Does this LOOK LIKE THE LADIES ROOM ?

[darph nader]

On it! I had a "Dark side of the moon" the other night, Guinness and Blue Moon. Mmmm....beer....

COOL, (note to self,get AC fixed)

[delsdad]

On it! I had a "Dark side of the moon" the other night, Guinness and Blue Moon. Mmmm....beer....

Sounds very quaff-able ! I only wish I could get Blue Moon here in Canada. I have lots of Guinness however, and might try something using Guinness and Hoptical Illusion.

[Mayonnaise]

Hey Dels! Guess what!!!!!!!

I was down the playhouse yesterday doing some scenic painting, and nearly all our lights guys were milling around all excited. Turns out, I was witness to the arrival of two brand new Source Four Revolutions... so now we have THREE movers! It took them all day just to get one up the scaff tho, since they couldn't roll the scaff to the spot loft with the brand new sound board in the way (we have a musical in rehearsal, so it's out of the sound booth for front of house mixing.)

They're pretty!!!!



8^)

[delsdad]

Hey Dels! Guess what!!!!!!!

I was down the playhouse yesterday doing some scenic painting, and nearly all our lights guys were milling around all excited. Turns out, I was witness to the arrival of two brand new Source Four Revolutions... so now we have THREE movers! It took them all day just to get one up the scaff tho, since they couldn't roll the scaff to the spot loft with the brand new sound board in the way (we have a musical in rehearsal, so it's out of the sound booth for front of house mixing.)

They're pretty!!!!

I hope those are version 2 of the Revolutions. We had 36 of those on Lord Of the Rings, they were nothing but trouble. The scroller drive linkage was two velcro pads that rubbed together, and often got out of sync. We were told it was being changed in the newer versions. They didn't like all the smoke in the air either. If you can open one up and look at the split lens system, it is kind of cool. The quality of light out of them is great. Designers love the color of the Source 4 reflector. Ours were the first ones released in North America, so they did have some teething pains. The most common failure was related to the power supply burning out. Keep in mind we ran them 60 hours a week for 10 months.

I always get stuck with gear fresh out of beta. Next week we are playing with some VL X units, and a Mac 300 at the theatre next door. I like the VLX but it weighs a lot !

[Mayonnaise]

I don't know if they're version one or version two. I'm a carpenter and a scenic painter. My skill in the lights arena is about at the level of "Pass me that Parcan" and I hand up a short fat light with a round end or "Go cut me a R026 gel for this frame" which I'll go looking for in with the red gels.

I can ask when I go back to work there tonight. I do know that the models we have, have the internal color scroller, and the gobo switcher, which I think that latter one is extra. They explained to me at one point that they have to put weights on the front that came with some extra part to make it balanced still so the servos don't have to work so hard all the time.

8^)

[delsdad]

I don't know if they're version one or version two. I'm a carpenter and a scenic painter. My skill in the lights arena is about at the level of "Pass me that Parcan" and I hand up a short fat light with a round end or "Go cut me a R026 gel for this frame" which I'll go looking for in with the red gels.

I can ask when I go back to work there tonight. I do know that the models we have, have the internal color scroller, and the gobo switcher, which I think that latter one is extra. They explained to me at one point that they have to put weights on the front that came with some extra part to make it balanced still so the servos don't have to work so hard all the time.

8^)

The Gobo or shutter modules are extra. That keeps the price down, and means that you could swap modules with just two screws. Some people buy both modules and go for extra versitility in their inventory.

The counterweights are long overdue. Version 1 would go thump into their yokes when you powered down at the end of the night. Unless they have changed things, they use stepper motors, rather than servos. The 3 phase steppers are cheaper, stronger, and more reliable. They can be driven by one chip, off the shelf. Servos take more control circuitry, require a clutch mechanism, and are prone to get soft holding an unbalanced load in place. The industry started to phase them out around 2000. They do provide a more organic movement and the ability to decelerate a move is much prettier.
in the 90s, we would have one tech for every 24 lights on a tour. Thesedays, one tech can look after 130 lights and still be like the maytag man, with nothing to do. I miss servos, they made life more interesting! Some big lights, like the synchrolites still use them, but they are like a washing machine in a moving yoke - huge. one tech for every 6 units to keep them running.

[Mayonnaise]

I'm abusing the box office computer now.... the lights guys tell me the old one, the one we've had is a "revision B" and the two new ones are "revision D." They didn't know what you meant about version one or two.

I made the assumption those were servos... because I'm silly like that. I'm sure our lights guys actually know about the motors more than I do.

Being a theater attached to an Engineering college... they are very fond of their tech here... for this show I think we've hung every light we own, (They store them in the paint pit... it's empty save for paint now) and used both of our brand new lights ladders, although one of the revos is sadly on the ground still awaiting a replacement clamp. The one it shipped with was busted and we don't have anything lying around that will hold it.

8^)

[hobie16]

The one it shipped with was busted and we don't have anything lying around that will hold it.

8^)

Engineering college and no one knows how to use a lathe or a MIG welder? What's this world coming to?

[delsdad]

I'm abusing the box office computer now.... the lights guys tell me the old one, the one we've had is a "revision B" and the two new ones are "revision D." They didn't know what you meant about version one or two.

Being a theater attached to an Engineering college... they are very fond of their tech here... for this show I think we've hung every light we own, (They store them in the paint pit... it's empty save for paint now) and used both of our brand new lights ladders, although one of the revos is sadly on the ground still awaiting a replacement clamp. The one it shipped with was busted and we don't have anything lying around that will hold it.

8^)

The revision b would be what I refer to as version 2. Thats when they fixed the dumb mistakes made in the initial release. Moving lights are built in pretty small quantities, and they often will have more than one revision of the product in a year, as shortcomings make themselves known. Theres no time to put them through trial by fire testing, so they are often released to the industry before all the kinks are ironed out.

Thats a drag about the clamp. Some of those are really expensive, as in up to 120$ a clamp for megaclaws and megaclamps. For that kind of money, they should be checked better, but allas they are not. I often switch over to the old fashioned c clamps that I steal from lekos when the mega clamps loose their bolts or the bolt becomes frozen. Plenty strong enough, but not as pretty or precise for positioning.

[Mayonnaise]

I think they sent the clamp right back for a replacement from the company that shipped it. *Yawns.* But they're not expecting it in time for opening.

As for the Lathes and MIG Welders... I believe that's less a matter of lacking skill as lacking a Metal cutting Lathe or a MIG Welder. While we have been known to do things which would probably be OSHA violations were this a workplace and not 100% volunteer community theater (except for some reason we pay the pit musicians) we are not about to start using welders without campus permission... especially since they put a blanket ban on us using pyrotechnics after Pippin.

I'm still stuck here sponging on bricks... with no end in sight. It's tech weekend so I don't get to go anyplace till the set's done for tomorrow's cue to cue, which bites, because I'm also in the cast so I don't get to rest during rehearsals. Technically there's nothing keeping me here.... except my live-in boyfriend is the set designer, and he can't go till it's done, and we've only one car between the two of us since his broke down last month.

8^S