Hi all,

So, as the title suggests, how do you power your rig. OK, I guessed it would be from plug sockets. I have quite a large lighting rig and need a lot of sockets. As you can probable guess, most venues just have two sockets. So do you use a 4-way adapter into another 4-way and so on, or, do you have some form of power distro?

thanks
Scott
www.scottsdisco.co.uk

I use an 8 way extension lead for sound (silver)

and

a Cable Loom for lighting


Then two separate wall sockets for each.

I use a standmate to feed the lighting fed from a custom built 8 channel effects switcher. I also have a second 'Standmate' for channels 5 - 8 for larger venues requiring more than 4 effects. The lighting effects switcher is fed from a 13A socket using artic cable.

Sound is via a 6 way suppressed and surge protected socket strip.

Seperate power points are utilised for Sound & lighting.

LR9 battery

Yay! A nice clear, cut practical thread; useful to all.

It's known that theres a maximum wattage that you can pull out of a single wall socket..eg: 3120 watts per wall socket. Unfortunately, running a 4-way socket off of a wall socket and then running 4 x 4 x ways off of that first 4 way, doesnt give anyone 16 sockets of (another) 3120watts each, just 16 ways of using that 3120.

I use a single wall socket to run my dimmer packs, then another wall socket for the "8 black boxes, 'angin' on a pole"(each 250w halogen bulbs + nominal extras of their fans, sound-to-light circuits etc).

Both the above sockets use plug-in RCD powerbreaker type adaptors.

Audio is run off of one other socket...I used to run half the amps, eq and signal processing off of one socket, and the other half of the amps and mixer, decks etc off of a 4th socket, but since proving to myself that a 1000watt amp doesnt use anything near 1000watts even when pumping hard, I just use one socket for audio, via an 8way socket.

I use two 6-way extension leads.
Generally speaking, lighting plugs into one, and audio gear into the other although I try to divide up the wattage fairly evenly.

I'm not sure how much power my amps consume at full whack - I'll have to measure it one day to remove any doubts. I did once have a superb 10A hot wire ammeter, originally used for measuring antenna current on board ship, which would have been ideal for this but the kids got at it.

I think that it looks better to have a 6 plug adapter but it does not really matter as Gary said it is the amount of power that you use that is the issue not how u get more on there. I find that the less plugs there are the tidyer the setup looks.

Remember though the bigger the extension the more problems it will cause you if it goes wrong. if the extension goes down that is six plugs that you have lost So remember the spares