Theatre Archaeology Belling Lee 1349/FP

[ojc123]

This is for my own historical interest only. I have no intention of using this equipment.

 

While installing some stuff under the stage I found a Belling Lee 1349/FPplug attached to a length of what appears to be fairly chunky two core screened microphone cable. There was no matching socket to be seen although I did not explore every dust filled corner of the space. I have removed some unconnected lengths of similar cable in the past so I guess the two are related.

 

The spec sheet seems to suggest it's a mains voltage plug used in military and industrial applications but the cable is not adequate for mains (by my way of thinking). I would be very wary of using this for mains nowadays because the rubber boot pulls off very easily leaving the connectors in the plug exposed. It may be that the rubber has perished or that we were less aware in those days. The building was erected in 1956-8 and I guess this was part of the original install.

 

Do any of the more senior members have any idea if these were commonly used for microphones in the 50's and 60's? It may be that it is just another idiosyncracy of our early system. Other suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

[kerry davies]

I can't open the link but in general terms it has to be remembered that electricity is a new-fangled, magical substance, invented by Muddy Waters, and regulation is very new indeed.

 

Seriously though the EAW Act came into force only in 1990, day before yesterday, and refers to previous electrical regulation thus: "Key issues on which the EAW Regulations And Electricity (Factories Act) Special Regulations 1908 And 1944 differ are .....". The gap in regs was 46 years and the next, PUWER, only 8.

 

The really big difference was that prior to 1990 only "real" electricians could work on electrical systems and the regs were partly political union bashing as well as much overdue renewal. In the fifties and sixties you wouldn't be allowed to plug anything in until you had been indentured, time-served and experienced so the dangers were somewhat restricted to those qualified.

 

When I first started work with power in 1965 I was a member of the Electrical, Electronic and Plumbing Trades Union. Plumbing because not long before, power cables were lead covered and lead plumbing was an essential part of the work. FYI the first West End lighting techs were plumbers or gas fitters, as we know them today.

 

Maybe the plug was used for a mic or more likely a speaker and maybe a lightweight flex was used for low power. What you possibly have is war surplus gear used because of material shortages in a very different era.

[Simon Lewis]

In taking out old church PA systems (before installing something more up to date) I have come across one or two places where mains connectors were used for mic connections. 5A round pin seemed popular with one installation company, and as the users had added new mics at some point, they had made up 3 pole inline jack socket to 5A round pin plug adaptors.

At least the Belling Lee connector is slightly different from the round Bulgin connector that was quite common on smaller devices in the 70s.

One church I quoted an upgrade for (unsuccessfully) had a system installed where all the fixed mic wiring was in two core pyro. It terminated in break out boxes where some bell wire connected the copper tails to the XLRs. The church reckoned it all worked fine, and didn't want any of it replacing.

[ojc123]

So, it wasn't so unusual in the past to use any connector and it depended on the user to check. This is a mains connector by design but might have been used for another purpose because it was there and different from the mains sockets. Sounds like it. I suppose it's not so much different to the XLRs being used for speakers in some older amps and speakers.

 

"3 pole inline jack socket to 5A round pin plug adaptors"

I once had a DJ come into the School with a 13A Plug to 1/4" plug adaptor and a matching 1/4" plug to 13A socket. His logic was that he could easily borrow a long mains extension and use it to connect his speakers to the amp if he needed it. He had connected the earth and neutral. Ingenious, but rather worrying if someone else got hold of it. We used our leads rather than these items.

 

I've been around the entertainment scene since the mid 70's but only became involved in technical aspects in the late 80's and have only really taken it seriously since about 2000. I find the historical aspect fascinating. It was, as you say, a very different era. Thanks.

 

Edit for spag.

[Junior8]

In taking out old church PA systems (before installing something more up to date) I have come across one or two places where mains connectors were used for mic connections. 5A round pin seemed popular with one installation company,

 

I could take you to a school where in the fifties, back in the days of a speaker feed circuit from a central radio receiver (Clarke and Smith naturally) to the classrooms 5A round pin was used for both the speaker service and the mains! I suspect the feed from the radio to the circuit was a pair of 'wander plugs' and the whole lot had a 3W amplifier!

 

I am not making this up - chap who worked there when it was newly built told me that they blew up several speaker cabinets.

[paulears]

There's one of these on the microphone output from the old motorised riser buried under our stage - I'd never see a triangular one before - didn't know it was a Belling Lee.

[Stuart91]

I once had a DJ come into the School with a 13A Plug to 1/4" plug adaptor and a matching 1/4" plug to 13A socket. His logic was that he could easily borrow a long mains extension and use it to connect his speakers to the amp if he needed it. He had connected the earth and neutral. Ingenious, but rather worrying if someone else got hold of it.

 

Something similar was manufactured and actually exhibited at a trade show in the USA a couple of years ago. I can't recall the precise details, but remember it being thoroughly mocked on ProSoundWeb.

[Paul TC]

Something similar was manufactured and actually exhibited at a trade show in the USA a couple of years ago. I can't recall the precise details,

 

A good few years ago,1996, acorrding to below and it still surfaces.

 

Original advert placed on web here J-CON

 

A little more background here John Huntingdon Blog Page

 

Resurfaced here in PSW PSW Forum Jan 2005

 

Edited to add 2005 link

[david.elsbury]

Sadly your 2005 link won't work for very much longer as the (current) ProSoundWeb forums are to be taken offline for good.

[AdrianW]

 

I could take you to a school where in the fifties, back in the days of a speaker feed circuit from a central radio receiver (Clarke and Smith naturally) to the classrooms 5A round pin was used for both the speaker service and the mains! I suspect the feed from the radio to the circuit was a pair of 'wander plugs' and the whole lot had a 3W amplifier!

 

I am not making this up - chap who worked there when it was newly built told me that they blew up several speaker cabinets.

 

 

This was a very common system. In my old schools (infant, junior & comprehensive) the system used the 2A 3 pin plugs & sockets and was fed using a 100V line amp...... I remember having to listening to childrens radio, from Radio 4, in assembly on thursday mornings back in the mid 1970's. Fortunatley, the mains was on 5A plugs!

 

A few years ago, it was common practice for the fair ground guys to use 13A plugs & sockets for speaker circuits! The couple that I came across did connect the speakers between the N & E terminals so at least they'd given a little thought to what might happen if a speaker cab got plugged into the wrong kind of socket!

 

Incidentally, I remember reading a few years back (might have even been on the blue room) of a punter who needed a PA but didnt understand exactly what was needed - so just hired a microphone, somehow expecting it to mysteriously fill the space with his voice. When it didnt work, he spotted the connector on the base and managed to connect the mic to the mains using a figure 8 telefunken style lead..... with predictable results!