MPowers
Well-Known Member
Re: How popular are L5-20 type twist-loc connectors on the touring circuit these days
Used to be, there were only two players on the block, Twist Lock and 2P&G (well, 2P&G after we decided that grounding was a good thing. Before that there was a two prong twist lock as well as un grounded pin connectors). Schools tended to go with twist lock and professionals/rental houses went with pin. Edison plugs were not practical as most units were 750w with a fair number of 1000w, 1500w and 2000w units in use. Also, at the time dimming practice was toward fewer but bigger dimmers and massive patch bays. A LARGE system might have only 60 dimmers but they were 3K and 6K. IIRC there were some 7K and 10K units out there, but I never used them. With this type of dimmer use, 4, 6 or 8 lights 2-fer'ed to a single dimmer was standard practice. The point is, 15 amp Edison plug simply couldn't do the job.
With the development of the 575w lamp and better optics, today's units put out as much or more lumens than a lot of the old 1K or larger units. The 575w lamp with today's dimmer practice of DPC and most dimmers being only 1K or 2K, has made the Edison plug very practical in terms of electrical capacity and the universal availability.
FWIW, Our entire rental stock is Edison, not because we like them better but because that is what the majority of customers need/want. Those that have their own dimmers such as a lot of churches, DJs, small schools etc., all have Edison receptacles on the units. Another large segment of the rental business is customers that want to simply plug the unit directly into the wall such as exhibit displays, show room use, a lot of wedding receptions and proms etc.
We find that the Edison plugs wind up costing about 10 times the cost of the 2P&G because they have to be replaced more often. If everything we did was concerts for tour and such, we would use 2P&G for the reliability and robustness. We would stay away from twist-lock at all costs. One problem with twist lock is the tendency to rely on the locking mechanism, not only to keep the plug together, but to hold cable in place, often in a tension condition. I have seen on more than one occasion, a bare end of the cable, either from the instrument or from the feed, making it a live exposed wire if the dimmer is on, and the male/female plugs still together on the remaining cord. Correctly run 2P&G are either knotted or tied together, putting any strain on the cable rather than the plug strain relief or worse the lugs inside the plug. With pin connectors, if not tied and strain is placed on the connection, the plug simply comes apart, a good thing as the only problem is one light not on but no exposed wires or repairs to be done.
Bottom line, if your planned setup is to strictly use your dimmers with your lights, IMHO go with pin. If you are going to wind up with a lot of mix and match with other equipment, need to plug in direct without dimmers, etc. go with Edison. HTH.
Used to be, there were only two players on the block, Twist Lock and 2P&G (well, 2P&G after we decided that grounding was a good thing. Before that there was a two prong twist lock as well as un grounded pin connectors). Schools tended to go with twist lock and professionals/rental houses went with pin. Edison plugs were not practical as most units were 750w with a fair number of 1000w, 1500w and 2000w units in use. Also, at the time dimming practice was toward fewer but bigger dimmers and massive patch bays. A LARGE system might have only 60 dimmers but they were 3K and 6K. IIRC there were some 7K and 10K units out there, but I never used them. With this type of dimmer use, 4, 6 or 8 lights 2-fer'ed to a single dimmer was standard practice. The point is, 15 amp Edison plug simply couldn't do the job.
With the development of the 575w lamp and better optics, today's units put out as much or more lumens than a lot of the old 1K or larger units. The 575w lamp with today's dimmer practice of DPC and most dimmers being only 1K or 2K, has made the Edison plug very practical in terms of electrical capacity and the universal availability.
FWIW, Our entire rental stock is Edison, not because we like them better but because that is what the majority of customers need/want. Those that have their own dimmers such as a lot of churches, DJs, small schools etc., all have Edison receptacles on the units. Another large segment of the rental business is customers that want to simply plug the unit directly into the wall such as exhibit displays, show room use, a lot of wedding receptions and proms etc.
We find that the Edison plugs wind up costing about 10 times the cost of the 2P&G because they have to be replaced more often. If everything we did was concerts for tour and such, we would use 2P&G for the reliability and robustness. We would stay away from twist-lock at all costs. One problem with twist lock is the tendency to rely on the locking mechanism, not only to keep the plug together, but to hold cable in place, often in a tension condition. I have seen on more than one occasion, a bare end of the cable, either from the instrument or from the feed, making it a live exposed wire if the dimmer is on, and the male/female plugs still together on the remaining cord. Correctly run 2P&G are either knotted or tied together, putting any strain on the cable rather than the plug strain relief or worse the lugs inside the plug. With pin connectors, if not tied and strain is placed on the connection, the plug simply comes apart, a good thing as the only problem is one light not on but no exposed wires or repairs to be done.
Bottom line, if your planned setup is to strictly use your dimmers with your lights, IMHO go with pin. If you are going to wind up with a lot of mix and match with other equipment, need to plug in direct without dimmers, etc. go with Edison. HTH.
