Trixfer?

Maybe I am just not seeing the advantage of this. The picture isn't showing the difference.

First to answer the patent question. I build many items for our theatre, that are new and possibly unusual. I am a retired engineer from the CIA. I love being a part of the theatre. I don't perform, but enjoy seeing the audience pleased with some effect or device that I have built for our theatre. I serve as the Master Electrician and special effects person at the theatre. I am paid a small stipend for each show that I ME. Having a decent retirement, and not wanting to deal with self employment taxes, I use all of the monies, and more to buy equipment for the theatre. I ususally purchase used equipment off of ebay and rebuild it. I prefer stuff that needs some TLC. Hanging lights and focusing is not my thrill in life, but the challenge of bringing a lighting instrument, scroller or dimmer back to life after it has been discarded, and supplying a community theatre with items that it could never afford, now that gives me a rush. Also, I hate to fish and golf, and I would rather use my retirement time to give back to the community. I don't say this in anyway to request praise or applause. After a little exposure, I am now helping two local colleges, two community theatres and two high schools. Now having said that, I don't want to have to deal with any business procedures. I therefore don't sell or patent or market anything that I build for the theatre. If anything, I will only accept reimburement for materials spent. In many cases, I give it to the theatre that I am helping, if they can't afford it. A good example, would be last week when I fixed a hazer for a church that needed it for their Christmas program. They paid me with 12 gelstrings for Wybron coloram scrollers, that they had no need for. Just weeks before, I purchased 15 colorams and a power supply that were not working. I fixed 14 of the scrollers and the supply and they have been used for the last three days, for two Christmas concerts at the main theatre I volunteer at.

As for the adavantages of using a "Trixfer", or as mine are called at our theatre "the Johnson 2fer", When there is a instrument hanging directly below a drop connection on a batten and there is another instrument that is located some 20 feet away, and is to be 2fered to the first instrument, You plug the Trixfer into the batten connector, the first instrument into the back of that connector, and run the cable coming out of the trixfer to the second instrument. In this way, you are using one less set of male and female connectors and much less mess of coiled cable. When either of the instruments are not near the chosen circuit, I still use the standard 2fer and cables.
I have my trixfer style cables in many various lengths and try to use the shortest possible cable to keep the mess off of the batten. I really made most of my pieces when we did "Cats", because we need 72each, 2fers and didn't have the money for all of the connectors for the 2fers and the cables running from the 2fers to the instruments. Also during that that show, I installed quite a few permanent drops on the battens that were 2fered to existing connections at other locations on the batten.

Sorry for the long disertation. This is one of the reasons that I don't post much on CB, as I tend to get carried away in my explanations. My close friends say that if you ask me the time, that I will tell you how to build a clock.

Tom Johnson
Florida's Most Honored Community Theatre
 
I appreciate the ability to be long winded, I suffer from this myself at times. The problem is I am not seeing how it saves connectors. The pictures just aren't doing me any good. I guess I am being obtuse. :)
 
I appreciate the ability to be long winded, I suffer from this myself at times. The problem is I am not seeing how it saves connectors. The pictures just aren't doing me any good. I guess I am being obtuse. :)

If some of your cables are built with Trixfers, then with the scenario Tom describes, with a circuit hanging immediately adjacent to the light fixture, rather then adding a 2-fer to the hanging circuit, plugging the fixture to one of the 2-fer connectors and a cable to the other 2-fer connector, then running the cable down to the next unit using that circuit, the Trixfer/Cable assembly male plug functions as the 2 fer. The local fixture plugs to the receptacle on the Trixfer, with the cable run as normal. In a current setup with 2 fixtures on a single receptacle, you have 4 female 2P&Gs (1 local pigtail, 2 on the 2-Fer and one on the extension cable) and 3 male 2P&G's (2 fixtures, 1 extension cable), versus a Trixfer with 1 Trixfer male, [EDIT]: 3 females, 3 males.

