rec.arts.theatre.stagecraft

In article <$%@trndny07>,
David McCall wrote:
> You would probably get away with it because the voltage at zero is pretty
> small. However, it would certainly be considered bad practice by anyone
> here. As long as the circuit is connected, there is a always the
> possibility that the circuit could become live and hurt someone. I would
> have the lamps connected to a dimmer, but have an easily accessable
> conection off stage that could be unpluged before anyone had to touch it.
> Being Am-dram, I might have the person that could be in danger pull the
> plug personally before he enters if he is off stage at the time.

I did this about 20 years ago. I used a relay in the circuit to the lamp,
which was held on by the dimmer. That isolated it.


> Did you really mean to say 50 volts? I'm from the other side of the pond
> and have never heard of mains power at 50 volts. 250 is more likely.

50v dc is a possibility for running various odds and ends, particularly
relay and signalling circuits. This is especially likely if the installer
has a BPO or BBC engineering background.

In my university days (1959+) one of the Cambridge colleges had 50v ac fed
to the students' rooms. By the time my daughter went to that particular
college, some 30 years later, it had been rewired for 240v.

--
From KT24 - in "Leafy Surrey"

Using a RISC OS computer running