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Author Topic: Moving rigging for fixtures?  (Read 5277 times)

Mark Cadwallader

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Re: Moving rigging for fixtures?
« Reply #10 on: June 03, 2018, 04:12:54 PM »

Thanks Michael.  The reason I ask hinges on the questions that Mark brings up.  While TAIT is one of the industry leaders in what they do, you're going to pay a professional price for it.  While that might not scare you if you're producing large shows in stadiums and arenas, they and the others mentioned above will almost certainty be beyond what your able to spend.

Which light fixtures are in question?  The logistics behind lifting a 100 pound moving head up and down are a lot different than some of those DMX-controlled pendant sculptures.  Along the lines of COTS solutions, I've seen a few DMX winches and elevators from time to time.  Keep in mind that DMX is generally considered unacceptable for primary control of anything life safety related. 

That last bit gets into another consideration.  Seeing as you're essentially cooking this as you go (nothing wrong with that), what's your experience with overhead rigging and how that applies to life safety situations?  Much will depend on what you're actually flying, but if it's anything more than a few pendants you need to think very carefully about how all this will be suspended and controlled, especially if it'll be over anyone's head.  If this is all new to you, you might want to consider truss totems with an elevator (scissor lift or similar) on the top.  That at least simplifies the rigging part substantially.  Good luck!

Jeff, if I read the OP correctly, I think he is using the term "rigging" in a different sense than most theater and entertainment folks usually do. I don't think he wants overhead suspension; I think it is more of an extending platform (think old-school auto mechanics shop hoist).  Something like a telescoping totem or such. That's what made me think of a materials lift. But maybe I don't yet understand the vision.

I completely agree with you that whatever he does needs to be well designed and built with adequate safe working load limits to protect life safety.
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Len Zenith Jr

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Re: Moving rigging for fixtures?
« Reply #11 on: June 03, 2018, 04:50:45 PM »

Maybe something like this would work : http://wahlberg.dk/shop/lifting-columns/lifting-column/
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Don T. Williams

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Re: Moving rigging for fixtures?
« Reply #12 on: June 04, 2018, 10:58:06 AM »

Not know exactly what kind of weight and how far it's being lifted, you might look at a video monitor/TV screen lifts or a projector lift.  Some of these also will "drop" from a ceiling and lift back up, but the range of motion isn't very large.  Commercial hydraulic cylinders and systems are a possibility but will be noisy.
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James Feenstra

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Re: Moving rigging for fixtures?
« Reply #13 on: June 05, 2018, 02:28:32 AM »

Maybe something like this would work : http://wahlberg.dk/shop/lifting-columns/lifting-column/
those are actually pretty awesome

Any idea on what the pricing is like?
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Len Zenith Jr

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Re: Moving rigging for fixtures?
« Reply #14 on: June 05, 2018, 02:50:19 AM »

those are actually pretty awesome

Any idea on what the pricing is like?

€1.050,00 on that site, I've seen them around $1800 usd on others.
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John Fruits

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Re: Moving rigging for fixtures?
« Reply #15 on: June 05, 2018, 03:02:30 AM »

Rosebrand is the US distributor and $1800 is their price. 
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James Feenstra

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Re: Moving rigging for fixtures?
« Reply #16 on: June 05, 2018, 10:31:41 AM »

€1.050,00 on that site, I've seen them around $1800 usd on others.
that's actually way more reasonable than I thought they'd be!
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Len Zenith Jr

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Re: Moving rigging for fixtures?
« Reply #17 on: June 05, 2018, 10:45:31 AM »

Then there are these units : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHGU7B21jrE , although they seem to only work hung from a truss but have a longer range of motion.
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Michael Dench

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Re: Moving rigging for fixtures?
« Reply #18 on: June 06, 2018, 12:22:21 AM »

So sorry for the tardy reply!

Thank you so much everyone! I’m really enjoying going through all your recommendations, and considering all the different products you’ve posted links to. Some really great solutions out there.
Let me take a few moments to answer all your clarifiying questions, as I have definitely used some of the wrong terminology and have been too vague with some details (sorry)!

First of all, let me bring clarification to a detail that Jeff and Mark brought up... I definitely used the word rigging very incorrectly! Sorry.

My intention is to use these lifting units from the STAGE, on the ground. I am NOT intending to rig these devices from rigging from the ceiling or on truss or overhead supports.
Thw word rigging really should have been replaced with something else more appropriate.
Should I change the title of this topic, to clear up some ambiguity?

Mark, answers to your questions:

- Weight to move: the fixtures I’m planning to use will all be small, maximum of 10-15 kgs (22-33 pounds), usually lighter than that. Picture fixtures similar in size and weight to something like a Chauvet Intimidator Spot 255 IRC.
- Vertical travel desired: anything like 1 mitre/3.3 feet (or more) vertical travel would suit me fine. I’d say, minimum 1 metre/3.3 feet.
- Speed of raising and lowering: as this is a first endeavour, I wouldn’t be fussy about speed. If the lifting mechanisms have a set speed (slow or fast), I can happily work with that.
- Noise while moving - ideally, I’d like the units to be quiet while in motion, but most of their movement will be accompanied by sound/music, so an operational noise can be masked.
- Continuous adjustment/fixed increments - I want to be able to continuously adjust the units’ height and movement as the performances play out. I’d like to be able to control the units so that they can be stopped at different heights at different times.
- Precision of asjustments - I can’t be sure of the minimum increments of measurement that I want the adjustments to be capable of (maybe half inches?), my main priority is to have the adjustments in height to be smooth and seamless. As if the fixtures were floating beams of light.

And no, I DEFINITELY couldn’t afford those Genie material lifts, unfortunately! But thanks so much for the recommendation, Mark. :)

Sorry if my ever-stringent requirements and minimal budget are frustrations in this line of enquiry, everyone!
Maybe it might be a better idea to just suggest some sites and/or search terms that I should try.

Len and Don, thank you for the link and the suggestions on product types to look into! Much appreciated. Unfortunately, I don’t think I could afford nultiple units of the Wahlberg units. But I’ll keep my eye out for them. And I’ll check out some screen/video monitor lift products, just in case the perfect solution pops up!


Thanks for all your help so far, everyone. :)

Michael

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Michael Dench

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Re: Moving rigging for fixtures?
« Reply #19 on: June 06, 2018, 12:27:31 AM »

One more quick detail I forgot to include...

Jeff mentioned that DMX is not necessarily the appropriate control language for this kind of task.
I am totally open to incorporating whichever control language I’d need to use in this situation! I’ll be using computers for control during the performances, but happy to look into control via hardware (maybe slaved to a computer, or however it would work) as well.
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Re: Moving rigging for fixtures?
« Reply #19 on: June 06, 2018, 12:27:31 AM »


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