Cable Management

[VegasLites]

Hi all!
I was wondering if you all would take a moment to think about cable management solutions with me. I have a LX truss that will have to move in and out over a 100 foot height, with 16, 208v 9 amp, moving lights on it. It moves via an automated wench motor. I have some thoughts but need some additional input. Feel like putting your brains to this?

[BillESC]

How about rigging your cable bundle like an Austrian curtain. Install rings every 24 to 36 inches and it should stack fine.

[gafftaper]

What's your budget? Is it a permanent install or road show? There are some fancy retractor devices that can handle that job but they will cost you and I think they are only for permanent install.

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by VegasLites

...automated wench motor. ...

The wench pulled the winch ashore.

I like systems such as the http://www.ssrc.biz/cms.pdf from SSRC.


Or the type that looks like a large wok, that the multi-cable coils itself into/out-of, on top of the batten/truss.

[VegasLites]

Winch.... yeah, yeah.
The SSCR cable management that you pictured is really nice but they have an 80' travel limit. The cable reels are great...but they can only handle 1 cable at a time (de-rated) and at $5000 a pop even a good budget would feel the strain.
The basket catch (Wok) method would work but we are talking about 100'. That's one big Wok and space between line sets is tight. See it's a conundrum.
Oh, and this would be for a permanent show.

[Sony]

What is wrong with a standard counterweight and pully system? One where you have a 100 foot cable and then in the center of that cable is a cable clamp and then a line going up to a pully or multiple pullies in the ceiling and a counterweight on the other end which takes up the slack.

When retracted the cable looks like a big W going from the truss to the Junction Box in the ceiling and it would only hang down about 25' in this case which should be well out of view up in your fly tower.

We use this system at MVPAC and each electric has 2 or 3 Multicables going to it, granted it's only 45' but I don't see why it couldn't be scaled up. I can't get pics for you right now because I'm not near MVPAC but I can get pictures of the similar system we use at my college.

[lieperjp]

On our systems the cables are run through a bendable plastic conduit to the raceway. Towards the middle of the conduit there is a wire that runs to the same (manual) winch that raises and lowers the raceway. If you could figure out the proper way to do that on your system, it seems pretty easy to implement (except a lot of elbow grease to do the install.)

[Footer]

Originally Posted by BillESC

How about rigging your cable bundle like an Austrian curtain. Install rings every 24 to 36 inches and it should stack fine.

Thats a good way to do it on the cheap, just be sure that there is NOTHING on the truss that the cable can snag.

The real question is, is this something that will track 10 times a show or just move when it needs something done to it?

[VegasLites]

These are all great ideas! I am a big believer in the counter weight system, sometimes simple is the best.
Yes it will travel in and out at least 10 times in the show.

[Sony]

Occams Razor always suggests the simplest solution is most likely the best one. Sometimes a simple counterweight and pully system is way more reliable and robust then a relatively more complex pantograph or austrian curtain system since there are less things to go wrong.