High School Upgrade

[Tomo]

Whilst I'ts still fresh in my mind, can anyone point me to a good retailer that will ship out small orders. I'm only after 4 chassis mount 8 pin din sockets for an analogue patch panel.

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Farnell.

[Bryson]

Also, can anyone point me to a list of the current rating to cable diameters as I lost the laminated card I had for checking  >.<

 

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I need to make up some single-phase extensions. What cable should I use?

 

13A or 15A TRS - 1.5mm/sq

16A TRS - 2.5mm/sq

32A TRS - 6.0mm/sq

63A TRS - 10.0mm/sq

[bruce]

Whilst I'ts still fresh in my mind, can anyone point me to a good retailer that will ship out small orders. I'm only after 4 chassis mount 8 pin din sockets for an analogue patch panel.

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Farnell.

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or Maplin. Don't know whether I'd really want to class them as a "good retailer" - but they're on lots of high streets, do mail order, and definitely sell the parts you're looking for.

 

Or CPC or RS. They will definitely ship small orders, but there might be a significant handling charge if you don't have an account with them....

 

Bruce.

[axle]

Does the same cable rating apply if you're making a (three phase) tail for a dimmer pack?

 

I'd planned on having the act 6's we look to be getting for certain now with a tailing lead to a CEEform so they can be removed for repair/moving or for the use of the supply for other equipment.

[Tomo]

Does the same cable rating apply if you're making a (three phase) tail for a dimmer pack?

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Bleedin' heck - with 3-phase, if need to ask, don't do!

 

Given that they'll need special testing afterwards anyway, wouldn't it be cheaper to just get a qualified electrician to make it for you including the testing?

[axle]

No qualified electrician round here would do short tails like that even if you paid them in most cases. Especially as the standard around here doesn't usually come much above being able to add a spur of existing ring mains. I've seen some of the schools 'preffered' electricians work, I'd feel more comfy running around a sub-station with a 20 foot metal pole than working with him.

 

One of the school staff got a shock not too long ago off some of his recent wiring. Besides, who said I was gonna fit the leads into the dimmers and off the isolating switch?

 

If he's left to it on his own, he'll hardwire them in or at best use the cheapest, least theatre friendly CEEforms he can find o.o

 

Or would you'd rather I'd not asked and ordered in all the wrong wiring, cos the schools spark ain't gonna have the right stuff on his van. My limit was gonna be the signal cabling and relocating a plug socket and fitting a light switch on Standard mains, all of which I've been Certified competent at.

[V.A.]

If I were you I'd still get an electrician to do it - you really can't claim to know alot more about this than you say your electrician does!

 

If anything were to go wrong, I would suggest that the buck (both legally and morally) would rest with whoever actually did the work - and should that person be not only inexperienced (as both of you seem to be) but also unqualified (as you are), then they would probably be in a very dodgy position in terms of both criminal and civil law!

[axle]

yeh, but I still need to know what cable to order in for him because there's no way he's gonna have the right stuff on his van. Also, does anywhere make black panel mount CEEform sockets (a la Tourmate ebony stuff) that he can fit for us to plug the dimmers in to?

[Tomo]

yeh, but I still need to know what cable to order in for him because there's no way he's gonna have the right stuff on his van.

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Couldn't you ask him? If he doesn't know that's one thing, but hopefully he does and if you get something that is different to what he expects he'll be a little put out, even if it is a 'correct' cable.

 

And as for black panelmount CEEform sockets, Tourmate probably do them - ask AC Lighting.

But are you sure you need them? Dimmers are usually kept out of the way and out of sight of the audience, so a little colour shouldn't make a bit of difference.

I expect that 'normal' ones are cheaper.

[axle]

'Usually' kept out of the way in most places, but the current ones aren't particularly hidden and there isn't really anywhere else to put them. If we move them to the back of the theatre they'll be right behind the audience and inaccessible during performances, we move them to the front and then they're a little far away, especially with our 40+ year old wooden flooring around the balcony.

 

And surprisingly, the cheapest I've found standard CEEforms was fromthe local wholesaler: £17.83 for the male and £21.91 for the female. That's without VAT. For the extra couple of quid (especially with the schools maintenance of equipment) the tourmate are probably better.

[V.A.]

yeh, but I still need to know what cable to order in for him because there's no way he's gonna have the right stuff on his van. Also, does anywhere make black panel mount CEEform sockets (a la Tourmate ebony stuff) that he can fit for us to plug the dimmers in to?

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I would let him go away and order whatever he needs if he doesn't have it - really, the more you intefere with how something like this is done, the more you're likely to be held responsible if/when it goes wrong!

[axle]

Yeh, but the less I interfere, the less is gonna get done the way we need/want it done o.o

 

How do you think we ended up with blue walls and curtains, we let the head of drama do everything.

[V.A.]

I'm not saying let the head of drama take over again, he/she obviously has trusted you to make these changes by yourself. All I'm saying is that I wouldn't go overboard.... telling an electrician that you want device X installed in position Y to perform function Z is fine; but anything over that is simply not your job - you aren't qualified, and you're certainly not insured.

[axle]

The head of drama is being kept WELL out of the way this time round. I was in the process of drawing up some plans for where everything needs to go but my pencils have mysteriously disappeared o.o

 

Unfortunately there are gonna be things we HAVE to ask him to fit that he may not normally do eg. control of the house lights from the lighting booth (otherwise we need to have someone do a 100 yard round trip to turn them on and off), 5/15A sockets on the ceiling instead of the current 13A Switched ones to prevent idiots (drama teachers again) plugging stuff like mirror balls into the dimmed sockets (yes... they have done so, after trailing the cable round and round the rig all the way across to the other side)

[V.A.]

Yes, I understand all that. So ask him to do them, but then leave him to get on with it! You aren't qualified enough, experienced enough, or insured enough to advise him on how to do it; so if he needs this advice you'll have to get him to seek it elsewhere.

 

I know this sounds tough, but ultimately it's for your own protection! If these things were designed to be fitted by schoolkids we wouldn't have trained electricians....