A few years ago I worked on some c.1928 cyc lights - amongst a few others similar. Went to a grade school GymAtorium recently (mentioned before) with a few Wiremold strips with a few half working R-30 lamps mounted to the lamp sockets installed in it. Such a school would be glad for such advanced lighting as a few strip lights these days we normally turn down for any use and in lack of want for - gets trashed. This light type above stage wash earlier era crappy lighting in some kind of way, a better form of lighting than the half working R-30 lamps mounted to a Wiremold strip mounted to a badly rigged pipe say 24" on center and un-protected to accidental abuse. Literally just some R-30 lamps often some colors - just hanging off the Wiremold strips. Back in the 90's been to store front thaters presenting "modern art" with clip lights powered by zip cord that were safer.
Gym theater space I saw is the exact similar building design to one I read about today, only the school across the street from it didn't burn down... they still have kids being taught in it. This was a by far different concept in school design than I have seen and studied over the years.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...d1a0973e7b2_story.html?utm_term=.f559beb7d993
Kind of a shame work trashed most of our cyc lighting before I knew of this need, but mostly we were into the higher wattage RSC based cycs at that point anyway which wouldn't be of help even if I lampped them down. I grew up in a populated area where there was both grade school and junior highschool, here there isn’t sufficient population to have both. At my junior highschool, we had a full auditorium theater space with scene and other shops and full lighting system for it. There wasn’t a program for kids to do lighting in the early 80's but even in static focus, we had a full theater loading of lighting for presentations and cues.
I think most low budget/population schools in part don’t have staff with theater experience instructors in asking advice/fundraising/help and networking to advance their programs. Some schools as per the one I visited last month, have or can do budget to so something for lighting, but only something in settling with some modern "pop" element to showcase. Not about the quality, about the doing it as best possible to fulfill the want. (Hard for me to get over as per a designer in seeing what was sold, but than balance for budget, ability and wishes for just some control and quality picture to present if not great.) Not the greatest lighting package - or even “good” design in it, but the kids will be lit up.
Later a few weeks later I was at a school in the next town over. Pass by the closed mine for the next community in the first community in having a WalMart hub near them affording going LED lighting for modern stage. A fairly new annex to the school, with stage. Dual sided stage - one side gymatorium and the other side lunch room stage. Very interesting design. Not the grand stage I grew up with, and not efficient for either purpose... but new.
This next theater I visited was very similar to the building in the link. And had the wiremold outlet R-30 lighting. Note it was all white people in the gym class walked thru... but not a detail that matters in poor is poor and this school is just hoping for some new drapes for graduation cerimomies. Don't know what I'll come up with as per donation for lighting the ceremony.
Just thinking... the RSC based strip lights are based off original halogen lamp technology - and flawed in lamp base design. Such strip lights have a lower service life range given the screw lamp base type, and normally if used wouldn’t be a good thing to give for free to a program without a trained staff in replacement of them or needed in wattage. Screw based strip lights if wired properly and brought up to current specification on the other hand... using less wattage lamps per cell and once re-wired should last 20 or more years+ even with normal A-lamps.
Believe we are onto generation 3 now in A-type LED lamps, which should be sufficient in color rendering - assuming the school could afford a purchase of LED A-Lamps, or just use incandescent A-Lamps until they can save up for them. A shame Osram/Sylvania discontinued their 100w halogen A-Lamp - it was the best choice for strip lights.
I found the difference in most especially older strip lights and modern A-19 lamps to install in them is such strip lights need a lamp socket extender installed into the lamp socket to make them fit properly. A medium screw lamp socket extender if I remember correctly extends the E-26 lamp socket by 1.3/8". Makes a A-19 lamp work in a A-12 system. Also, it used in combination with a Mogul Screw male to Medium screw female lamp socket adaptor will allow a Mogul screw based fixture to become lamped down to a medium screw G400/SP lamped fixture without any changes. Lamp socket adaptors are also what I installed into the 1928 strip light to re-lamp it for A-19 halogen lamps.
So... if anyone has A-19 type strip based fixtures, be they R/PAR or A-Lamp based... they could become a great and useful thing in adapting with as times needed a lamp socket extender, if not the R/PAR for LED. Especially the A-21 lamp strip lights are with adaptors now very useful. These all for smaller stages say as above where they literally have nothing of useful or safe lighting.
Beyond that, past posts of small theaters or school still using radial Leko’s. Worked on one junior high school that was still using them, re-wired and surfaced all of their’s back to factory spec and better. Supplemental lighting to the axial lights I got donated.
Given the above use of the E-26 Medium Screw based lamp socket extenders for use on cyc lights. Is it possible that radial Leko’s might not need to be as dim and dark, or used for the amber gelled lights in supplemental at best for an inventory? Assuming the wide oval of most radial reflectors, such a lamp socket extender probably wouldn’t be a problem in light blockage were a lamp socket extender used on it.
This would also allow for the EGE series of incandescent lamps to become obsolete. They can all use the BTL/BTH lamps in standardizing a theater’s inventory more for lamp type.
