MillburyAuditorium
Active Member
Well, our theater has two stair ways from the house to the stage. There are grates covering a metal box with a standard 100 watt Edison light bulb in them.
Well until last year I thought they were AC or something. Then I realized that we had two dimmers that I had no clue at all what they were wired too. So I take the plate off, oh, a light bulb. So I look around, and cant find any switches, then see at the bottom of the dimmer rack a small metal pipe goes into it from the stage. So, I wanted to get to the bottom of where these lights where wired to. So I get a crowbar and go to the access cover to the bottom of the stage. This is only an access way mind you. I look down scared..It looked like a crypt, dusty, no floor, concrete and dirt, so I go down with a flashlight, and look around, crawling on my stomach, I see newspapers, coffee cups, cans, and among other things the old staircase from when the stage was extended. Instead of taking out the old stairs they built on top of them. Was pretty cool to be down there. Wiring everywhere. So I crawl over to a box which assume is the box by the stairs, whilst talking to people on the house and them being "How did you get under there?!" The stage has a like..mesh front with wood beams every two inches. So I look at it, pretty simple, just three four wires connected to it. I follow the fourth wire to the other side to the other box, same thing. So I follow both wires back and they go into a pipe and up, right where it goes into the dimmer rack. So I check the connections, both live. Alright then, I replace both bulbs, go to the board and try one of the mystery dimmers, nothing, try the other one, and the stairs light up : ) Interesting.
Now still one more mystery dimer to hunt down. I am so confused what it does and really want to find the documents :/
Well until last year I thought they were AC or something. Then I realized that we had two dimmers that I had no clue at all what they were wired too. So I take the plate off, oh, a light bulb. So I look around, and cant find any switches, then see at the bottom of the dimmer rack a small metal pipe goes into it from the stage. So, I wanted to get to the bottom of where these lights where wired to. So I get a crowbar and go to the access cover to the bottom of the stage. This is only an access way mind you. I look down scared..It looked like a crypt, dusty, no floor, concrete and dirt, so I go down with a flashlight, and look around, crawling on my stomach, I see newspapers, coffee cups, cans, and among other things the old staircase from when the stage was extended. Instead of taking out the old stairs they built on top of them. Was pretty cool to be down there. Wiring everywhere. So I crawl over to a box which assume is the box by the stairs, whilst talking to people on the house and them being "How did you get under there?!" The stage has a like..mesh front with wood beams every two inches. So I look at it, pretty simple, just three four wires connected to it. I follow the fourth wire to the other side to the other box, same thing. So I follow both wires back and they go into a pipe and up, right where it goes into the dimmer rack. So I check the connections, both live. Alright then, I replace both bulbs, go to the board and try one of the mystery dimmers, nothing, try the other one, and the stairs light up : ) Interesting.
Now still one more mystery dimer to hunt down. I am so confused what it does and really want to find the documents :/