Likewise, with Trixfer cables, coming off a multi, use normal cable for the first fun from multi to the first fixture, then Trixfger cables the rest of the way. The Trixfer male plug always gives you a receptacle for the local unit.

It's a very good idea in my opinion, and I await somebody selling this. I have a potential renovation of a black box where everything is moving to 2P&G in ceiling mounted raceways with dual receptacles per circuit. In place of XX amount of 2-fers getting purchased as new, as well as XX pieces of cable as new, I could see fewer 2-fers and cables, with Trixfers being spec'd as the male plug on XX pieces of cable.
 
Last edited:
I appreciate the ability to be long winded, I suffer from this myself at times. The problem is I am not seeing how it saves connectors. The pictures just aren't doing me any good. I guess I am being obtuse. :)

Basically, it is a twofer, it just only has one tail. The other is attached to the male connector where you plug it into the electric. It doesn't save connectors, just cables.
 
I "invented" the trixfer after being accosted by a local electrical inspector threatning to shut down my fancy black tie fund raiser saying I had plugs rated for one cable having two cables in it (standard twofer) ....he right it is a code violation....i didt'nt really like molded assemblies..so I started playing around with glue screws and connectors...the trix-fer was born....I approached rosco first who held me up for a year first saying they would make it then after the failure of the wall hugger chickened out....so i took it to bates who made the molds and away we went...the pictures that Bates had not only showed trusses in wrong positions but it wasn't very clear of what this device does...

1st Have you priced twofers lately? a complete trixfer sells for $25+1.00/ft (12/3sowa)
cheaper if you don't count your own labor to assemble them.

2Nd there are now 2 versions a double female great for connector strip tails (a twofer for $10 more than a single stage pin...works for breakouts as well) or male/female great on jumpers 10-25 ft our favorite most twofer applications require a jumper to reach the next fixture unless double hung. you can put them on a fixture directly and plug another directly into it (great for double hung torms) streaching a circuit over 4 fixtures on a pipe is a snap with 4 10' trixfers, cyc lights ...well you get the picture.

Bates pushed a 36" version but that to me is the least practicle twofering jumpers are the way to go....and it passes code!!!

Wow in inventing it! Since my post I did buy some. This for a show traveling to South America with some PAR Cans which needed series connection to power supply. Trixfer not just a twofer which I did buy more of once the show got back, and many in the shop think great for concept and needs, (but awaiting introduction to the inventory TBA.).
For the South American 240v need tour in twofering two 120v lamps, this was the most optimum adaptor one could have in perhaps not even thinking of it for that purpose. Very easy to add a twofer for 240v for two stage pin fixtures given it in making them in-line and series wired.

Anyway, still TBA in introduction to our own inventory, and I see how many in-line splice twofers get taped the heck out of to make shorter - this a very useful product that should have gotten "widget of the year." I have lots of them now and can do either PAR Can adaptors with them, or less taped twofers.

Only difference in concept is that I agree with your inspector - a plug is not to be an interconnection device. There is lots of molded spliced twofers on the market. Challenge with them is normally the smaller SJT versions fail at cord grip, and the SO versions are a bit bulky. This Marinco Trixfer version is made for SO cable which is fine in anything SO will last longer, but still doesn't reverse direction and or requres taping for some angles. That said, better in many or most instances.

Woodhead Connectivity (Electrical Mfr.) Molex - Welcome to Molex as sold by TMB or your local supplier are in my opinion the best molded twofer. The Marinco Trixfer is seperate and useful in also being SO and even useful as a Euro adaptor for cans. Both are useful, perhaps the Trixfer is more useful in some ways if touring around the world.

That's still given one is sufficient in wiring it as the end user and one isn't re-engineering it for what they think best. The base product is good but assumes 12/3 SOOW will be used, and those wiring it up are able to wire it with ability to do so. The Free Lancers on the above tour... somehow were not such types of people even if "professional technitions" in theory. What they did to these adaptors after a full tutorial an explination of how to do it (product drop shipped) was indeed not proper and scary.

Good stuff but not for amature hour to be using.
 
