Hannah2602 Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Hi, Probably a stupid question... Can I plug a light in to a 13 amp plug socket using a 13 to 15 cable? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljoshua Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Yes, just make sure it's wired correctly and fused appropriately. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callumb Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Yep. :) Do it often! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam2 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Yes you can.Subject to the lantern being 230/240 volts as virtually all are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicktaylor Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 the 13A to 15A and vice versa leads are in everyones stocks. Often kit needs to be powered via the lighting wiring so you need 15A to 13A as well. Before anyone posts we assume anyone doing this knows what they are doing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramdram Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 If I understand the question you wish to plug a lantern into an ordinary 13A socket with appropriate adapters? One caveat is that the lamp won't be preheated and might object. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam L F Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 If I understand the question you wish to plug a lantern into an ordinary 13A socket with appropriate adapters? One caveat is that the lamp won't be preheated and might object. That's what I presume they're getting at. Also, what are you planning on plugging in, if more than one item, how many of that item? Make sure you don't overload anything, otherwise you may end up with a DIY smoke effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Since when has pre-heat been a pre-requisite? I'd bet the number of dimmers with pre-heat applied is actually quite low! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunk_1984 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Also, what are you planning on plugging in, if more than one item, how many of that item? Make sure you don't overload anything, otherwise you may end up with a DIY smoke effect. How were you proposing one would manage this? Based on the describe setup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I'm truly amazed we're making such a big thing about this. A 13A plug on a 'light' is fine. In fact, plenty of people polish old ones up, stick a 13A on it and sell it for hundreds on ebay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramdram Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Pre-heat has been a facility for years. I would suggest that the dimmer designers cater for all sorts of situations hence the pre-heat. The wiki on dimmers has a section on pre-heat (my italics):Example dimmer curves[edit] Preheat Some types of incandescent (filament) lamps should not be switched to full power from cold, and doing so can shorten their life dramatically owing to the large inrush current that occurs. To soften the blow to the lamps slightly, dimmers may have a preheat function. This sets a minimum level, usually between 5% and 10%, which appears turned-off to the audience, but stops the lamp from cooling down too much. This also speeds up the lamp's reaction to sudden bursts of power that operators of rock'n'roll-style shows appreciate. The opposite of this function is sometimes called top-set. This limits the maximum power supplied to a lamp, which can also extend its life. In less advanced systems, this same effect is achieved by literally pre-heating (warming) the globes before an event or performance. This is usually achieved by slowly bringing the lights up to full (or usually 90-95%) power over a period of between 1/2 to 1 hour. This is as effective as a built in preheat function. I speak from experience of a half outdoor theatre with no thermal insulation at all. On occasion the early and late season evenings can be quite chilly hence us being very careful with our lamps...especially as they are mainly big bubbles at £25+ a go. On occasion we have done a carol concert with various local choirs as late as Dec 23rd. Last year it was below freezing... I recall Brisbane was really hot (far too hot for me) so doubtless, as GG remarks, you may not need to bother too much if the ambient temp is fairly high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GridGirl Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I recall Brisbane was really hot (far too hot for me) so doubtless, as GG remarks, you may not need to bother too much if the ambient temp is fairly high. Where did I say that?! (and I'm in Sydney - it's Bobbsy that's in sunny Queensland!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramdram Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 You remarked on preheats here, I blush to say I omitted the ref. I find the BR archives very useful at times. Especially for researching stuff like preheats for example. And of course google appears not to discriminate on date. I drew the inference on ambient temps between Cornwall and Sydney. #9 User is offline GridGirl * * Technical Manager * PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip * Group: Moderators * Posts: 865 * Joined: 24-September 04 * Gender:Female * Location:Sydney, Australia Posted 15 July 2006 - 10:58 AMI don't usually bother with preheat - as others have said, warm the rig before a show and you should be OK unless it's a one-use special. The only lanterns I tend to preheat during a show is anything with a glass gobo in it - and that's purely so the gobo doesn't break with the temperature change when it goes to full! I tend to do this even when I'm using a cool-beam light like the Selecon Pacific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GridGirl Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Oh look at that, so I did!! I'd still agree with what I've posted - but you're right, the ambient temperature will make a difference. In sub-zero temps I'd definitely be glowing lamps at 10% to stop things freezing up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashley R Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Posted 15 July 2006 - 10:58 AMI don't usually bother with preheat - as others have said, warm the rig before a show and you should be OK unless it's a one-use special. The only lanterns I tend to preheat during a show is anything with a glass gobo in it - and that's purely so the gobo doesn't break with the temperature change when it goes to full! I tend to do this even when I'm using a cool-beam light like the Selecon Pacific. that's a little bit of history there! http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif wow 5 and a bit years..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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