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Author Topic: T Bar Wiring Project  (Read 15371 times)

Steven Leonard

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T Bar Wiring Project
« on: December 22, 2010, 03:18:12 PM »

Wanted to post these pics. Hopefully it helps someone!

I got really annoyed with the unprofessional look of my T bars with LEDS. All the DMX and power cables looked really bad crammed up there together, especially for weddings! I decided to take matters into my own hands and hopefully save some set up time by looming everything and cutting to custom lengths. This wasnt cheap but the end result is pretty nice.

Materials for each tree were:
4 Wattgate 320 IEC plugs
4 Hubbell Male
2 Hubbell Female
30 ft Polysleeve
25ft Green, White and Black electrical cable (separated)
Clark Wire DMX pro cable
Misc Neutrik 5 & 3 Pin Male and Female Connectors
50ft 14/3 SJOW Electrical Cable
Lots of Zip Ties!


Let me know your thoughts!

Thanks

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Sands Productions
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Orlando, Fl
The Leonard Brothers Band
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www.orlandomusicpros.com

Steven Leonard

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #1 on: December 22, 2010, 03:18:51 PM »

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Sands Productions
http://Sandsproductionsgroup.com
Orlando, Fl
The Leonard Brothers Band
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Steven Leonard

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #2 on: December 22, 2010, 03:19:24 PM »

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Sands Productions
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The Leonard Brothers Band
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Steven Leonard

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #3 on: December 22, 2010, 03:19:53 PM »

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Sands Productions
http://Sandsproductionsgroup.com
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The Leonard Brothers Band
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Steven Leonard

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #4 on: December 22, 2010, 03:23:27 PM »

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Sands Productions
http://Sandsproductionsgroup.com
Orlando, Fl
The Leonard Brothers Band
www.leonardbrothers.com
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Thomas Bishop

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #5 on: December 22, 2010, 04:54:14 PM »

I just got my LED pars in this week and will be creating T bars after the holidays, so thanks for the inspiration.  I am also planning on making custom cabling (I hate the look of "extra" cabling too).  I LOVE the expandable sleeving idea and will be stealing this idea directly from you.  Twisted Evil

Some questions:  What's the AC inlet on those fixtures?  I've never seen the back of those, it looks quite cumbersome with the "pack" on the back.  How did you handle the AC coupling?  Are the fixtures paired and spliced together (wire nuts, solder, etc?)  If so, I'm assuming that's why you have two Edison tails in your cable harness...  Why not just tie all 4 together at the T bar?  I am going to have to decide on my AC configuration.  On one hand I want the tails to be as short as possible and not necessarily have to use a quad box or similar.  Though, on the other hand, there will probably be times where I need to disassemble the T bar to use the LED's as uplighting or for individual placement.  I wish I could just buy more and not have to worry about it, but we all know how that goes...

Anyway, nice job, it looks very clean.  May all your brides be impressed!
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Steven Leonard

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #6 on: December 22, 2010, 05:09:06 PM »

Hey! Those fixture are Elation Opti Tri Pars. The AC inlet is lockable. However the Wattgate 320 IEC plug I used (Which isnt lockable) stays in fine. I used the wattgate cause I wanted a non molded IEC plug where I could tailor lengths. Another option is to just cut a lockable blue IEC cable to the length you want.

I made "TWOFERs" directly from the fixtures to a Hubbel Male. Each Hubbell male at the top powers 2 fixtures.

I guess technically I could have all put them into one plug however I was worried about them all fitting and the safety of such an odd thing. I thought might be better to just use two plugs to power 4 lights.

Love to see some pics of your project when you get to it!

Thanks!
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Sands Productions
http://Sandsproductionsgroup.com
Orlando, Fl
The Leonard Brothers Band
www.leonardbrothers.com
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John-Peterson

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #7 on: December 26, 2010, 08:30:13 PM »

I did almost the same thing with our Chauvet Tours.
The power-con in-outs made it easy to daisy chain everything and have 1 power-con and 2 xlr's for each tree.

I'm going to go back and loom it like yours. That's a very clean look.
If you have to take it apart, real velcro strips tie wrapped to the bar would help.

The only problem I've had is volunteer band mates who say "They're too heavy. I can't lift them up there!!"
I say, "Ok let's get rid of them and use 4-bars again. They were good enough right?"

John Peterson
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Jamin Lynch

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #8 on: December 28, 2010, 12:43:22 PM »

Nice job. Looks very clean. I would suggest using lock nuts instead of wing nuts. The wing nuts always get loose for me. I added some eye bolts. They come in handy for hanging.

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Rob Timmerman

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #9 on: December 28, 2010, 01:30:49 PM »

Jamin Lynch wrote on Tue, 28 December 2010 12:43

Nice job. Looks very clean. I would suggest using lock nuts instead of wing nuts. The wing nuts always get loose for me. I added some eye bolts. They come in handy for hanging.

index.php/fa/34437/0/



30+ pounds overhead on an eyebolt that does not appear to be rated for overhead use?  

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Jamin Lynch

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #10 on: December 28, 2010, 03:34:42 PM »

Rob Timmerman wrote on Tue, 28 December 2010 12:30

Jamin Lynch wrote on Tue, 28 December 2010 12:43

Nice job. Looks very clean. I would suggest using lock nuts instead of wing nuts. The wing nuts always get loose for me. I added some eye bolts. They come in handy for hanging.

index.php/fa/34437/0/



30+ pounds overhead on an eyebolt that does not appear to be rated for overhead use?  




Oh give me a break. The whole thing is less than 30lbs. That's only 15lbs per eye bolt, they're 3/8" by the way. I'm comfortable with it. I'm not flying a line array with them.

