Lighting cable hanging best practices

[Doug Lowthian]

Ok, so this may sound like a silly question but I'm trying to bring what I think looks like a half ass light system hang and clean it up and organize it.

Is there a preferred method for running, securing and organizing light wiring on a bar over head of the stage. Lights in question here are a series of 60 pars, 20 per bar, 3 rows of bar, daisy chained power and DMX with splitters and wireless show control recievers.

Looks like a bowl of spagetti now and I can't make sense of which cable goes where, cables are restricting focus due to poor routing, slack in cable is drooping here and there- looks like a mess.

Should i just go with what looks neat and organized or is there a "Pro Tip" on how they should be run.

Thanks from someone who is rapidlearning from this forum how to do things well!

 

[Footer]

Plug should end up at the clamp, every connection should be labeled with circuit or dimmer number at every break. Plenty of tie line. Some people will tie loops off to the pipe, some will run extra cable up and down the pipe till it goes away, some bundle it...

Whatever works for you there. Big thing though is the plug of the fixture should be terminated as close to the clamp of that fixture as possible.

 

[Doug Lowthian]

Well there is none of that in this hang, I can tell you.

Clarify for me what you mean by "plug of the fixture should be terminated as close to the clamp of that fixture as possible."? Thanks..

 

[josh88]

The fixture's plug should connecting to whatever cable plugs it in as close to the clamp as you can get it so that you've got the ability to swing it wherever you want when focusing or refocusing.

If the cable connection is 6 inches or a foot away and you've got the plug stretched to its limit to reach it you won't be able to swing that end around to face the other way.

 

[Footer]

The fixture's plug should connecting to whatever cable plugs it in as close to the clamp as you can get it so that you've got the ability to swing it wherever you want when focusing or refocusing.

If the cable connection is 6 inches or a foot away and you've got the plug stretched to its limit to reach it you won't be able to swing that end around to face the other way.

Otherwise known as focus slack. If you are using LED pars same rule applies, you should have the DMX cables both coming and going tied off near the clamp and enough slack to rote the fixture 180 and tilt 180.

 

[Doug Lowthian]

Got it. Makes sense now. Got a lot of work to do re-routing cable to clear up this mess. Thanks for the advice

 

[RonHebbard]

Well there is none of that in this hang, I can tell you.

Clarify for me what you mean by "plug of the fixture should be terminated as close to the clamp of that fixture as possible."? Thanks..

In the old days of fixtures using replaceable incandescent lamps, having the connectors immediately next to the C clamp made it easy to tell you were unplugging the correct fixture when you were swapping a burnt out lamp. Especially comforting when the lamp's globe breaks away and you're left attempting to safely remove the lamp base from the socket without electrocuting yourself or receiving arc flash.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

 

[Footer]

In the old days of fixtures using replaceable incandescent lamps, having the connectors immediately next to the C clamp made it easy to tell you were unplugging the correct fixture when you were swapping a burnt out lamp. Especially comforting when the lamp's globe breaks away and you're left attempting to safely remove the lamp base from the socket without electrocuting yourself or receiving arc flash.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

Old days???

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[SteveB]

My $.02

- NEVER tie off the instrument lamp/power/DMX cable so as to prevent some re-location of the fixture as needed during focus and as others have stated, provide so you can rotate 180 deg. or better. As well, don't tie off an incandescent fixture "whip" (the 18" or so cable from the unit with the male plug on it). This allows a lamp cap swap out if the socket goes bad.

- In general, any spare power feed cable length wants to be coiled near the unit. Spare cable does you no good at the cable plug/circuit/dimmer outlet.

- Your call to use reusable black tie-line to tie up all cable, or zip-tie. I recently started doing my mover pipe with zip ties as it stays up a while. If the power and data needs to come off, it ALL comes down and a pair of wire cutters strips the pipe a lot faster then undoing tie-line with clove hitches. It's pricier but is fast both going up and striking. I buy the cheap 14" zip tie at Harbor Freight. For one-off cable I use tie-line.

- Your call as well to label all connectors with address number. I don't ever for one-off's or a month run on overhead electrics, but will label all cable on deck or on deck circuits with 2" white gaff tape and a Sharpie.

 

[RonHebbard]

Old days???

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Hey! I'm just an old guy trying to keep up with the new trendy kids.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

 

[MarshallPope]

tie-line with clove hitches.

Any specific reason you use clove hitches? I usually use them for anything that drops from the pipe or a double clove for pick lines, but I stick with shoelace bows for tying cable directly to a batten.

 

[darinlwebb]

Any specific reason you use clove hitches? I usually use them for anything that drops from the pipe or a double clove for pick lines, but I stick with shoelace bows for tying cable directly to a batten.

Same here, all of our soft goods are hung like this too. It's a cinch to go down the line and undo them, and since learning Ian's Knot, tying them takes no time at all. I have yet to discover loose or untied knots, but would be interested in hearing contradictory opinions.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Ahhhh now heres an argument we haven't touched in a long while. Why do some people prefer clove hitches for tying up cable? It takes longer on the I and longer on the out. Must be a Union thing. ;-)


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[SteveB]

Any specific reason you use clove hitches? I usually use them for anything that drops from the pipe or a double clove for pick lines, but I stick with shoelace bows for tying cable directly to a batten.

Old habit. I actually prefer twice around and a shoe-lace bow, but can't monitor all the crew all the time, plus some of my old dogs don't like being "corrected" on what they know is right.

I will however, do cloves on any cables running off the pipe ends as I really dont want anything slipping there.

 

[MarshallPope]

Fair. I've never thought about using a clove to secure the end of the pipe. I might give that a try. I usually just make sure the last bow is secure and then loop the cable under itself and around the end of the batten and pull that taut.

 

[SteveB]

Fair. I've never thought about using a clove to secure the end of the pipe. I might give that a try. I usually just make sure the last bow is secure and then loop the cable under itself and around the end of the batten and pull that taut.

That's like putting a kink in a hose, you get fewer electrons at the lamps and they look dimmer.

 

[Chris15]

That's like putting a kink in a hose, you get fewer electrons at the lamps and they look dimmer.

But if there's less electrons, it must also be safer - less to zap you with?

 

[JonCarter]

R i i i i i ght! (And that should be "fewer" electrons, Chris15.)

 

[Ric]

Why do you guys tie things at all? It's standard here in Oz to use electrical tape to secure cables to the bar.

 

[derekleffew]

Why do you guys tie things at all? It's standard here in Oz to use electrical tape to secure cables to the bar.

Please let's not litigate this again. https://www.controlbooth.com/threads/dressing-cable.6564/