[SML] Mundane Lighting Questions

[Steven Mclean]

First,  I owe the list an apology.  You may remember that I was trying to
sort out what was going on in the theatre I "inherited" regarding dimmer
assignments (whereas there were circuits labled 1 through 120, but only one
rack of 96 dimmers feeding them.

Nothing exotic was going on.  It turns out that when the "new" dimmer rack
was installed in the facility, they didn't have the wherewithal to do
dimmer-per-circuit (which was the norm at the time) for all 120 existing
circuits, so once they got to 97, they connected that circuit to dimmer 1
(in addition to the circuit labeled "1") and 98 to dimmer 2...etc.  I had a
conversation with the guy in charge of the facility 30 years ago, and he
put into my head that "dimmer doubling" which was new at the time) was
going to be used.  It apparently was not.

Now I am puzzled by another problem. We have OLD Fresnel instruments in the
space and I have run across a pile of 8"  Fresnel fixtures  that seem to
have the same problem. The instruments check out just fine with the
continuity tester.  Continuity between the tines of the plug & the
appropriate contacts in the socket/bases, But when a BTL lamp is put in, it
seems loose.  the spring contact at the bottom of the socket doesn't seem
to press reliably against the bottom contact of the lamp, thus the lamps
are energized intermittently (or not at all)

Is there a DIFFERENT  lamp that these should be using (one with a slightly
deeper base) or is it possible that the ceramic socket bases need to be
replaced?   Some of them almost look new (as if they had already been
replaced recently)...is it possible that some predecessor secured the WRONG
base/socket?

-- 
Steven J McLean
515-480-8461
stevenjmclean at gmail.com
smclean at grandview.edu
designandtechtheatre.wordpress.com
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