Batten Movement?

Spader

Member
I've been wondering lately...

For rigs that have moving lights hung on battens in fly systems, what keeps the battens from swinging around from the movement of the lights? Are they weighted in some special way, or do the battens just swing?
 
I've been wondering lately...

For rigs that have moving lights hung on battens in fly systems, what keeps the battens from swinging around from the movement of the lights? Are they weighted in some special way, or do the battens just swing?

Our 1A Electric has 5 High End Studio Spots spaced across 36ft. of a counterweighted pipe of 1.5" OD steel.

When I flash and trash, the pipe sways, no getting around it. It's noticible when the units stop in a static focus point.

Steve B.
 
I've actually been wondering about this for a while as well.

Our 1A Electric has 5 High End Studio Spots spaced across 36ft. of a counterweighted pipe of 1.5" OD steel.

When I flash and trash, the pipe sways, no getting around it. It's noticible when the units stop in a static focus point.

Steve B.


So when cueing, do you have to consiously remember not to use a mover in a static location right after moving it a lot? That seems like it could be a pretty big problem for some shows. Also, is it noticeable for even small moves? Like just moving from a focus point on SL to one on SR, for example?
 
Our 1A Electric has 5 High End Studio Spots spaced across 36ft. of a counterweighted pipe of 1.5" OD steel.

When I flash and trash, the pipe sways, no getting around it. It's noticible when the units stop in a static focus point.

Steve B.

Ah yes, but how to stop it?

See:

Royal Shakespeare Company : RSC Lightlock

I believe this product has been licensed to Total Solutions:

Total Solutions Group : Aluminium Truss, Stage Sets & Rigging Training

I imagine it will be a while before it is in production.

ST
 
Rigging Safety Warning....
Remember that big shows that use lots of movers aren't going to be using a counterweight system as the battens couldn't handle the weight. A typical mover weighs as much as 3 or 4 conventionals... in one tight space. Lot's of schools out there have one or two movers on a batten but you better consult a real rigger if you suddenly get a load of money and want to hang a dozen. Hanging too many movers on the same batten or too close together is a great way to bend (or break) your battens and many other dangers. This is why pro tours use truss which is both stronger for the load and won't sway when instruments move.
 
What do cruise ships do? Or can I ask that without breaking the rigging taboo?

Most cruise ships that have fly systems have them specially designed. The battens are fully tracked from the top of the fly loft to about 8 feet off the deck. This keeps the battens in position during their travel, yet allows you to manipulate them when they are all the way in for work.

Also, on the topic of MLs and moving battens, you have to consider that a batten that has 30 or more instruments on it including movers requires a lot of force to get it to move compared to an empty batten or a batten with only one ML. I don't usually have any sway issues on battens with ~30 fixtures including 4 MLs. If the MLs were doing a constant ballyhoo that might be another story, but most cue-to-cue repositioning doesn't induce much, if any, noticeable movement.
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back