I could see these being really handy in a black box or theater with limited connections over the stage. I frequently find myself wanting to twofer lights, but the actual twofer cable is too dang bulky when the lights are right next to one connector. Sure there's a risk of some genius creating a three- or fourfer, but the same happens with the current setup.
 
I could see these being really handy in a black box or theater with limited connections over the stage. I frequently find myself wanting to twofer lights, but the actual twofer cable is too dang bulky when the lights are right next to one connector. Sure there's a risk of some genius creating a three- or fourfer, but the same happens with the current setup.

they can be daisy chained as well but code limits to 3 interconnects (if one follows code to the letter) I put up many circuits of 4 fixture washed (usually 500 w fresnels) acrooss a pipe with 10 ft trix-fers very neat.....

In permanent installations or fixed positions (like torms) I some times install a trixfer on one of the fixtures and plug it's mate into that...not all of us can afford dimmer per load scenarios

bw
 
Another thing that I have done with my "Home made Trixfers", is to run the hot lead out from the male to the female with a single 12 Ga wire formed in a small loop. That can then be used for clamping on a current meter and checking load amps. Have used this from time to time in determining the wattage of the lamp in an instrument.
We have quite a few fresnels of different sizes that use a medium prefocus base. We found quite a pile of lamps, in a closet, that are either BTN or BTR, but there is no labelling on the lamp. Using the above mentioned setup, I was able to label those lamps and I am just now using the last of those, after three years of supply.

Tom Johnson
 
Another thing that I have done with my "Home made Trixfers", is to run the hot lead out from the male to the female with a single 12 Ga wire formed in a small loop. That can then be used for clamping on a current meter and checking load amps. Have used this from time to time in determining the wattage of the lamp in an instrument.
We have quite a few fresnels of different sizes that use a medium prefocus base. We found quite a pile of lamps, in a closet, that are either BTN or BTR, but there is no labelling on the lamp. Using the above mentioned setup, I was able to label those lamps and I am just now using the last of those, after three years of supply.
Of course, there's a proper tool available for that:
The easiest, and possibly safest way to use your clamp on ammeter is to buy something like this. Sure, you spend a few extra bux, but in the end, your theatre probably already has edison to stage pin adapters. Then there is no need to construct your own electrical devices and no need for "creative" solutions to using your equipment. Did I mention it was safer?
AmProbFig8.jpg
 
Well, I actually used several Trixfer s today! First time I've ever encountered them in the wild. Male/Female style trixfer attached to 3' of cable with a female on the other end.

Overall impression? I like them! V style twofers might still be my personal favorite, but I like the trixfer more than the Y style. The trixfer allows for some very clean cable runs.

When it comes to Y style twofers, I have no problem with them when the lights being twofered are on the same side of the Y style twofer. It's when the lights are at opposite sides of the Y style twofer, and thus I have to split the legs of the Y in opposite directions, that I find the Y style most frustrating to get to play nice.


The Trixfer also has its own website now, with a personal story from the inventor, as well a Female/Female style advertised (cable mount threefer block anyone?)
Stagepin two-fer. The Trixfer is here!
(edit: I see this is the same website that avkid linked, except it is now trixfer.com)

Trixfer mounted on a Y style twofer, is it the best, or worst, of both worlds?
 
I and shop management also likes them though they are in stock and yet to see a real usage. Small bulk of them just waiting for a show, but we do like the concept of it and it's dual purposes possible. Love this thing, just have not used them yet though outhers will no doubt find the superior to a twofer and for the other purpose I list.
 
I built my own trixfers using old "Union connectors". I did this about two years before the trixfer was introduced. Cable lengths were determined by what ever cables were lying around at the time. I needed male stagepins for instruments, and the jumper with the female that was left over became the rest of the trixfer. As we had never seen the trixfer, we didn't use that name. we refered to them as the "special 2fer". They are our 2fer of choice, and we have about 30 of them in various lengths. There is never a show, of the 12 plus that we do a year, that we don't use quite a few. They really keep the cabling on the batten to a minimum.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back