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electrical necessities to start with....


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I've read some threads and pieced together some info but looking for some advice on what essential electrical gear one should have (need)as they are starting their PA venture.

 

Let's:

 

1. limit to smaller size venues-bars,halls,etc..

2. limit to PA only...no lights right now

3. looking to power backline-FOH-power amps on stage

3. not get into code vs. code arguements

 

looking for basic stuff that would be good to start gathering & have in the arsenal

 

some things I've been told to get:

 

100' 12/3 BLACK ext. cords

50' 12/3 BLACK ext cords

25' 12/3 BLACK ext cords

50 ' 12/3 powerblock ext cords for FOH (mains over subs)

plug-in circuit tester

 

 

looking for items that will make powering everything simpler too...maybe quad boxes? tails in/out? set-ups that work??whatever you think...

 

sorry if this thread is MR OBVIOUS to you but you've all given me great advice in the past and I just don't want to start purchasing items I won't need or items I do need that I may not know even exist.

 

thanks...as always!!

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Just when you say 'black', get something with a 'S' clasification. SO seems to be the most common for sound, I think?

 

SJ is a bit light duty.

 

I have some SJTOW, it is a bitch to work with, almost has a memory.

 

Quad boxes are always good, as power bars are often frowned upon.

 

If you can afford it, i'd go with 10/3 for the 100' er.

 

Would also add a decent digital multi meter to your list. (some even measure sound db, they come in handy for other purposes. :thu: )

 

I've also found some 20a to 15a adaptor cables to come in handy.

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In my expirience SJ is decent enough for anything thats not touring. Might not be to code, but I put faith in it.

 

25' 12/3 SJ w/ 20 amp receptacles in quad boxes+1' tail with receptacle. hopefully you coat the metal with flat black spray paint. make sure you use good cable glands.

 

I would have 3-4 of those for the smallest venture, for stage power and splitting to racks.

 

all racks would preferably have some sort of distro in them, although in an amp rack with 2 small amps this probablly isnt worth it.

 

plus as many 12/3 SJ w/ 20 amp receptacle extension cords as you think you will need.

 

basically draw out what you system is going to look like setup, count how many extension cords you will need and thier lengths, and then add a couple just in case a problem arises.

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Originally posted by milesdf

In my expirience SJ is decent enough for anything thats not touring. Might not be to code, but I put faith in it.

 

 

 

Just know with certainty that Code requires extra hard usage cord on stage. SJ does not qualify.

 

90% of the time you will not get hassled. But if you do get shut down, don't complain.

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What I'd recommend:

 

Enough 10/3 SO for each 15 or 20 amp circuit you'll use, with a 20a Edison plug and a quad that consists of wet-location boxes with the unused holes sealed, 20a Edison receps (Code does not allow 15a receps on a 20a circuit for stage use [520.9] (Table 210.21(B)(2) shall not apply)), and a separate 10/3 SO adapter cord with 20a female to 15a male Edison. Use "unbreakable" nylon outlet covers. Note that you might have a bitch of a time finding plugs that will accept this size cable.

 

Make up another few or several quads on shorter 12/3 cords..maybe 15-25 feet.

 

Essentially for a small club setup, you can use one cord/quad for the backline, one for each amp rack depending on number and size of amps, and one for FOH. For really tight squeezes, just two can certainly be used....one for amps, one for FOH and backline.

 

This is a hard thing to plan...since it's impossible to foresee the electrical nightmares that will present themselves at new venues. You'll eventually have a lot more cable than you need for everything but that one gig. But it's always better to have one more cord than you need, sitting in the trunk, than one less.

 

Avoid the temptation to go cheap here...get what is right and wire it properly or have someone qualified wire it for you or inspect your work.

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I do not believe that PowerCon couplers are UL listed due to lack of bonding of the aluminum shell.

 

Look up the definition of stage and you will find thatthere are different definitions depending on the type of facility.

 

In general, stage means a legitimate stage with the ability to fly scenery. This is an important distinction as it also dictates other big fire code issues.

 

SO is required for use on legitimate stages, for stage lighting use, for unprotected general stage power use etc.

 

There are some exemptions for protected use, places where there is no traffic and where nothing is likely to fall on or pinch the wire. This would include for example the AC run out to FOH where the path is protected (in a chase or tunnel).

 

Still, SO is a better choice unless you are prepared to challanghe the authority having jurisdiction... and know that they can demand you use SDO and then you are stuck since they ARE the AHJ and tough luck.

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Where do you purchase all these heavy duty SO cables, especially the ones with quad boxes attached? My old boss's father was an electrician, so they were all custom made. Do you guys all make these yourselves?

