked me (and no I would not of laughed, its a very good and sensible question), But top marks for initiative. ok im going to give you a option and as always I will leave it up to you to research each option and decide which option you wish to use then let me know and I will help you out as best I can. The option im going to offer you here is a 16 amp 12 port rack, take a look at http://www.usedlighting.co.uk/used_stage_light_dimming.html do not worry about the plug used to power the dimmer rack the class has a little project coming up for makeing lots of adaptors for battle of the bands next month im sure we can make a few extras ;) , that way you can fill all the roles with one device and cable set. im sure the Professionals on the board will agree that the best way for you to learn this is to do some research and make your own Informed decision. Your are doing this to which is a great credit to yourself. See you in class tomorrow afternoon, and why did you use my 'Teacher Name' on the board when its never used in class :D . P.S.when you out grow the Jester you can always donate it to the Department :P . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnomatron Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I was about to say much the same, this was a simple, sensible question, asked clearly and showing that you've thought about the problem; you also seem to have thought about related issues and answered concerns well! I'd suggest 15 amp plugs, they're more commonly found than 16 amp on dimmed fixtures and on dimmer packs. You could acquire a 15 amp fan out or two for use with your school's system; they are fairly expensive, but you could find them useful yourself. It would also be neater for using them in the art studio, although that's likely a secondary concern. One thing that I'm sure you've probably thought of but I feel I should point out is that you'll need to be careful with loading using those lanterns in a dom3t1c situation, you'll very quickly overload such a circuit with 1k and 500w pars. p.s. I have a friend called "Ben holme" who also has electric shock hair... maybe it's something in the name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Or if you want to use 16amp plugs and dont want to mess about whit adaptors you could always get a dimmer with 16amp out puts or even easer with a soca out and just use the soca and fan again, or even better again one with both, there are some out there if you look for them. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick S Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I'd suggest 15 amp plugs, they're more commonly found than 16 amp on dimmed fixtures and on dimmer packs. You could acquire a 15 amp fan out or two for use with your school's system; they are fairly expensive, but you could find them useful yourself. It would also be neater for using them in the art studio, although that's likely a secondary concern. Ditto - for your market area you'd be better off with 15A plugs/sockets, at least in the short run. Your are doing this to which is a great credit to yourself. A little bit inside of me just died. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam2 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 [I wish to use the lanterns in a domestic environment, but with the dimming, So it would need to be a dimmer with a Domestic 13 amp socket? I am lucky that my theater Tech, Live Lighting and Electronics tutors are always willing to look over our electrical work. thank you to everybody so far with your ideas. Ben Holmes To use the lanterns in a d0m3stic enviroment, with a dimmer, you will need a dimmer fitted with a 13 amp plug for the mains input, or more likely an adaptor consisting of a 13 amp plug and a socket to fit the plug on the dimmer.Remember that the total load must not exceed 13 amps, which is about 3,000 watts. The output sockets on the dimmer should be a standard theatre connector, most likely 15 amp or 16 amp. (dimmers with 13 amp output sockets do exist but are non standard and not widely used, nor recomended) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregB Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Just a quick note; the last Act 6 I used had Soca out(s) on the back and 15a outs on the front. This would resolve your connectivity prob in one stroke..(couple actually)All you would need now is:Soca fan-OUT in 16aSoca extension (lengths of)15A TRS lengths of Recommend you use at least a 32a ceeform to power the pack and make up a 13a adaptor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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