Total Ignorance - what was used to keep wires together before cable ti

[Junior8]

LIke this There was a control box available but I never saw on in use. As the previous poster raid they were usually switched on and left. In many venues they were mounted on Strand swivel arm wall brackets - can't remember the ref number but someone paid £52 for one this month on ebay

 

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Edited November 2, 2020 by Junior8

[GruntPuppy]

Probably not Gobo wheels on the side but a colour changer spinning disk with different coloured gels.

 

They were used without control i.e. just continuously spinning in a lot of clubs, more advanced was a separate switched circuit for the motor and guess work switching to get the colour you wanted.

 

Good luck with the restorations and look forward to seeing the progress.

 

[sigh] I have a lot of terminology to learn before I can join in adult lighting conversations properly [/sigh]

 

I've got an a3 colour inkjet, since I'll be using low output (heat and light) bulbs I think some experimentation with a few designs could be fun when/if I can get the things running. Flames and waves are the obvious first candidates.

 

LIke this There was a control box available but I never saw on in use. As the previous poster raid they were usually switched on and left. In many venues they were mounted on Strand swivel arm wall brackets - can't remember the ref number but someone paid £52 for one this month on ebay

 

You might be interested in

 

Yep, similar. My lights look like a jerry-rigged homegrown solution using record player motors at first sight. I do love "that guy's work" - I just wish I had access to the same facilities (and his skills). If this project does come together (I'll be concentrating on the Patt 23, these will be an infill project, for when/if I'm waiting for things like vapour blasting and powder coating) I have an idea for frankenlamp - I have an artist friend who learned traditional travelling show signwriting/pinstriping/decoration, once I've figured out the base colours for the frankenlamp it might be fun to let her loose on it, to see what she can come up with.

[kitlane]

LIke this There was a control box available but I never saw on in use.

 

At Derby Playhouse we used about half a dozen of those colour changers with the control box until maybe the late 90's. I then repurposed them as projector shutters and used them until the early 2000's. I think I have a picture of the controller somewhere but haven't been able to find it quickly. The wheel had small magnets attached and the position was read by a reed switch on the mounting frame. They were a lot quieter than scrollers.

[GruntPuppy]

LIke this There was a control box available but I never saw on in use.

 

At Derby Playhouse we used about half a dozen of those colour changers with the control box until maybe the late 90's. I then repurposed them as projector shutters and used them until the early 2000's. I think I have a picture of the controller somewhere but haven't been able to find it quickly. The wheel had small magnets attached and the position was read by a reed switch on the mounting frame. They were a lot quieter than scrollers.

 

That sounds rather interesting, I'll be quite happy with a couple of "flick and pray" toggle switches that I can flush mount in ;)

[Bryson]

I can't find it now, but I remember reading a great article on the people who do the Cable Lacing for NASA. Beautiful work.

[indyld]

 

I've got an a3 colour inkjet, since I'll be using low output (heat and light) bulbs I think some experimentation with a few designs could be fun when/if I can get the things running. Flames and waves are the obvious first candidates.

 

There is quite a bit to making a success of this, assuming you are hoping to 'project' the results of something printed. Firstly, you need a lantern that will project at all (e.g a profile spot like a 23, not a fresnel). Then you need a point light source (e.g not multiple LEDs). Then you need to put the thing you want to project at the optical centre of the unit (the 'gate') and not just stick it in front of the whole thing. Feel free to experiment.

 

 

I concur with Kit on the MX colour wheels, they were perfectly functional for a choice of colours in the days before the whizzing, slapping, and often, snapping, when it came to badly managed scrollers. The whirr of a colour changer was quite a novel sound in the theatre, but of course today would probably be inaudible above the cacophony of fans in moving lights, digital projectors and other kit.

[GruntPuppy]

I've got an a3 colour inkjet, since I'll be using low output (heat and light) bulbs I think some experimentation with a few designs could be fun when/if I can get the things running. Flames and waves are the obvious first candidates.

 

There is quite a bit to making a success of this, assuming you are hoping to 'project' the results of something printed. Firstly, you need a lantern that will project at all (e.g a profile spot like a 23, not a fresnel). Then you need a point light source (e.g not multiple LEDs). Then you need to put the thing you want to project at the optical centre of the unit (the 'gate') and not just stick it in front of the whole thing. Feel free to experiment.