 

What's the most common hook-up in small to medium venues?

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Originally posted by laidback

What about SJEOW and SEOW? It's supposedly a tougher construction ( my electrician referred to it as "mining" cable?)

 

 

The J version is junior, or hard-service, and the other is extra-hard-service. The presence or lack of the "J" is the difference in insulation value that determines if it's okay for stage or not.

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Originally posted by Ryan Yorck

Where do you purchase all these heavy duty SO cables, especially the ones with quad boxes attached? My old boss's father was an electrician, so they were all custom made. Do you guys all make these yourselves?


What's the most common hook-up in small to medium venues?

 

 

Any good electrical supply should stock it. Lowe's and Home Depot do as well, you just have to look harder or ask, since especially lately with copper going crazy they don't label it on their pricing board. It's typically either per-foot or in 100 and 250 foot rolls.

 

The quads have to be built onto the cable.

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Is there a wiring schematic that one could follow to build them (quad boxes)...I am not electrically inclined (though I am chemically inclined) but i can follow directions and probably make them myself??? If not any sites to purchase them?? or anyone lookin to make a few bucks??

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well its pretty straightfoward, green to the ground lug, white to the white screw, black to the black screw. then jump white and black to the second outlet and then all three to any tail on the other end. wrestle with it all to make sure it will fit in the box without putting too much stress on any of the connections and your good to go.

 

but im always looking to make an extra buck. you want me to do it, ill buy the components and assemble them and meet you in a parking lot halfway. no idea what kind of price theres gonna be though. it usally takes me about an hour to build one to the point that im happy (I like shrink tubing everything cord mounted, and use crimp connectors on all the receptacles), and shopping could take a while. also ive always done it the SJ way, looking for parts (cord grips and cord receptacles and plugs) to fit SO could be a bitch.

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everyone is referring to an edison plug...I've seen several examples from a common household three prong to the large round connectors some with standard prong set-up , others with different configurations...wasn't sure which ones your referring to??

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Originally posted by rxnet

everyone is referring to an edison plug...I've seen several examples from a common household three prong to the large round connectors some with standard prong set-up , others with different configurations...wasn't sure which ones your referring to??

 

 

Common household plug is the "Edison plug". Basically anything that has that straight-blade configuration.

 

The big round ones that twist to lock are known as "twist lock" and are used for higher current applications - the Edison plug is only good for 15 amps, and the "air conditioner" types of Edison plug with the sideways blades are avoided because they don't lock.

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wait, so the ground should be jumped to both receptacles as well as the box? I thought the receptacles did a well enough job connecting ground to the box?

 

if not I need to track down more quad boxes then i care to think about.

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The box needs to be bonded to the ground. Some authorities accept the new style grounding screws with the faceplate attachment to the ears backed up with locking nuts rather than just the center screw, but really none of this is recognized (correctly anyway) for portable use.

 

There's a lot of gray area stuff here.

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Originally posted by agedhorse

The box needs to be bonded to the ground. Some authorities accept the new style grounding screws with the faceplate attachment to the ears backed up with locking nuts rather than just the center screw, but really none of this is recognized (correctly anyway) for portable use.


There's a lot of gray area stuff here.

 

 

Sure is. There's also some disparity between US and Canadian accepted or preferred methods. US seems to favor tying separate short tails to the ground, Canada prefers to have a continuous conductor. Thus:

 

In the US, wirenut three tails to the incoming grounding conductor, one to the box and one each to the receptacle grounds.

 

In Canada, run a single long conductor around the box ground and then around each recep ground. If the circuit continues out from the box use a wirenut to make the connection.

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Originally posted by agedhorse

The box needs to be bonded to the ground. Some authorities accept the new style grounding screws with the faceplate attachment to the ears backed up with locking nuts rather than just the center screw, but really none of this is recognized (correctly anyway) for portable use.


There's a lot of gray area stuff here.

 

 

this is exactly what i have done with about 15 quad boxes, lock nutted + locktited the receptacles to the faceplate, on both the ends where the copper grounding thingy springs against the faceplate. the ground goes to one of the receptacles. can anyone see this spontaneously failing? i mean maybe the screws could work themselves loose over time or something similar, but as long as im not dealing with quad boxes that arent falling apart its not just gonna go at a show.

 

none of the ones ive ever built in my current place of work or my old job or for my house have never been up to code (for stage use) anyway, as they've all been SJ.

 

in other words, im not too worried about code, just that it doesnt kill people.

 

plus, its already very very hard to fit as much 12 guage wire into a quad box that i use now, adding all the ground connections might be impossible

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