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What in Tarnation?
What in Tarnation?
by timmp, September 10
Plumber meets Electrician
Plumber meets Electrician
by timmp, September 10
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#152734 12/19/05 09:42 AM
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,691
S
Member
That is really beautiful stuff.

It's almost the same stuff that's still in place (and operational!) at the Loew's Jersey theatre in Jersey City.

That theatre is slowly being restored by volunteers and it seems like the idea is to keep as much of the original stuff as possible.

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#152735 12/19/05 11:38 AM
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 745
M
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Mxslick: The pix are fascinating! Thanks for sharing them with us. This really brings back memories of work I used to do on an old Hub Electric board, which used similar contactors and autotransformer dimmers. Does this board control any stage lighting, or just house lights? Do you service the stage switchboard as well? Is it also a Frank Adam?

These old boards are really rugged guys. I'm sorry to hear that the contactors are starting to give out. Is there a lot of "chattering" going on here, since you mention the presence of copper dust? I hope you will be able to find some replacement for the contactors.

Mike (mamills)

#152736 12/19/05 12:23 PM
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 200
H
Member
Any way of just having the failed contactors rebuilt?


Cliff
#152737 12/19/05 11:49 PM
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 524
Member
Quote
It's almost the same stuff that's still in place (and operational!) at the Loew's Jersey theatre in Jersey City.

That theatre is slowly being restored by volunteers and it seems like the idea is to keep as much of the original stuff as possible

... Sven,.. I had the pleasure of touring that theater in Jersey City,.. with a friend who is on the commitee to save her,.. Unbelieveably gorgeous... that's all I can say,.. we toured the loft(attic) to the sub-basement,.. it was truly a step back in time,.. I was like a wide-eyed little kid looking at a candy factory,..

Mxslick,.. GREAT freakin' pictures, man,.. I love all of this stuff!!
Keep 'em comin'... Thanx,
Russ


.."if it ain't fixed,don't break it...call a Licensed Electrician"
#152738 12/20/05 12:23 AM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 806
Member
Wow! Glad to see all the interest in this thread! Thanks all!

Mike: This board controls a mix of stage lights and all of the house lights (Chands, wall wash, pinspots for star efx, etc.)

I haven't serviced the stage board, I really don't do any work on this one other than a visual inspection and try to point out potential trouble. The theatre has an electrician who is so backlogged with work that everything is handled on crisis basis anyway. (The theatre is part of a HUGE building which also includes a grand ballroom on the top level. Those who have seen pictures of Catalina Island, this is the big round building with tile roof and cupola on the Avalon shore.)

Yep, this is a Frank Adams installation. If memory serves, virtually all the surviving old panels throughout the building are F/A.

No, the contactors don't seem to be chattering, but after so many thousnads (millions?) of cycles wear is becoming a factor. All the worst ones have visible wear on the pivot points and the springs at the contacts. So far, we haven't been able to locate any parts for these at all.

Hemingray:

Nope, see above. Can't locate parts and like most businesses, they won't pay for custom parts made to fit. I am trying to see if there's any way to get an inactive contactor removed so I can shop it around to try to get parts fabricated. As you can see in this thread and the other, the whole board assembly is modular. But I am uncomfortable with the idea of working it live to remove a contactor.

Russ:

Thanks for the kudos! I'll try to get some more next time I'm there. They have some original motor starters for the pipe organ blowers, and the main vault is interesting to say the least!


Stupid should be painful.
#152739 12/20/05 08:03 AM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 4,294
Member
Santa Catalina Island has its own power generation. It's not linked to the mainland.
It's a 30 mile trek across the Channel, at depths to 2500 ft or so.

The original Catalina generator (which might have been the very one that originally powered the theatre) is now in a static (very) display at the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum in Vista, CA.

Slick, this is way cool! Thanks for all the pics and info!!

The absolutely amazing thing about this is that it is all a stone's throw from the Ocean, and has withstood 75 years of the highly corrosive salt air.

For those of you that might not recognize the location, it's in the Avalon Casino, which was shown at the beginning of the Fantasy Island TV series (right before Tattoo yelled "Da Plane, Da Plane")

#152740 12/20/05 07:47 PM
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 745
M
Member
Mxslick: in pic no. 16, above the linkage drive motor, there appears to be some type of electric device, I'm assuming attached to one of the dimmer row shafts. Is this some kind of a limit switch to prevent the motor from rotating the shafts past it's normal range of movement?

Mike (mamills)

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#152741 12/20/05 09:45 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 806
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Mike:

Yep, that's the limit switch for the motorized linkage. Good call!


Stupid should be painful.
#152742 12/21/05 06:55 AM
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 872
Likes: 4
R
Member
Excellent piccies, Many thanks for sharing them with us. [Linked Image]

They used to make things to last, the evidence is certainly there,


The product of rotation, excitation and flux produces electricty.
#152743 11/19/06 03:47 PM
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 806
Member
Bumped due to the "Great Xenon Power Supply Caper" thread.. [Linked Image]


Stupid should be painful.
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