porkchop
Well-Known Member
So back in August my boss decided that a 1200W Clay Paky Alpha Wash pulls 1200/208 = ~6A, divided over two phases means ~3A per leg. We had some 30A 3Ø 277/480V connectors laying around so he had cables made with these connectors to run 4 lights using the female 30A as the beginning of a big ole' 4 fer. The way it was wired was (arbitrarily naming the phases) unit 1 and 2 powered by phases X and Y and units 3 and 4 powered by Y and Z. That should work right, no problem well under rating. Well the reality is these lights pull almost 10A per leg so that means that the draw is 20A on phase X, 40 on Phase Y, 20 on Phase Z, not to mention the angry neutral because of the unbalanced phases. So yah, not good.
Fast forward to now in February, the two 30A connectors haven't been unplugged since the cables where built, the cables are picked up and put down every week as one. The lights are on for between 20 and 60 hours a week, every week. Yah I'm pretty sure the only reason this worked for this long is the fact the connectors where fused together. Today (after load in and three shows this week) the 4 lights won't turn on, I go up and look at the connectors in question, when I find it impossible to take the connectors apart I know we're in trouble. I go and unplug the distro end, come back, and have to BEAT THE CONNECTORS AGAINST THE TRUSS to get them to come apart. These are the results, I would have taken a picture of the rest of the female connector but the rest of it turned into dust as soon as I got the connectors apart.
Fast forward to now in February, the two 30A connectors haven't been unplugged since the cables where built, the cables are picked up and put down every week as one. The lights are on for between 20 and 60 hours a week, every week. Yah I'm pretty sure the only reason this worked for this long is the fact the connectors where fused together. Today (after load in and three shows this week) the 4 lights won't turn on, I go up and look at the connectors in question, when I find it impossible to take the connectors apart I know we're in trouble. I go and unplug the distro end, come back, and have to BEAT THE CONNECTORS AGAINST THE TRUSS to get them to come apart. These are the results, I would have taken a picture of the rest of the female connector but the rest of it turned into dust as soon as I got the connectors apart.