I need some suggestions for a new lighting rig...

[paulears]

actually, there might not be a problem. School and College budgets for equipment are very difficult to jig about. They are often bid for and pretty well fixed. There may be a contingency fund, but doubtful. However, the money for electrical work will almost certainly be separate and may not end up being a problem, as it will no doubt come from the sites budget. This is always a variable budget, as workload depends on random factors like roofs leaking, repairs after burgulary, local authority idicts, changes in legislation, disability discrimination etc.

 

So getting power laid on may end up being a very small item on someone elses budget, leaving you to justify a few hundred quid per item.

[mac.calder]

This is a bit dodgey, and I have no idea about the laws over in the uk re these, but you can get phase converters, basically it is 3 single phase plugs or they can be hard wired, which terminate in a 3 phase socket. The thing is you need to have 3 20A or 40A circuits (or 1 high amperage circuit and three sockets which can draw high loads (say 40A)) running into the room, otherwise there is no gain and you blow your circuit breakers. The devices should only be installed by a trained electrician, even though the device is simple to build and install, as they WILL know the laws and they will make sure you don't end up dead.

 

Basically, for a phase converter to give you 40A 3 phase, you need three 40A circuits being converted, if you have 3 20A circuits, you have to remember that you really only have 14400W to play with instead of 28800W which a standard 40A delivers (or 27360W as the older 3 phase circuits were 38A)

[skdean]

I seen those devices used here in Australia, not a good idea. Very frightening and you have to so careful loading up your circuits so as not to blow them.

[gil-galad]

The issue with the three phase is not to do with the amount of power it is down to Government Legislation which means you cannot have three phase in schools.

 

Obviously they are running three phase but not in the same room!!

 

Its a pain but thats the way it is.

 

I would recommend over and above the infrastructure you get some floods and a simple controller so anyone who wants to use the stage e.g assemblies can just turn on some white lights.

 

You will be amazed how it will help with future budgets if they see results everyone can benefit from!!!

[TomLyall]

The issue with the three phase is not to do with the amount of power it is down to Government Legislation which means you cannot have three phase in schools.

 

Its a pain but thats the way it is.

 

Care to elaborate?

 

Every school I have seen has three phase power, most have three phase machinery in the workshops and a few have three phase outlets in the theatre areas.

 

Tom

[J Pearce]

I would agree with tomlyall, at my old high school there is an 100A three phase supply onstage next to the dimmers (not used with the installed system) and in the design technology block there is three phase for the machinery. (individual outlets)

[audio]

Yeh, my school had three phase, and they didn't let us plug dimmers, but it was up to pupils to ensure that the three phases weren't used on the same lx bar, and that rig was installed by CCT I believe, which means it would (presumably) take all available legislation into account...

[paulears]

What rules says schools can't have 3 phase? I now of rather a lot who do, and quite a few of these don't know about it. Workshops and kitchens all have it. It's a long time since we had the old 6ft rule.

[Jivemaster]

The issue here is that the room in the OP doesnt have three phase and the cost of installing it may exceed the total budget.

 

Get the bars and sockets and channels in all marked for SWL current etc and buy some par cans and a couple of profiles. Keep the desk and dim packs. Look for three phase in the next budget period then you can drive hired movers and their hired desk

[SparkySteve]

I would say leave the 3ph install until the end of this tax year... this is when the school will be looking to spend as much money as possible in order to gain roughly the same or more budget next year... with some careful planning you should be able to pull it off.

 

Alot of businesses and schools manage to do it through IT - i.e. spend alot of money upgrading in order to be seen using the budget wisely

[Darkfold]

I just hit the jackpot, whilst having a look up in the roof bar system (on rails that winch out) I found 5 undocumented strand harmony 15/28 profile spots. Big bastads arent they :** laughs out loud **:. Not sure who bought them or when, but drama knew nothing about them (unless they were hired and not returned :P :o ) Just goes to show its amazing what you find in schools...

 

We're a private school... Cant use the end of year spending spree to justify a bigger budget.

 

Also, (quite unfortunate when you think about it) the school roof just got fixed, there was a break in recently and we just had to provide disabled access to all rooms after a council policy change. *DOH!*

However, I have our maintainance department pricing up the cable I was after and it has to go underground as it runs between two buildings for quite a way. Surprisingly the headmaster seems quite keen to do it properly :o and I may just be able to blag me some three phase to play with ;) (on a separate budget)

[Andrew C]

The issue with the three phase is not to do with the amount of power it is down to Government Legislation which means you cannot have three phase in schools.

 

Obviously they are running three phase but not in the same room!!

 

Its a pain but thats the way it is.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Sorry, that's just words I can't use!

[Biggles]

We have recently had a huge re fit of stage equipment which is perfectly adequate for our school.

WE are running 2 chilli pro 24 channel dimmers out to IWBS all dmxed.

this is run off a single phase with isolation lock offs

The school employs me so the kids are less likely to wreck the kit or more to the point injure themselves

 

This an expensive install around 50K including all the lighting and audio and visual kit. but luckily the council paid.

 

which also meant we didn't have a lot of say in it.

 

I personally would have prefered dimmers that could be hard patched as it would have been far more flexable

 

if you are expecting just 4k to play with then really that isn't alot just ask the question of what bit do they mean by upgrade.

 

The infastructure or the equipment.

[Darkfold]

I'm giving up on replacing the dimmers, instead just using our existing strand dimmers and buying in a few demux units to keep the cost down whilst giving DMX capability. Then spending the remaining money on a new DMX desk and then buying new bar clamps, safties etc for the existing lantern stock of 8 fresnels and 8 profiles, with 8 new multipar hpl575's and two Socapex 10m with spiders rounding it all off. Total spent approx £3000

Not too bad really.

[MrDan]

I wanted to add my reply to the following topic but was refered to this topic.

 

Any recommendations for a user-friendly but fairly sophisticated control system (doesn't have to be a desk as we were promised a computer or two in the specialist school bid so we could wire up a PC based system if that would suit best.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

We are currently working on a educational discount program, which would allow schools to get huge discounts on our show controller. Nothing is official yet, but I thought I mention it here. We are also offering free evaluation units for 'legit' installations.

 

Let me know if you're interested in it.

 

Dan