CD80 questions
- Thread starterjourneymanjohn
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TechnicalTheatreProf
Member
Hey everyone~
I am a new faculty member in a brand new fine arts center. We have a lot of new "toys" that came with our building. I am the only faculty member who seems excited about our new equipment, but I don't know how to use some of it, since I am a scenic designer by training. We have a fairly well thought out, well equipped lighting system. A set of CD80's came with our new system, but I don't know what they would be used for. We have sockets to plug them in all around our different venues, so I see where they could be used. They each have 6 60 amp stage pin outputs, but we don't seem to have any instruments that are set up for 60 amp. SOOOO.... I guess I am asking what can I plug into a 60 amp socket that would need to be on a dimmer. Sorry for hijacking the thread and rambling on.
I am a new faculty member in a brand new fine arts center. We have a lot of new "toys" that came with our building. I am the only faculty member who seems excited about our new equipment, but I don't know how to use some of it, since I am a scenic designer by training. We have a fairly well thought out, well equipped lighting system. A set of CD80's came with our new system, but I don't know what they would be used for. We have sockets to plug them in all around our different venues, so I see where they could be used. They each have 6 60 amp stage pin outputs, but we don't seem to have any instruments that are set up for 60 amp. SOOOO.... I guess I am asking what can I plug into a 60 amp socket that would need to be on a dimmer. Sorry for hijacking the thread and rambling on.
Besides 5000W Fresnels, 6K dimmers are often used for cyc lights and strip lights (X-Rays). However, plugging multiple 20A circuits into an 50A-breakered outlet is problematic, see What is it? #247.
Note that devices like below are not code-compliant and potentially dangerous:
60A Bates Stage Pin to (3) 20A Bates Stage Pin 5001105 - Mole-Richardson Electrical Distribution, Boxes, Cables, Plugs
(but commonly used in the TV/film industry).
A device like this:
PowerHOUSE Portable Distribution Boxes: 60 Amp Motion Picture Brick | Lex Products
provides 20A Branch Circuit Rated Breakers to protect the 20A wiring. I suspect it could be ordered with 20A-2P&G receptacles rather than Edison.
BrockTucker
Member
Besides 5000W Fresnels, 6K dimmers are often used for cyc lights and strip lights (X-Rays). However, plugging multiple 20A circuits into an 50A-breakered outlet is problematic, see What is it? #247.
Note that devices like below are not code-compliant and potentially dangerous:
60A Bates Stage Pin to (3) 20A Bates Stage Pin 5001105 - Mole-Richardson Electrical Distribution, Boxes, Cables, Plugs
(but commonly used in the TV/film industry).
A device like this:
PowerHOUSE Portable Distribution Boxes: 60 Amp Motion Picture Brick | Lex Products
provides 20A Branch Circuit Rated Breakers to protect the 20A wiring. I suspect it could be ordered with 20A-2P&G receptacles rather than Edison.
I just sold a batch of these that were laying around my theater with 2p&g so I can confirm that they exist with stage pin receptacles.
TechnicalTheatreProf
Member
A lighting company installed an entire system package; with color scrollers, vari-lights, and a whole bunch of other lighting fixtures. I understand why we have all of these things, the only equipment that we received that I had no idea what to do with were these CD80 portable dimmer packs. If they had been the 12 or 24 20amp packs, then I could see what they would be used for. I just don't see any equipment that came in their "package" that uses 60amp. We have cyc lights, striplights, fresnels; but they are all 20amp. I feel like I am missing something. Why would they put these specific dimmer packs into our "package" if we don't have anything that is 60amp? I guess I will just contact the lighting company. Thanks for the background, I feel more informed, so I will seem less like a dunce when I call them.
Nick
Nick
Were the dimmers "new" also, or just something the vendor had lying around and threw in? You might have some recourse with the vendor: 1) I think I've read that the CD80 was officially discontinued last summer, and 2) they've provided equipment than cannot be used (to code or otherwise) without additional equipment that they didn't provide. Trading the 6x6Ks for 12x2.4Ks would make a world of sense, from an end-user standpoint.
