Trixfer?

Has anyone here seen the new product bates came out with over the summer called the Trixfer? it is an oversized molded male to female stagepin, but with a hole on the underside for SOOW cable to make it a twofer (or i suppose if you added a molded twofer end a threefer) either way they i saw a sheet for it the other day at a local supplier and it seems very interesting to me.

I was just wondering if anyone had picked one up yet. I was told it runs about 21 bucks for a 36" whip, almost bought one but decided id ask around.
 
That's interesting... that website doesn't you found doesn't exactly do a good job of explaining the product. Also oddly the Marinco/Bates website doesn't seem to list it. Maybe they are waiting for a big introduction at LDI or something?
 
Has anyone here seen the new product bates came out with over the summer called the Trixfer? it is an oversized molded male to female stagepin, but with a hole on the underside for SOOW cable to make it a twofer (or i suppose if you added a molded twofer end a threefer) either way they i saw a sheet for it the other day at a local supplier and it seems very interesting to me.
I was just wondering if anyone had picked one up yet. I was told it runs about 21 bucks for a 36" whip, almost bought one but decided id ask around.


So, let me get this straight: this would be a twofer with one leg of 4 inches or so where you can't knot the cable for strain relief, and the other leg of 36". Could somebody explain to me what possible use this would be?

ST
 
So, let me get this straight: this would be a twofer with one leg of 4 inches or so where you can't knot the cable for strain relief, and the other leg of 36". Could somebody explain to me what possible use this would be?
ST

Yeah, I'm a little confused about that point too. I stared at that web page a long time trying to figure out if there was something I'm missing. I'll take a good old fashioned two fer any day.
 
So, let me get this straight: this would be a twofer with one leg of 4 inches or so where you can't knot the cable for strain relief, and the other leg of 36". Could somebody explain to me what possible use this would be?

ST
That's what was confusing me...same as Gaff...seems like a standard twofer will do the job just as well, and make life easier while cabling.
 
I think its for those times where you need one light right at the end of the pigtail or cable and the next light isnt. This will solve the issue of the coil of cable, a very speacil use item but that might be why you dont see them around.
 
I think its for those times where you need one light right at the end of the pigtail or cable and the next light isnt. This will solve the issue of the coil of cable, a very speacil use item but that might be why you dont see them around.
Asymmetrical tufer? Non-isosceles two-for-one? But what if the line connector (female) is exactly between two fixtures? I'd rather deal with a small loop of cable than say repeatedly: "no, not that twofer, the other kind of twofer." Seems easier to make a cable shorter than longer. While I've never seen it on Mythbusters, I pretty sure there's no such thing as a cable-stretcher. I have to go wash the gels now.

All rectangles are parallelograms, but not all parallelograms are rectangles, or something like that.

By the same token, an "even" breakout is more versatile than a "staggered" one. One can become the other, but not the converse, unless you want 6 circuits 2' away from the knuckle and a big wad of cable in between.

STEVETERRY, you're not saying you tie 2P&G cables together are you? I thought that practice ended with the abatement of asbestos leads. At least that's when I stopped. When the male can't stay in the female, I won't let them be taped if I can help it. The male pins need to be spread/split, or it's just going to arc and heat and cook. Tape just covers up the problem and no one except me uses "courtesy tabs." And exactly how many newtons of force is correct to plug and unplug a connector. At least 75% of all Harj-Lock I've seen have been broken. Did anyone besides me feel the fiberglass sleeving from Kliegl fixtures made my forearms itch more than any other brands?

My new favoritist connector is the L21-30. Those new rounded edges stage pins are pretty neat also. 'Course you could tie a piece of tie-line diagonally across the square ones.
 
Interesting.... all I can really say about this concept beyond not what I would recommend using.

Takes a lot of trust on their part that someone will be able to do this properly and safely. I could do it, how many of you could really really do it properly without any little “slight differences” to the concept? Don’t try modifying their design in making it a threefer as it’s now your liability and most likely won’t work out as per design.

Brass tacks... not recommended on my part to attempt this.

Union connector company ) http://www.unionconnector.com/uc/index.cfm still sells the classic stage pin cube tap both in the cable mount and plug as a part of it attached version. A few weeks ago in fact I had a customer looking for them and it took some research but I was able to find that such a thing I have not seen in years still exists. Don’t remember where my links for photos of them went or their part numbers - the Union Connector website doesn’t have part numbers and photos but these are the SOP way of doing a cube tap as per a block of them instead of a cord mounted one.

Check out BMI’s Edison to Stage pin adaptor http://www.bmisupply.com/ photo #B of page 47 of their catalog. Very cool in converting an Edison wall outlet to a cord mounted stage pin cable. This especially counteracts the torque issues that the above Union cube tap, much less this Bates twofer would be problematic with in other than cord to cord mount situations - with support of them that a “Y” two or threefer doesn’t have problems with. = longer the length, the more torque on the panel mount plug.

