I am currently trying to come up with an efficient way to bundle cables together for a show that tours in two facilities. We utilize both a house dimming system as well as two 24x2.4k external racks. Nothing permanent can be made for this show as the cables get used at other times throughout the year. For this show we use 2-3 FOH positions, 2-3 box booms, 5-6 electrics, 3 balcony rail positions, and 8 booms. The numbers vary between facilities. The external racks have to be positioned SL at one venue and SR at the other. We do have several lengths of multicable available to us. Does anyone have suggestions on how to create cable bundles that can be used for both locations?
Cable Bundling Suggestions
- Thread startertwmiller
- Start date
damjamkato
Member
Agreed. While gaff will work in a pinch, the sticky residue it can leave after a while is rather obnoxious to clean off.
techieman33
Well-Known Member
Friction tape gets gooey after a while too, I prefer e-tape. Since this is going to be a short run e-tape should come off the cleanest. And for the cables themselves, just have a near set, and a far set. You'll just have to adjust the patch for whichever venue your in.
JChenault
Well-Known Member
Can you define cable lacing for me?
themuzicman
Well-Known Member
As someone who has built bundles for several dozen tours, e-tape is the completely wrong answer. Friction tape not only is super low tack, leaving way less residue than electrical tape, but it also allows you to break the bundle a lot easier - you'll need scissors or a blade to cut off e-tape at the end of the tour, whereas you can break down the friction tape bundle with just your hands.
Plus, if you have rental cable the guys in the rental shop will HATE you for using e-tape or gaff, having worked in one large shop that only bundled with e-tape and one large rental shop that only bundles with fric, friction tape wins out. There is a reason it's the tape of choice for bundles on every major tour and theatrical install in NYC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cable_lacing
Though I don't know who in their right mind would cable lace a bundle that was specifically mentioned as being a temporary need.
jstandfast
Active Member
Just to join the kick line here, it's friction tape all the way. While it can get surface "tacky" it's always a cleaner leave than E tape. If the tack part bothers anybody; bundle with friction and do a one layer wrap of E tape( but then you're back to having to cut the bundle apart).
What I gathered from your first post is that basically, you can't. You said nothing can be permanent yet you are looking for permanent cable loom solution. IF transport between venues is a problem, well, thats nothing a few hampers/road cases/cable trunks/cable racks can't fix. Also, we on the Internet couldn't possibly know enough about both spaces to somehow suggest an ideal cable loom to you. So, build some muscle and run some mult
What do you think they do in the professional world? If the runs in each venue were standard, the lights at each position standard, and the location of power standard, then maybe a universal loom could be created. Again, it sounds like there are too many changes between shows and variables to be able to make a 'one size fits all' solution.
And friction tape is preferable and best for long term, e-tape is ok for a day or two, and I won't say no to zip ties.
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The easiest way to deal with this is to carry add'l 50' (or 75' or however long the battens are) multi-cable s to "backtrack" the multi so it drops off the same end of the pipe as the dimmers. In venues where the dimmers are on the "correct" side, the extensions stay in their box on the truck.
Yes it's more cable and labor, but much less frustrating than reversing all the break-out s and Patch, Types of (Lighting) that would otherwise be required.
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JD
Well-Known Member
Ah, there is a simple trick using electrical tape:
Wrap the cables with electrical tape that is backwards (sticky side out) then a wrap one or two times with friction tape, then a cover wrap of one loop of electrical tape. The cables are bundled, and there is nothing sticky on the inside or outside. When it comes time to take them apart, snip with scissors . No cleanup needed!
Wrap the cables with electrical tape that is backwards (sticky side out) then a wrap one or two times with friction tape, then a cover wrap of one loop of electrical tape. The cables are bundled, and there is nothing sticky on the inside or outside. When it comes time to take them apart, snip with scissors . No cleanup needed!
Jeez, that's a lot of work !.
I guess for really long term it works great, but for the OP, doing a short-ish tour, a couple wrap
Jeez, that's a lot of work !.
I guess for really long term it works great, but for the OP, doing a short-ish tour, a couple wraps of friction would do just fine I would think. And I've onlyu had issues with friction getting sticky when it's used outdoors. My inside stuff in a dry environment doesn't get sticky.
I had this conversation with one of my younger electricians a week ago as we were tie-ing up a bunch of data and power cables to a pipe, as to why not use tie-wrap ? (which she apparently has used on other gigs). Only "good" answer was the tie line is re-usable and is "green", where as tie-wrap is expensive. But for a one-off it made sense, zip it on, cut it off. Pass along the cost to the rental.
I guess for really long term it works great, but for the OP, doing a short-ish tour, a couple wrap
Jeez, that's a lot of work !.
I guess for really long term it works great, but for the OP, doing a short-ish tour, a couple wraps of friction would do just fine I would think. And I've onlyu had issues with friction getting sticky when it's used outdoors. My inside stuff in a dry environment doesn't get sticky.
I had this conversation with one of my younger electricians a week ago as we were tie-ing up a bunch of data and power cables to a pipe, as to why not use tie-wrap ? (which she apparently has used on other gigs). Only "good" answer was the tie line is re-usable and is "green", where as tie-wrap is expensive. But for a one-off it made sense, zip it on, cut it off. Pass along the cost to the rental.
techieman33
Well-Known Member
Zip ties on cables that need to be coiled would be a good was to piss off locals.
bishopthomas
Well-Known Member
Are we seriously suggesting ZIP TIES!? That might be the worst possible way to bundle cables that will EVER need to come apart. I use zip ties when I'm building rack panels or wiring snake heads, that's it. If you're using zip ties then please do not call me for your load out.
As for the OP: You're only in two locations? Are you only moving the rig once? If that's the case then it really doesn't make sense to create looms. If you're back and forth between venues then it might be handy, but only if you can use the loom exactly as it is. You'll spend more time trying to adapt it for each venue than you will just starting over. If you are going to be loading in to each venue several times then the only real way to make it simple would be to have two full sets of cabling. I know this sounds crazy, but it really shouldn't cost a ton of money to rent the cabling, after that all you need is truck space. Or you can put on your best smile when you ask the PM at each venue if you can leave the cabling either in place or in storage on site. It's in their best interest to oblige as it would cut down on setup time which means more time to drink coffee and watch ball games (at least, that's what most house hands around here are doing when I need something done).
As for the OP: You're only in two locations? Are you only moving the rig once? If that's the case then it really doesn't make sense to create looms. If you're back and forth between venues then it might be handy, but only if you can use the loom exactly as it is. You'll spend more time trying to adapt it for each venue than you will just starting over. If you are going to be loading in to each venue several times then the only real way to make it simple would be to have two full sets of cabling. I know this sounds crazy, but it really shouldn't cost a ton of money to rent the cabling, after that all you need is truck space. Or you can put on your best smile when you ask the PM at each venue if you can leave the cabling either in place or in storage on site. It's in their best interest to oblige as it would cut down on setup time which means more time to drink coffee and watch ball games (at least, that's what most house hands around here are doing when I need something done).
