Edison to Stage Pin Questions

[ship]

yes, that is true. and completely normal.

Yes but be sure you are conducting to ground only on the probe and not a better path of least resistance to the ground in testing this. Better path... watch your multi-meter if you do it wrong and are a less resistance path to ground in the meter than thru you in being a better path.

Ground tests are normally fine and safe but you do want to just for a moment consider your connection to that grounding path while doing so. After that, normally fine to do, but just think for a moment about your testing this current situation. What you are holding, sitting in etc, this realizing that hopefully the fuse in the multi-meter might play a role.

Don't know but a thought that might apply in what I think about and consider before I test hot to ground each time.

 

[Les]

Les the connectors on these fixtures are 15 amp and would overload if just 2 of them were connected together so I would definately not assume anything about the gauge of the wire inside. Its possible it's only designed to be daisy chained if it is lamed down to 225w or less.

Assume nothin -- I've taken dozens of these fixtures apart. I know what should be in there. I used the term 'likely' because what should be in there isn't always what is in there. Who knows what the end user could have done in the past. I try to base my assessments on the state the fixture was in when it left the factory and what is found in its spec sheet.

 

[Shawncfer]

This not mostly due to not yet realizing in an immediate sense to learn what you read but in not having the training in proper tension on the terminals and strain relief on the plugs in making it immediate to you that what you read or re-read should have clicked in. This than in training you already know that part.

Also side note..., loose the metallic watch while working, while it might not shock you at times it just could.

First, could you explain to me what you mean by proper tension? and strain relief? I know this reinforces your point. And I'm working with a real professional while doing this tomorrow and I'll ask him the same thing. Like I said, it's a little different now that I'm in college and I have a real tech teacher.

Second, haha I usually don't wear a watch when I'm working. I just wear it when I'm going out with some friends. And thats what I was doing tonight. However the guy who was giving away the lights called me and asked me if I wanted them and I had to pick them up today so I made a quick stop and thats why I have the watch on. I know you probably don't care to hear this story, but jsut though I'd let you know. Thanks for the heads up though!

 

[derekleffew]

... and I don't have a manual to go along with the lights. ...

Webpage. Link to downloadable documents page from Altman's site.

Congratulations on getting $655 MSRP fixtures for free.

It must be R40 season or something.:neutral: See also the recent threads:
Info on a Colortran Border Light
Hang Borderlights At An Angle

 

[Shawncfer]

Link to downloadable documents page[/URL] from Altman's site.

How do you know its Altman?

It doesn't say a brand name anywhere, and the R40 has 8 lights right? Mine has 16 :-S

And also. So I was changing the Edisons to stage pins today, under the supervision of my boss, who's the head tech director.

Now after I took the cables off the edisons, I had to strip the wire a little bit because there wasnt enough wire exposed to attach to the stage pin. But only about a centimeter more if even that. So I stripped them back, but I kept noticing I was having trouble with the ground wire; as far as stripping it I mean. And everytime I kept trying to do it, I kept pullin off one or two of the wires that are in there. Now the TD said it was okay as long as i didn't pull off more than 25% of the wires, which I didn't. But for some reason that just sounds weird to mean, out of all the wires that are wrapped up in there and I can pull off maybe a couple of them and be fine. Is that true?

Edit:
BTW - I'm not asking if its normal to cut the wires while stripping, because I progressivly got better at it and I wasn't cutting them by my third or fourth time. I'm just worried if its okay for them to cut a little bit and still use them?

 

[xander]

Cutting one or two is fine. I'm not so sure I'd go as high as 25%....

 

[DuckJordan]

yes it is, since they are not single strands but rather a bunch of small strands making it not only more flexible but also less likely to fail. So while its not great to do its certainly acceptable and while in the begining while you mentioned you got better, you will cut some of the strands. So it just takes practice.

 

[BrockTucker]

I did a quick search to find if there is an acceptable percentage of wire cut in the NEC and could not find one. Does anyone know if there is a real rule on this?

 

[derekleffew]

How do you know its Altman?

It doesn't say a brand name anywhere, and the R40 has 8 lights right? Mine has 16 :-S ...

Educated guess, based on 30+ years of experience. I'd bet >80% of R40 Strips ever made still in use are Altman. Other manufacturers are L&E, Times Square, and were Century, Capital. Don't know that I've ever seen a Kliegl R40, but they probably made one. Hub and Major primarily made striplights using A- or PS- lamps. Also, if it doesn't have a name, it's likely Altman, as other manufacturers used to sell Altman gear as their own. (Even ETC at one time!)

