Shared Neutrals on 8 circuit 12/14 multi-question

[variable]

Actually, 14/19 sounds very odd. Soca is a 19 pin connector, but the center pin, [HASHTAG]#19[/HASHTAG] is not used. The usual is to have 6 hots, 6 neutrals, and 2 grounds. That of course comes to 14 conductors, so the original 12/14 sounds more on the money. Still a six circuit cable. I would look very carefully at the jacket of the cable for either a breakdown number or a manufacturer and identifier number. If you find the later, google it and see if you can find out the real conductor number. It might be 19, but you need to know for sure. In any case, there is a very distinct layout for the pins on 6 circuit Soca cables, so it there is an 8 connector breakout and 8 circuits running through it, I would be very concerned. You would be asking for trouble if you happened to rent in some extra equipment in the future.

There are defintiely 8 circuits running through it. It's not all that uncommon. In San Francisco, where I've been doing theater and event lighting since 1996, 8ch 1.2k multi was always in stock in the shops I worked in or rented from, the only difference I recall is the weight of the cable. They all have a 19 pin connectors. I have found this wiring diagram in my searches confirming that there is at least a standard way of doing this that utilizes all 19 pins: http://freespace.virgin.net/tom.baldwin/pinout-19socapex.html

 

[WooferHound]

Eight circuits would be 16 wires. If there were 19 wires in the cable then there would only be 3 grounds.

 

[egilson1]

Our 8x multi is wired as the link variable posted. You do not bond the grounds so that a 8x cable can be used with 6x ins and outs if need be.

 

[derekleffew]

Our 8x multi is wired as the link variable posted. ...

(Temporarily setting aside the issue of non-standard-ness) Do you find the extra two circuits warrant the additional size, weight, and price of 19 conductor vs. 14 conductor multi-cable?

How do you "gang the grounds" on pins 17, 18, 19 inside the break-in s and break-out s? Do you have racks with 19pin-8ckt receptacle outputs? Six-way lamp bars with two extra outputs?

I first saw a Socapex 419 multi-cable in, I believe, 1987 at James Thomas Engineering in Knoxville, and this is the first time I've ever heard of other than 6 circuits (except when used as loudspeaker cable). How widespread is this practice really?

 

[variable]

(Temporarily setting aside the issue of non-standard-ness) Do you find the extra two circuits warrant the additional size, weight, and price of 19 conductor vs. 14 conductor multi-cable?

How do you "gang the grounds" on pins 17, 18, 19 inside the break-in s and break-out s? Do you have racks with 19pin-8ckt receptacle outputs? Six-way lamp bars with two extra outputs?

I first saw a Socapex 419 multi-cable in, I believe, 1987 at James Thomas Engineering in Knoxville, and this is the first time I've ever heard of other than 6 circuits (except when used as loudspeaker cable). How widespread is this practice really?

I can only speak for my personal experience, but in the 1990s I worked for Event Technologies, later DaVinci Fusion in San Francisco, and routinely stocked and rented 8x1.2k multi, and routinely used it for lighting. I was either a roadie or a glorified stock boy, so I never learned how multi was wired, but I know we had a shelf with thousands of feet of 8x1.2k on them and crates of 8-stage pin and 8 L6-20 fan-out/ins for them. The piece that I bought (from a rental house I will not name as I've suggested they mislabeled the cable when I am just as likely confused about what I thought I was buying-hence the title of the thread) has it as a standard item on their rental list online. When I called them up and asked for it because I had 5 750w instruments to power they didn't even blink, just pulled it up and gave me a quote.

I haven't had a chance to open the plug yet, but here's a pic I snapped of the connector:
The other side of the cable says, "Neptune Series."

Oh, I can't speak for egilson, but I find the extra 2 circuits are invaluable for small gigs. Since it's 14AWG the weight of the cable is actually lighter and infinitely easier to coil. It saves a few bucks too unless you're loading a ton of high capacity lights on each dimmer, but most of the small events I used to work involved a few LD-360s or other light dimmers so a low amp high circuit count cable simplified things a lot.

 

[derekleffew]

... I haven't had a chance to open the plug yet, but here's a pic I snapped of the connector:
The other side of the cable says, "Neptune Series."

Aha! Seems we ALL jumped to the wrong conclusion and assumed a Socapex (-compatible) connector. What you have are Amphenol Pyle National Star-Line/Neptune Connectors . I believe FM Productions in the Bay area popularized those in the 1980s.* They ARE NOT compatible/interchangeable with Socapex. Since the shop has addressed the sharing of neutrals, carry on.

*EDIT: I may be confusing 8-ckt with 9-ckt.: http://www.controlbooth.com/threads/nine-9-circuit-multi-cable.6075/#post-67001 .

 

[afreeradical]

Yes the pic of the Amp connector makes alot more sense
We use Amphenol for most of our multi wire low voltage control