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[Humey]

I began as Theatre technician at a school in October. I have never been active in my interest of lighting until I got the job. When I was shown the dimmer rack, lighting desk etc I was a little taken back at how old the dimmer rack was. Upon research I found it to be a Strand Mini 2, of which we have four. Until now the number of working inputs steadily decreased to 4, until now! Instead of investing in new equipment they have invested in having each rack refurbished. Today I was given the 'Grand Revealing', all but two channels now work, they are away being fixed.

 

The porblem now facing me is my lack of knowledge being tested to the max. It seems alot of our old lamps have bulbs which have blown, or maybe don't work. So how do I know which buld work with different lamps. Would anyone have any suggestions at where to start when designing lighting for a show?

 

FYI-I am using an ETC Express 48/96

[norty303]

It seems alot of our old lamps have bulbs which have blown

 

Start using the correct terms and Google may well be your best friend.

 

The 'lamps' are the capsules that light up that go in the 'fixtures' or 'luminaires'.

Assuming you know which fixtures you have, you should be able to search for the appropriate lamp fitting.

You 'could' go with what is already in them, but you don't know if your predecessor got it right either.

[dmxtothemax]

A major part of being a lighting tech, is to do the best you can with what you have,

Dont fret too much about the motly collection of lights, or that they are old,

Most of the older luminares where very well made, thats why there are still plenty of

them aroundl

Lamps for most of the older luminares are still available, or modern equivalents.

The luminares might need some maintenance or cleaning,

 

If you are not sure which lamp to use, ask around there are plenty of older

experienced people around that will help, all you have to do is ask!

 

Get some lamps, get all the luminares working, put them up and try them,

experiment a bit, you will soon get a feel for what works and what doesnt.

 

And if you get stuck, or are not sure of something, just ask,

Forums like this are a good place to start

My light rigg still uses some very old luminares, like pat 23s.

These luminares where made between 1953 and 1983,

The original T1 lamps can still be found,

Or modern equivalents can be used.

 

Information about older luminares, like strand can be found on the strand archive website.

 

I began as Theatre technician at a school in October. I have never been active in my interest of lighting until I got the job. When I was shown the dimmer rack, lighting desk etc I was a little taken back at how old the dimmer rack was. Upon research I found it to be a Strand Mini 2, of which we have four. Until now the number of working inputs steadily decreased to 4, until now! Instead of investing in new equipment they have invested in having each rack refurbished. Today I was given the 'Grand Revealing', all but two channels now work, they are away being fixed.

 

The porblem now facing me is my lack of knowledge being tested to the max. It seems alot of our old lamps have bulbs which have blown, or maybe don't work. So how do I know which buld work with different lamps. Would anyone have any suggestions at where to start when designing lighting for a show?

 

FYI-I am using an ETC Express 48/96

[gareth]

If you can't identify what kind of lanterns you have, post some small photos on here - theatre lanterns are all pretty distinctive, we'll be able to identify what you have and tell you what kind of lamps you need to put into them.

[boatman]

Sparks' Reference is a good place to start. It used to be available only as a pdf, but now seems to be a web page.

 

Edited: for SPaG.

[Humey]

Thanks chaps, always good to have a place for us newbies to ask questions and not be shot down for being inexperienced! I'm currently going through all my spare luminaires to see if they work, look at the lamps, then make note of all the lamps I need etc.

[adam2]

If the equipment has not been used or maintained for while, as sounds probable it may need PAT testing to ensure that it is safe electricly.

Once you have determined the correct lamps for each lantern, it would be well to ensure that correct ones are in fact used.

The interval between tests should in theory be determined by a competant person, but in practice almost everywhere does it anually.

 

Any equipment that appears damaged or defective should not used until formaly tested.

[paulears]

probably worth double checking the dead lamps, as most have the number on them somewhere.

[Jivemaster]

Probably the most important addition to your stock at the moment is a few of the correct fuses for the dimmer packs. Some dimmers needed special fuses or the chip died just before the fuse popped.