Better selling point of the Union cube tap is that it’s designed to be what it is and not some part added to stock parts in something that ain’t designed to be that and won’t be near what it was before. The union cube taps are built like tanks. At one point I remember even converting some two pin to three pin type. Was ever so slightly off on my pin spacing but otherwise worked well. Been at least ten years now since I have last seen any such thing. I’m a fan of the Bates stage pin plug, not one of this concept.
 
I "invented" the trixfer after being accosted by a local electrical inspector threatning to shut down my fancy black tie fund raiser saying I had plugs rated for one cable having two cables in it (standard twofer) ....he right it is a code violation....i didt'nt really like molded assemblies..so I started playing around with glue screws and connectors...the trix-fer was born....I approached rosco first who held me up for a year first saying they would make it then after the failure of the wall hugger chickened out....so i took it to bates who made the molds and away we went...the pictures that Bates had not only showed trusses in wrong positions but it wasn't very clear of what this device does...

1st Have you priced twofers lately? a complete trixfer sells for $25+1.00/ft (12/3sowa)
cheaper if you don't count your own labor to assemble them.

2Nd there are now 2 versions a double female great for connector strip tails (a twofer for $10 more than a single stage pin...works for breakouts as well) or male/female great on jumpers 10-25 ft our favorite most twofer applications require a jumper to reach the next fixture unless double hung. you can put them on a fixture directly and plug another directly into it (great for double hung torms) streaching a circuit over 4 fixtures on a pipe is a snap with 4 10' trixfers, cyc lights ...well you get the picture.

Bates pushed a 36" version but that to me is the least practicle twofering jumpers are the way to go....and it passes code!!!
 
... I pretty sure there's no such thing as a cable-stretcher. ...

There is a cable stretcher. PRG in Los Angeles has one that they use when they get their extension cable back. They stretch the cable, wash it then but it back in one of the giant crates they store everything in. It is massive and will even test cables when they come back.
 
I "invented" the trixfer

Apparently you are not the only one. Five years ago I took a male and a female, older union style, connector and attached them to a flat piece of aluminum with pop rivets. Then brought a cable out through the cover and attached a cable with a female connector.
Had never heard of the trixfer at the time. Since seeing an announcement in one of the trades, I have heard nothing but negative feelings from most of the posters on this and lightnetwork.
I guess that I am just some oddball, but I have about 30 of them at my theatre, and have been using them as the 2fer of choice for the last five years. Mine aren't quite as classy as the commercial bates units, but they do the job rather nicely.

Tom Johnson
Florida's Most Honored Community Theatre
 
Well then obviously a good idea... someone once said there are few truly new unique ideas...perhaps invent was the wrong word...substitute "commercialize"....I've been gluing and screwing connectors together and developing this for nearly 7 years now as a technician just trying to bring a beter solution to the world of "two-fers"... Code issues will bring the two fer issue to a head and as mentioned I really do not like the molded solution (and cost).

Injection molds are expensive That's why rosco stalled for a year... luckly when they released us from our "deal". Bates jumped right on the wagon...unfortunatly didn't have the knowledge to market Trix-fer effectivly....distributors that invested heavily in molded two-fer blanks that sell for $11+ for 5 bucks worth of material were not eager to push it.

The Bates connector parts used are standard issue as are the pins... I'm pushing for a crimp pin solution for mass assembly work... just need to convince Bates a oversized crimp barrel is worth retooling to accomodate 2 #12 wires... current barrel is for 1-#12-16 they use for fixtures...we have pico pneumatic crimper and after making 100's by hand think a quicker more reliable, repeatable connection would be possible for less time spent (less cost) ... ring crimps we currently hand crimp and put a little daub of soldier on the exposed tip of copper sticking out of the crimp not allowing it to wick up the cable a technique we developed over 30 years ago. We offer lifetime warrantee on that connection (as all of our hand made stagepin cables (and have 33 years of testomony on this method of connection in rental and touring applications)

So once again The only "special" part of the trixfer is the extended female "trix-fer" molding.... the male (or female) and pins are standard Bates connector (less cover).

I think negative comments are due to lack of information on what these things really do
i only found this forum last night in googling TRIXFER saw last entry was 3 years ago and replied

Commercial acceptance will only come after people start using them...we run a rental shop and find the Trix-fer jumpers (10' and 25') to be a popular product in our market...

When priced as an adder to a jumper, fixture or tail the $'s speak for themselves. Once you grab hold of the concept (as you have) it's a no brainer.

spread the word please...my kids need to go to college

bw
 

Bates did trade mark the name 5 or 6 years ago
and was going to see if patientable (ideas are tough, patient cost money to commit/prepare for possible future ligitations) I was just trying to get a better mousetrap to use did not think this was a post-it note type of project ...I believe it might be patient pending but that is bate's deal. I did develope this independantly of any other influence....

looked up patient and read... it could be is a cousin of what we have

bw
 
Maybe I am just not seeing the advantage of this. The picture isn't showing the difference.
 

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