DIY Mounting ETC Smartpack

[techyman2008]

Hello Everyone.
I have 2 ETC smartpacks that have been very inappropriately placed, on the wall in the booth, which is only about a foot or two from my head while running a show. anywho, I was just wondering without purchasing what would be the best way to mount these in another room. The theatre is very low budget and it needs to be done very cheap.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[DuckJordan]

My guess is you can't without spending at least $10k, Moving power, and other lines as well as running DMX line is very costly. Not to mention it needs to be done by a qualified electrician. I am not sure about your background but I'm guessing from your questions that your not too experienced in electrical installations.

 

[derekleffew]

Wall Mount, or Portable, SmartPacks?

With either, the mounting part is relatively easy and cheap; it's the moving of the wiring that's difficult and expensive. Consult a Licensed Electrician.

 

[techyman2008]

The are Smartpack Portables. I have a very limited Knowledge of Electrical Installations. I might be able to get the Circuits moved as "warranty" as they should have been put in the other room in the first place.

 

[Sony]

The are Smartpack Portables. I have a very limited Knowledge of Electrical Installations. I might be able to get the Circuits moved as "warranty" as they should have been put in the other room in the first place.

No, you wont, in order for the pack to have been placed where it is and have any semblance of a warranty it had to have been signed off by someone in the building with authority when it was installed. Therefore it was placed where is was supposed to go and where the installers were told to place it. The likelyhood of you being able to get it moved at no cost to yourself is virtually zero as the people who installed the dimmers in the first place most likely have legal documentation stating thats where it was supposed to be. It's going to cost you money and it's most likely going to cost you A LOT of money to have them moved to another room. You're going to need to hire a licensed electrician who is going to have to run conduit and also pull new cables for the feeder to feed the dimmers and for the load wires that go to the lights. DuckJordan's estimate is conservative at $10k, but it could very easily cost you double that much or more depending on the difficulty and complexity of the move plus the cost of not being able to produce shows for a week during which time the packs are being moved. Honestly your best bet would be to just deal with the packs being near your head, but if you insist on having them moved then your only option is to contact a licensed master electrician in your area.

 

[faroseman]

Leave the packs, move the booth.

 

[techyman2008]

Thats not really an option

 

[tayklor]

If they're portable SmartPacks, you should be able to mount the packs in a rack under the booth and run Stage-Pin extensions from where they terminate to the packs' new location. Same thing would go for the cam-lok feeder or whatever is feeding the packs. That way, you can move the packs away from your head without moving them across the building.

 

[derekleffew]

Hypothetically, what if the dimmer packs in question were these: http://www.etcconnect.com/docs/docs...able_with_Terminal_Output_SetupGuide_revB.pdf ?

 

[STEVETERRY]

Hypothetically, what if the dimmer packs in question were these: http://www.etcconnect.com/docs/docs...able_with_Terminal_Output_SetupGuide_revB.pdf ?

I'd like to point out that the variant you call out is UL Recognized, not UL Listed. The terminal strip Smartpack is designed as a recognized component for inclusion in a Listed rack built by an assembler or manufacturer that is subject to additional UL scrutiny, not for direct connection to building wiring by a contractor. Only Listed devices are suitable for installation by a contractor.

If that's the variant the OP has, sitting in a 19" rack, and it connects directly to building wiring, he or she has a different problem.

ST

 

[STEVETERRY]

If they're portable SmartPacks, you should be able to mount the packs in a rack under the booth and run Stage-Pin extensions from where they terminate to the packs' new location. Same thing would go for the cam-lok feeder or whatever is feeding the packs. That way, you can move the packs away from your head without moving them across the building.

Errr..not exactly. If there is a conector between the pack and the permanent building wiring, there will need to be an additional circuit breaker on every circuit, per NEC section 520.50. Connectors = portable. Portable needs an additional breaker contained in a Road Show Connection Panel.

ST