Since the R40 has lamps on 6" centers,
a 6' is a 12-light, 3 or 4 circuit
a 7.5' is a 15-light, 3 circuit
a 8' is a 16-light, 4 circuit.

 

[xander]

Also, just throwing this out there because these are newly acquired, they don't actually make 300w R40 lamps anymore. So, start picking your replacement and stockpiling.

 

[derekleffew]

I didn't know that, xander. But, depending on application, and IF I could afford them, I might use 250PAR38/SP lamps. Longer life and more lumens per watt, but a significantly higher upfront cost.

The attached chart, excerpted from the cut sheet referenced above, shows most, but not all, of the lamps available as of 2003. One missing type is the 300BR/FL and its siblings. Or have those been discontinued as well? These free fixtures could end up costing a small fortune!
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/members/xander.html

 

[dramatech]

Derek,
You can add one more to your list of R40 strip lights. I have 12 Elecro Control units, six feet with 12 lamps and 4 circuits. They are very much in use as we speak. They were purchased in 1976 and had all asbestos wiring. I just recently rewired them with teflon insulated, nickel plated copper.
I considered that they might actually be Altmans, relabeled as EC, but they have the distinctive EC knobs on the end, and the frame size for the roundels is not the same as any other striplights that I have found information for. Also, EC wasn't much into relabeling others products.
We no longer use the roundels, but have figured a way to put gels into the roundel frames.
We have considered replacing them several times, but replacement costs are simply to expensive, when we have a working system.
I figure by the time congress outlaws, and inforces the use of R40 type lamps, that LED units will have become affordable, and when it becomes a law, it is always easier to raise money.

 

[dramatech]

Derek,
You can add one more to your list of R40 strip lights. I have 12 Elecro Control units, six feet with 12 lamps and 4 circuits. They are very much in use as we speak. They were purchased in 1976 and had all asbestos wiring. I just recently rewired them with teflon insulated, nickel plated copper.
I considered that they might actually be Altmans, relabeled as EC, but they have the distinctive EC knobs on the end, and the frame size for the roundels is not the same as any other striplights that I have found information for. Also, EC wasn't much into relabeling others products.
We no longer use the roundels, but have figured a way to put gels into the roundel frames.
We have considered replacing them several times, but replacement costs are simply to expensive, when we have a working system.
I figure by the time congress outlaws, and inforces the use of R40 type lamps, that LED units will have become affordable, and when it becomes a law, it is always easier to raise money.

oops!! mispelled Electro Control and the word is Enforce not inforce. I thought that I had better correct it before our English professor came down on me. (I finally passed Freshman English my senior year in college, All of the grades in my major and minor, were "A"s)

 

[xander]

As of last time I had to purchase R40 lamps (probably about 18 months ago) Production Advantage informed me they had stopped manufacturing the 300w, 150w, and a few more. I don't remember exactly which were still being made, so call your supplier before you take my word for it. All I know is every time I lost one lamp, I had to start buying PAR38 lamps in batches of 4 to replace every lamp in the circuit at the same time. Really annoying. And not cheap.

-Tim

 

[MarshallPope]

Slightly off topic, but what is the correct way to pronounce roundel? Is it roun-duhl or roun-dehl

 

[xander]

Slightly off topic, but what is the correct way to pronounce roundel? Is it roun-duhl or roun-dehl

I've always said "del" as in the computer manufacturer, but I have no hard evidence that is correct.

 

[derekleffew]

Regardless of spelling, I've always heard it pronounced as Ron (as in Ron "tater salad" White) Dell (computer mfg.) Emphasis on the second syllable. I always think of 1960s girl singing groups.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say Round Dell or Roun' Dell.

 

[Les]

Slightly off topic, but what is the correct way to pronounce roundel? Is it roun-duhl or roun-dehl

I've heard people say ron-del and roun-dehl. The guy at Norcostco in Dallas calls them round-dehls.

 

[erosing]

I like to go with "roundell," and I say it faster with the intent that people won't ask me why I say it differently than them, or their buddy, because they couldn't quite hear the specific pronunciation I used.

If you can't tell, I've run into this more then once.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bishopthomas]

If you can't tell, I've run into this more then once.

Do you also pronounce the word in bold as "thun" so no one can tell if you're saying "then" when you should be saying "than?"