Tim:
"...mad scientist's lab" is exactly right. These things were pretty fiendish in their design. How did you manage to keep other uninformed people away from these boards? In some of the road shows I worked many years ago, we used to have them set up backstage in two rows, facing each other. In that manner, an operator could stand between them and theoretically work two boards at the same time - in reality the poor guy would have to be an octopus to make it happen [Linked Image] (as a side benefit, this arrangement also discouraged people from accidentally bumping into something hot). It was also kinda risky standing between two of these things in case something suddenly went south. We also plastered "Danger - High Voltage" signs all over these things, as well as open the company switches (the sources of electric power) and lock them out when not in use. Other circuits, such as house lights and stage work lights, were controlled from a permanently installed board somewhere nearby.

It's interesting that your system is/was still in use as of late 2003. In this age of electronic controls, I would have thought all these dinosaurs would have long since gone to the boneyard (or into someone's private museum [Linked Image]). They were obviously made to last forever, and then some.

BTW: Did your system use a lot of those old 50 amp stage plugs and plugging boxes - the kind with the long flat copper blades on each side of an insulating body/handle that mated with the equally large porcelain receptacles?

Mike (mamills)

[This message has been edited by mamills (edited 08-17-2004).]

[This message has been edited by mamills (edited 08-17-2004).]