Another hijack here, what are the requirements for attaching cams to existing installed cams? When I was working in a production warehouse this summer I was taught how to do this, but if I were at a show I would be hesitant just because who knows what a
AHJ, Local
hand, or <insert other figure of authority here> would feel about a 18 year old doing something like this. Not to mention I wouldn't want the liability if I did something wrong...although going from
ground to
neutral to hots when connecting and hots to
neutral to
ground isn't something easily messed up
IMO.
Typically, any cams up until you actually
plug into the
disconnect, can be done by almost anyone usually by the tour/production company, or stagehands under direction of the company or tour. When you actually hook up to
power, most venues have a
house guy who is the only person allowed to make/break connections and
throw the
switch. In the case of the Convention center in St. Louis, you will get a guy from the company that has the electrical contract with the building, Edlen I believe, and that guy just might hook up you hots before the
ground and
neutral, and then flip a
switch that has a hot
leg and
ground reversed. So,
meter your
power before turning on. I even got a set of
brand new from the factory, camlock five
wire, from a rental company, and they had the red and green cam swapped on one end. So always
meter your
power, even if you did not change anything from one day to another, you don't know is someone else did, and did not hook it back up right.
A lot of place will let you
hookup cams and turn on and off the
company switch, once they get to know you and are confident in your abilities, others have more strict
protocol.
Oh, always be safe, be courteous, and humble, but don't worry about what a local
hand thinks. I had a local
hand this past summer who thought he was being helpful by unplugging cables he thought we were finished with. I turned the corner and saw him squatting, and as he leaned on the
power distro to stand up, he said "ouch, that's got some
bit to it!" At his feet were the
neutral and
ground camlocks that he had just unplugged, from the PD that was powering the motor controllers while motors were moving.
There are a few touring guy on here who started their careers in St. Louis, and I have a few friends from around the area. What places have you been working?, I'll bet you have run into a bunch of the same people.