Electricity inside set pieces

[Jon Majors]

Curious to know of any hacks on getting electricity into a set piece, specifically one that moves. We use all kinds of powered geyers, strip lights, fog machines, stage lights etc into our set, and this year our large pieces will move. Is there a hack with getting power to them or just the standard extension cord offstage/don't trip over it? I don't want to be missing out something all of the pros here know about

 

[jtweigandt]

I use computer battery backups. Usually ones that have aged out at the office. I open the case, Disconnect the battery, carefully identify the little cannister speaker and crush it to supress the alarm beep.
I have also used seperate deep cycle battery and inverter, but then you have to mess with disconnect and charging etc. The UPS has charger on board so recharge is just plug and play. It will run a fog machine for a short time you have to calculate your available Amp hours .. so there I leave it plugged in to warm up the fogger .. and unplug the UPS before the cart rolls on. We had Scrooges bed floating on a bed of cloud using this method and a couple of hidden crew to push it around. Have done roll on street lights and even a working fountain this way

 

[RonHebbard]

Curious to know of any hacks on getting electricity into a set piece, specifically one that moves. We use all kinds of powered geyesrs, strip lights, fog machines, stage lights etc in our sets, and this year our large pieces will move. Is there a hack with getting power to them or just the standard extension cord offstage/don't trip over it? I don't want to be missing out something all of the pros here know about

When you posted: "specifically one that moves" and "this year our large pieces will move", are you saying they'll move via automated tracks running left to right across the full width of your stage + well into both wings for storage when off stage?
If so, have you considered supplying multiple circuits in plastic drag chain moving 20 amp circuits across the full width of your stage terminating in multi-pole female connectors set ~1/4" below your finished deck so they don't trip performers if / when they're being ran from one side to the other with nothing visible above deck to warn performers of their movement?

For example: The musical "Tommy" had six full width tracks; two DS, two MS and two US.
Per design specs, we were to include six circuits in one of each pair and 12 circuits in its mate.
We had to design, fabricate, and have our custom connectors tested and approved by Germany's TUV. Once we had TUV's approval, London England accepted our multi-pole connectors without question, although they were somewhat caught off guard by our need to have connectors on each of their three phases. We actually put 12 twenty amp circuits in each tract to give them additional flexibility.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

 

[Amiers]

If the set is large another option is to have a crew member ride the back of it and plug your whip in from the back that is prestaged and pulled out to them by a second crew member. They sit and wait. Scene ends he/she unplugs and a second crew member pulls the tail back coiling it up as they pull. To be used and ready the next day.

Tips and tricks would be hi vis tape on the same side of each plugs to indicate proper connection

There isn’t really any magic to much of it. It is mostly hands, prep, and rehearsal.

 

[Van]

I've used quite a few Gel cell batteries and voltage inverters over the years. they work pretty well for low amp devices. just make sure, if you use multiple batteries, to connect them in parallel not series; 12v inverters don't like 24v input.

 

[macsound]

If the set is large another option is to have a crew member ride the back of it and plug your whip in from the back that is prestaged and pulled out to them by a second crew member. They sit and wait. Scene ends he/she unplugs and a second crew member pulls the tail back coiling it up as they pull. To be used and ready the next day.

Tips and tricks would be hi vis tape on the same side of each plugs to indicate proper connection

There isn’t really any magic to much of it. It is mostly hands, prep, and rehearsal.

I've done this in dozens of musicals and plays where there's a practical, under balcony lighting, fog, haze or whatever.
The trick is to make sure you have extra hands. Trying to get the crew who's moving the set to also plug in means the set piece will either be off-spike, slow to arrive, slow to depart, or the cable might get run over or forgotten.

 

[TimMc]

I've done this in dozens of musicals and plays where there's a practical, under balcony lighting, fog, haze or whatever.
The trick is to make sure you have extra hands. Trying to get the crew who's moving the set to also plug in means the set piece will either be off-spike, slow to arrive, slow to depart, or the cable might get run over or forgotten.

