I don't really understand what you mean by "
adapter" or why you would think one is needed. I have used the pin method to
drop standard
curtains using only the grommets that are installed, objects and
soft goods with
cord loops, solid items with holes drilled in them. The pin method is one of the two most common types of commercial
drop. The other is a clamp
release, which I have also used. The commercial version usually uses one clamp and actuator for each
release point. Most recently I used a shop built, clamp method for a full front curtain
drop much like the video you posted. The fabric was a 30' high x 50' wide, light weight Chiffon and had to fall on top of two performers. Obviously any thing hard or heavy like a
grommet was out of the question. For that I used two hogs-trough sections,
face to
face to form a double stem "T". The "T" was hinged at the top with heavy duty spring loaded hinges that pinched the two stems together. The full length of the lower
edge of each mating "T" was lined with 1" etha-foam rod, split down the middle, so the two rounded faces were pressed together. We roughed up with shiny surface with a little steel wool for "grab" and the fabric was pinched the entire 50' width between the etha-foam pieces. The actuator(s) were 4" x 1" stroke,
pancake cylinders spaced every 10' along the mechanism. The cylinders were attached to the outside
face of one side of the stem. The rods were placed to the inside and poked through a hole drilled in the stem so that when activated, they pushed the stems apart, looking a little like someone's arms and legs when doing a jumping
jack. The air was supplied by a small
portable tank mounted on the
batten and actuated by a
solenoid valve triggered by the SM. One of the advantages of this
system was that should the mechanism fail for any reason to
drop the fabric, a sharp tug at either end would pull the slick fabric out of the clamp and it would continue to fall, like a zipper all the way across. Not the
effect the director really wanted, but acceptable if necessary (never had a failure in three weeks of 8 performances each).
Each method has advantages. The Pin method can be the most economical as one actuator can operate many
release points. The drawback is the object must have a hole in it. Advantage is that the object can never fall prematurely. The clamp method Often (but not always) requires an actuator for each
release point. One advantage is the the clamp can work on any
flat surface. Disadvantage is the object can possibly fall prematurely.
One of the advantages of the pin method is that it "Always" works, not just "Almost Always". "Almost Always" is not acceptable.