 

 

I concur with Kit on the MX colour wheels, they were perfectly functional for a choice of colours in the days before the whizzing, slapping, and often, snapping, when it came to badly managed scrollers. The whirr of a colour changer was quite a novel sound in the theatre, but of course today would probably be inaudible above the cacophony of fans in moving lights, digital projectors and other kit.

 

Good point. I'll probably go with undulating colour bars on the wheels, one top to bottom, one bottom to top, or try for either a fire or an ocean effect.

[Junior8]

LIke this There was a control box available but I never saw on in use.

 

At Derby Playhouse we used about half a dozen of those colour changers with the control box until maybe the late 90's. I then repurposed them as projector shutters and used them until the early 2000's. I think I have a picture of the controller somewhere but haven't been able to find it quickly. The wheel had small magnets attached and the position was read by a reed switch on the mounting frame. They were a lot quieter than scrollers.

 

Yes I saw them in the catalogue but I seem to recall that buying the complete system, as with most Strand stuff, was fairly expensive. They must have sold thousands of the wheels though.

[alistermorton]

The hall in the nearby village to us still has the old strand colour changers on their FOH Patt.23s and they still work correctly to select the colour, having been stripped and maintained by the resident tech.

[kitlane]

 

I concur with Kit on the MX colour wheels, they were perfectly functional for a choice of colours in the days before the whizzing, slapping, and often, snapping, when it came to badly managed scrollers. The whirr of a colour changer was quite a novel sound in the theatre, but of course today would probably be inaudible above the cacophony of fans in moving lights, digital projectors and other kit.

 

I can't remember who said it (it might have been me - the little grey cells aren't what they were) but the noise we lampies and vidiots make with fans and motors is equivalent to the sound engineer mounting a couple of 60 Watt light bulbs on the main speakers and leaving them switched on.

[Andrew C]

I can't remember who said it (it might have been me - the little grey cells aren't what they were) but the noise we lampies and vidiots make with fans and motors is equivalent to the sound engineer mounting a couple of 60 Watt light bulbs on the main speakers and leaving them switched on.

Depends on the gig surely? A quiet drama in a small space vs AC/DC at the O2. At one of these events, a bunch of fans near a punter's ear could easily ruin a night out, and a venues reputation. Re-reading; I now think we are in agreement.

[GruntPuppy]

I can't remember who said it (it might have been me - the little grey cells aren't what they were) but the noise we lampies and vidiots make with fans and motors is equivalent to the sound engineer mounting a couple of 60 Watt light bulbs on the main speakers and leaving them switched on.

Depends on the gig surely? A quiet drama in a small space vs AC/DC at the O2. At one of these events, a bunch of fans near a punter's ear could easily ruin a night out, and a venues reputation. Re-reading; I now think we are in agreement.

 

Well in my bedroom, the gig will be a darkened room, Type 43 with the wheels turning, and me listening to a good headphone-centric piece of stereo or two at the other end. I don't expect to worry too much about motor noise (I suspect the units are based on turntable motors, not the noisiest things anyway). The other Type 43 will be in the lounge keeping my main system company. The 23 will be in my bedroom as well. Sharing a flat with one's ex is not recommended, at least with this many lights I'll be able to see her coming ;)

[ImagineerTom]

Popped up today on the wonderful Facebook group “archiving technical theatre history”

https://share.icloud.com/photos/01h2lCfc_3mm3qkx3TPfkBAAg

 

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0ChKimOSYuWfvM16LSqQT8spw

 

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0QcfvmPsC1mnAHuyWu4UTU87w

[GruntPuppy]

Popped up today on the wonderful Facebook group "archiving technical theatre history"

https://share.icloud...mm3qkx3TPfkBAAg

 

https://share.icloud...WfvM16LSqQT8spw

 

https://share.icloud...mnAHuyWu4UTU87w

 

Those look rather lovely. I may have to get some sheet metal laser-cut to make my own, or try and find something compatible with the setup on the 43's I bought. That's a lovely share, thank you.

[ImagineerTom]

That Facebook group is well worth following. The big-wigs at many great institutions and the foot soldiers in the regions are all members and almost every single post is an absolute joy.