I would feel less safe with the wing nuts than my eye bolts.
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John Livings

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #11 on: December 28, 2010, 04:17:35 PM »

Hi Jamie,

Do you have an image of the end that gets plugged in?

Regards,  John
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Ray Cerwinski

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #12 on: December 28, 2010, 10:20:00 PM »

Rob Timmerman wrote on Tue, 28 December 2010 13:30

Jamin Lynch wrote on Tue, 28 December 2010 12:43

Nice job. Looks very clean. I would suggest using lock nuts instead of wing nuts. The wing nuts always get loose for me. I added some eye bolts. They come in handy for hanging.

index.php/fa/34437/0/



30+ pounds overhead on an eyebolt that does not appear to be rated for overhead use?  




i agree, i'd feel more comfortable with a forged eyebolt.
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Ray Cerwinski

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John Livings

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #13 on: December 29, 2010, 02:46:06 AM »

Below are some "Loads", Provided the bolt is "Rated".

When you order bolts the Company should list the items that are or are not Rated.

If they are not listed as rated, They probably are not rated.
A rated 3/8" eye bolt is good for 144# or 125# pound straight pull.

A "Forged" 3/8" eye bolt may be rated for 1000# or more, Or "Not Rated" at all.

2 X 144# pounds = 288# for a 30# light bar, Even if it is not Rated it will hold.
Of course nothing else is "Rated" on a do DIY project.

Putting together "Rated" parts does not make a finished project "Rated".

Having said to much, I would feel ok working under that rig, However
I am sure most designs could be improved upon, Even the "Rated" ones.

Regards,  John

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John Livings

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #14 on: December 29, 2010, 02:47:22 AM »

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Regards,  John
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Milt Hathaway

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #15 on: December 29, 2010, 06:38:28 AM »

John Livings wrote on Wed, 29 December 2010 01:46

Below are some "Loads", Provided the bolt is "Rated".

When you order bolts the Company should list the items that are or are not Rated.

If they are not listed as rated, They probably are not rated.
A rated 3/8" eye bolt is good for 144# or 125# pound straight pull.

A "Forged" 3/8" eye bolt may be rated for 1000# or more, Or "Not Rated" at all.

2 X 144# pounds = 288# for a 30# light bar, Even if it is not Rated it will hold.
Of course nothing else is "Rated" on a do DIY project.

Putting together "Rated" parts does not make a finished project "Rated".

Having said to much, I would feel ok working under that rig, However
I am sure most designs could be improved upon, Even the "Rated" ones.

Regards,  John


Thank you for the sane and informative response.
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Jamin Lynch

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #16 on: December 29, 2010, 09:47:59 AM »

John Livings wrote on Wed, 29 December 2010 01:46

Below are some "Loads", Provided the bolt is "Rated".

When you order bolts the Company should list the items that are or are not Rated.

If they are not listed as rated, They probably are not rated.
A rated 3/8" eye bolt is good for 144# or 125# pound straight pull.

A "Forged" 3/8" eye bolt may be rated for 1000# or more, Or "Not Rated" at all.

2 X 144# pounds = 288# for a 30# light bar, Even if it is not Rated it will hold.
Of course nothing else is "Rated" on a do DIY project.

Putting together "Rated" parts does not make a finished project "Rated".

Having said to much, I would feel ok working under that rig, However
I am sure most designs could be improved upon, Even the "Rated" ones.

Regards,  John

index.php/fa/34450/0/


Get real!! This is MORE than safe. It's a temporary hung light bar less than 30lbs total. You can throw out all the tech spec's you want, but I feel more than comfortable with it. I'll stand under it all day long. Find something else to try and pick apart. Like I said, I'm not flying a line array and there's no monkeys hanging from it. Yes, there is a time to use forged bolts...this isn't one of them. The bolts are rated way more than the light bar they are attched to. You're welcome to call out Ultimate Support on that.

According to your chart, I'm WELL within the load rating anyway.
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Thomas Bishop

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #17 on: December 29, 2010, 10:07:11 AM »

I am not too worried about the eyebolts either, as long as they are fastened properly.  I am curious, however, why you chose eyebolts instead of clamps.  What are you typically rigging from and what goes between the eyebolt and point?  Shackles and spansets?
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Jamin Lynch

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #18 on: December 29, 2010, 10:12:43 AM »

Thomas Bishop wrote on Wed, 29 December 2010 09:07

I am not too worried about the eyebolts either, as long as they are fastened properly.  I am curious, however, why you chose eyebolts instead of clamps.  What are you typically rigging from and what goes between the eyebolt and point?  Shackles and spansets?


This is just a small light setup used in small clubs where they are no lights on stage. Clamps are generally for truss. Eyebolts I can hang from just about anything.

Clamps=$$$
Eyebolts=Less $$$
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Thomas Bishop

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #19 on: December 30, 2010, 01:13:31 PM »

Yeah, I got ya, just curious as to what you're putting between the rigging point and the eyebolt.  Spansets?  Chain?  Pipe cleaners?  I'm not here to lecture you about safety, I honestly want to know what you typically run into and how you accommodate your rigging for it.
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Jamin Lynch

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #20 on: December 30, 2010, 01:48:43 PM »

Depends on what I'm hanging from...usually chain
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Rik Turner

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #21 on: January 12, 2011, 07:09:46 PM »

I'd be more worried about the Chinese .100 wall or thinner tubing failing before the wire eye bolts unraveling on them.


Nice job on them . Well worth the effort for corporate/wedding gigs.
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Scott Flaws

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Re: T Bar Wiring Project
« Reply #22 on: January 13, 2011, 09:32:15 PM »

Or what about safetys for the cans once they are up in the air? the bar might stay fine but the can now only has one bolt... just saying
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