 

Start to work out what you have as infrastructure -hardware screwed down -power input and bars and outlets etc. Then look at the fixtures that you have, see what you need and see what lamps you have and need.

[Pattern123]

Some dimmers needed special fuses or the chip died just before the fuse popped.

 

Chip in a Strand Mini 2!? Now that made me smile :-)

 

Seriously, your school need their heads read, they have a reasonable desk and antique dimmers which don't all work. Who the hell is refurbing these Mini 2's for them? The money they must have spent on repairs and demux, not to mention fuses, would have easily bought new dimmers. Unless they are running a museum it makes no sense. The lanterns however are probably fine with some TLC. Do you have any other people in Schools nearby who could offer you some advice and support? Try joining the Schools Theatre Support Group and finding people in your area.

[Humey]

I agree, apparantly they priced up how much it would cost to buy and install a modern dimmer before I started, estimated at around £50k! This has cost them around £20k so far, each transformer around £500.

 

I am against the refurbishment, it can't last forever, and I am not moving forward with the technology, therefore making it harder to learn and progress with modern day advances.

 

As I was testing lamps yesterday I lost a channel that was previously working!! It lasted all of 4 hours, however I am yet to break the news to the man who's been doing this project since January, the caretaker!

[WiLL]

50k sounds to me that your school fell victim to the old 'lets see how much money we can squeeze from people who aren't 100% au fait with the field' tendency in suppliers. Getting some betapack 3's in would cost a lot less than that as I think they retail at under £800 each and each one has 6 channels. But hey-ho spilt milk and all that, presumably the money has been spent.

As someone who has been a technician in education for nearly ten years I would recommend speaking to your schools bursar or equivalent and establishing a budget every year for relpacement of lamps and consumables such as gel, and try to factor in a little so you can expand your cable stock or buy new/refurbished lanterns (or luminaires). An established agreed budget will give you a good frame to plan how to improve your rig over time and save you having to constantly go with begging bowl in hand to your headteacher every time yopu need a new lamp.

[Pattern123]

I agree, apparantly they priced up how much it would cost to buy and install a modern dimmer before I started, estimated at around £50k! This has cost them around £20k so far, each transformer around £500.

 

Who the hell quoted them £50k for dimming!? Maybe for a complete install and rewire, including new Mains incomer, but for dimming!? I wired along with our house electrician 2 new Chilli 24's last summer - 48 Channels of dimming for under £5k. As Will says Betapacks are nice replacements for the Strand Mini 2's and only £800 each full retail price - go to a large retailer and say "We want 8 of these, give me your best price" and you'll do a lot better, probably closer to £5-600 each - again 48 channels for under £5k Unless your system is 5 Amp (Which is possible) it won't need completely stripping out, even if it is 5 Amp running it with new dimmers is no worse than running it with old ones!

[Paul J Need]

I agree, apparantly they priced up how much it would cost to buy and install a modern dimmer before I started, estimated at around £50k! This has cost them around £20k so far, each transformer around £500.

 

I am against the refurbishment, it can't last forever, and I am not moving forward with the technology, therefore making it harder to learn and progress with modern day advances.

 

As I was testing lamps yesterday I lost a channel that was previously working!! It lasted all of 4 hours, however I am yet to break the news to the man who's been doing this project since January, the caretaker!

 

Ouch !! £50K would buy a complete new lighting, sound, drapes, control, dimming and installed with 40-50 new lanterns to boot.

 

Rather than try and fix again and again the 30 year old Mini II's do try and twist the arm of the bursar to invest in some dimmers which will be work, come with a warranty and less likely to set the school on fire !! Stress the FIRE word and that should help you with your cause !! B-)

[Humey]

That is a great idea, I am going to insist on PAT testing and carry out a risk assesment. I did however have a brief play around to put together a lighting design for an AS level production...Its great fun and really gives me a chance to embelish a performance with my own ideas...I can see why all you lot on the forum do it!!!!!