It means you need a deck electrician and not let the carpenters screw up the connection process.

 

[danTt]

Theres a lot of low voltage native lighting options these days as well. I'm not sure what you're looking to power, but between LEDs, track lighting, and marine equipment you might be able to find a 12 or 24 volt solution that doesn't involve inverters. Alternatively, whips running to scenic units are fairly common--just make sure stage management and carpentry are aware early on so they can keep the idea of an umbilical in mind as they plot other movements of people and objects.

 

[n1ist]

I have used the lithium-battery "portable AC outlet" such as www.amazon.com/dp/B082TMBYR6 as well.
/mike

 

[TimMc]

On a musical tour stop that either gave me the worst flu of my life, or Covid-19 in Feb 2020, they used lithium battery banks with pure sine wave inverters inside dummy piano shells to power the keyboard. The inverter ran continuously from sound check to end of show (about 4 hours). I think Props took care of the charging, I just removed them and the wireless transmitters from the piano shells after the show.

But for big moving pieces, whether automation or human-powered, it's mostly about having persons dedicated specifically to the task of connecting/verifying umbilical cables. On a show about green witches before Dorothy, one of my cues was to connect an umbilical to a set piece right before it moved downstage. I followed a half step behind the carpenter and made the connection as he set the dog into the track; he verified with the ASM and lights came up as we made our exit upstage of cast rushing on stage. My next cue was doing the disconnect when the piece returned up center, followed by a dry ice drop into the SL fogger. Why do shows with witches need so much fog? Inquiring mind....

 

[Crisp image]

Good Evening From Oz.
I use a combo of LiPo batteries and SLA 12v with or without inverters. Whatever works. I keep my inverters to a max of 600w output.
I use LiPo batteries because they are fast to charger and have a decent output. Mostly running LED strip lights via wireless DMX.
LiPo batteries can be charged between shows or if I have enough I charge a set at the end of the day.
I have used and umbilical once that had 5 connections to make which was quite difficult to do but it only had to be disconnected after the opening scene and then reconnected for the closing scene. We found it easier to have 2 people doing it one on each side of the connections sorting them out and when a matched pair was found it was a quick connect. They were numbered I think or had tape on them.
So many options. I even modified a 240vac LED fixture to run on 12vdc just by bypassing the switching power supply in the fixture. Easy to do and easy to reverse.

Regards

Geoff

 

[joe2you]

Curious to know of any hacks on getting electricity into a set piece, specifically one that moves. We use all kinds of powered geyers, strip lights, fog machines, stage lights etc into our set, and this year our large pieces will move. Is there a hack with getting power to them or just the standard extension cord offstage/don't trip over it? I don't want to be missing out something all of the pros here know about

I've used wheelchair batteries (gel cell) because they have TONs of staying power and smaller than a standard deep cycle marine battery and a simple 12v power interter. Just recharge overnight and she's good to go again.

 

[macsound]

I believe that the main reason we always used an umbilical connected to a dimmer was to ensure if there were practicals or any lighting that needed to dim, it was done simultaneously with all the other lights.
While you could absolutely use wireless DMX, at the time, running a single cable was easier for both the build and wire of the set as well as the execution.
Also, community theatre... It only needed to work for a few months and never tour.

 

[Crisp image]

I believe that the main reason we always used an umbilical connected to a dimmer was to ensure if there were practicals or any lighting that needed to dim, it was done simultaneously with all the other lights.
While you could absolutely use wireless DMX, at the time, running a single cable was easier for both the build and wire of the set as well as the execution.
Also, community theatre... It only needed to work for a few months and never tour.

Dimmers yes an umbilical but when I don't need mains power then I prefer battery power. Less things to trip on and manage in the darkness. Although things still go wrong with wireless dmx but it wouldn't be show business without little trials like that