Ariel Davis Lightboard

[jwl868]

We are using a different venue this year for the dance school’s production. Although I’ll have a friend running the light board, the board itself is an Ariel Davis. Found one reference online and it appears that this must 30 or more years old.

The venue’s personnel will provide some basic instruction, but any other advice about the reliability and functionality of a board this old?

Thanks

Joe

[soundlight]

Oooohh...yeah...that's one old board. Any info on what model/make it is? Back to the days of Slider Patch!

[rmarston]

Oh yes that is definately one old board - I used a 5 scene preset model of that board years ago. The first SCR dimmers - dimmer curves were bad and wow what filament noise.

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by jwl868

...but any other advice about the reliability and functionality of a board this old?

Well, I wouldn't worry too much about reliability. The fact that it is still functioning even somewhat makes it more relaible than anything ETC has ever made (NOT to knock ETC.) As for functionality, the only Ariel Davis I've ever used has been the A/D "slider": A master controlling six individual dimmers, essentially linear autotransformers. Can be thought of as a single-scene preset. From Off to Full, the dimmer handle travels at least 12".

Many of the parts were re-purposed for EC's infamous "Slider Patch" patch panel, where the handles moving vertical were the circuits and the horizontals were the dimmers.

Please take pictures and post them. Many of us would love to see a control system of this vintage still in use. As I recall, Electro-Controls bought Ariel Davis around 1968, so your board is closer to 40 years young!

[jwl868]

Attached are a few pictures.

Joe

[derekleffew]

Cool! That's the most sophisticated Ariel Davis "desk" I've ever seen. A patch panel and manual dimmers built into one enclosure is rare indeed. Looks like there are 12x 1000w? linear ATDs with handles 11 & 12 missing. The 6Kw master on the right (dims1>6) has a handle (and maybe the entire assembly) from either Superior or Ward-Leonard. The handle on the left (dims7-12) looks like a Luxtrol handle. My high school's cafetorium had the same 2 sets of 6 sliders, but no masters, and no patch panel, as the Xrays were hard-wired and had extra outlets on the sides of the fixtures. I bet there's a Date of Manufacture somewhere inside +/- 3 years of 1965.

[rmarston]

Looks similar to the AD board I used in high school ( probably 50's manufacture). This board had 4 master reostats with 6 slider auto transformers to each master. Two of the masters doubled use for the house lights. The patch panel was a rats nest at the bottom front of the board.

[avkid]

Talk about a beast.

[jwl868]

Thanks for the input. (I've been too busy to get back to this post.)

I have essentially no experience with lightboards. Basically, how was this one supposed to function? How do the two small sets of sliders on the left relate to the 60 sliders on the right? And what should the two large levers on the left do? And are the switches on the lower front of the unit basic circuit breakers?

(I'd like to have a basic idea of this before going in.)

Joe

[icewolf08]

Hmmmm.... I think I have one of the 6 fader units (just the actual faders) hanging around with some of the old stuff here. It is a heavy sucker, but at least I have an idea of what it might be now. Will post a photo when I can.