Beyond that... why not if inventing a lamp socket extender... a P-28s to G-9.5HS adaptor? Not difficult to imagine in doing radial Leko’s lamped with HPL lamps also.
I have personally fabricated 2Kw and 5Kw - G-38 (Mogul Bi-Pin) adaptors to E-26 - A-19 lamps. Difficult but possible.
A single lamp per the inventory... a goal many opposing factors all like and dislike.
Gym theater space I saw is the exact similar building design to one I read about today, only the school across the street from it didn't burn down... they still have kids being taught in it. This was a by far different concept in school design than I have seen and studied over the years.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...d1a0973e7b2_story.html?utm_term=.f559beb7d993
Kind of a shame work trashed most of our cyc lighting before I knew of this need, but mostly we were into the higher wattage RSC based cycs at that point anyway which wouldn't be of help even if I lampped them down. I grew up in a populated area where there was both grade school and junior highschool, here there isn’t sufficient population to have both. At my junior highschool, we had a full auditorium theater space with scene and other shops and full lighting system for it. There wasn’t a program for kids to do lighting in the early 80's but even in static focus, we had a full theater loading of lighting for presentations and cues.
I think most low budget/population schools in part don’t have staff with theater experience instructors in asking advice/fundraising/help and networking to advance their programs. Some schools as per the one I visited last month, have or can do budget to so something for lighting, but only something in settling with some modern "pop" element to showcase. Not about the quality, about the doing it as best possible to fulfill the want. (Hard for me to get over as per a designer in seeing what was sold, but than balance for budget, ability and wishes for just some control and quality picture to present if not great.) Not the greatest lighting package - or even “good” design in it, but the kids will be lit up.
Later a few weeks later I was at a school in the next town over. Pass by the closed mine for the next community in the first community in having a WalMart hub near them affording going LED lighting for modern stage. A fairly new annex to the school, with stage. Dual sided stage - one side gymatorium and the other side lunch room stage. Very interesting design. Not the grand stage I grew up with, and not efficient for either purpose... but new.
This next theater I visited was very similar to the building in the link. And had the wiremold outlet R-30 lighting. Note it was all white people in the gym class walked thru... but not a detail that matters in poor is poor and this school is just hoping for some new drapes for graduation cerimomies. Don't know what I'll come up with as per donation for lighting the ceremony.
Just thinking... the RSC based strip lights are based off original halogen lamp technology - and flawed in lamp base design. Such strip lights have a lower service life range given the screw lamp base type, and normally if used wouldn’t be a good thing to give for free to a program without a trained staff in replacement of them or needed in wattage. Screw based strip lights if wired properly and brought up to current specification on the other hand... using less wattage lamps per cell and once re-wired should last 20 or more years+ even with normal A-lamps.
Believe we are onto generation 3 now in A-type LED lamps, which should be sufficient in color rendering - assuming the school could afford a purchase of LED A-Lamps, or just use incandescent A-Lamps until they can save up for them. A shame Osram/Sylvania discontinued their 100w halogen A-Lamp - it was the best choice for strip lights.
I found the difference in most especially older strip lights and modern A-19 lamps to install in them is such strip lights need a lamp socket extender installed into the lamp socket to make them fit properly. A medium screw lamp socket extender if I remember correctly extends the E-26 lamp socket by 1.3/8". Makes a A-19 lamp work in a A-12 system. Also, it used in combination with a Mogul Screw male to Medium screw female lamp socket adaptor will allow a Mogul screw based fixture to become lamped down to a medium screw G400/SP lamped fixture without any changes. Lamp socket adaptors are also what I installed into the 1928 strip light to re-lamp it for A-19 halogen lamps.
So... if anyone has A-19 type strip based fixtures, be they R/PAR or A-Lamp based... they could become a great and useful thing in adapting with as times needed a lamp socket extender, if not the R/PAR for LED. Especially the A-21 lamp strip lights are with adaptors now very useful. These all for smaller stages say as above where they literally have nothing of useful or safe lighting.
Beyond that, past posts of small theaters or school still using radial Leko’s. Worked on one junior high school that was still using them, re-wired and surfaced all of their’s back to factory spec and better. Supplemental lighting to the axial lights I got donated.
Given the above use of the E-26 Medium Screw based lamp socket extenders for use on cyc lights. Is it possible that radial Leko’s might not need to be as dim and dark, or used for the amber gelled lights in supplemental at best for an inventory? Assuming the wide oval of most radial reflectors, such a lamp socket extender probably wouldn’t be a problem in light blockage were a lamp socket extender used on it.
This would also allow for the EGE series of incandescent lamps to become obsolete. They can all use the BTL/BTH lamps in standardizing a theater’s inventory more for lamp type.
Beyond that... why not if inventing a lamp socket extender... a P-28s to G-9.5HS adaptor? Not difficult to imagine in doing radial Leko’s lamped with HPL lamps also.
I have personally fabricated 2Kw and 5Kw - G-38 (Mogul Bi-Pin) adaptors to E-26 - A-19 lamps. Difficult but possible.
A single lamp per the inventory... a goal many opposing factors all like and dislike.
