school
of design and production
north carolina school of the arts
winston-salem, nc 27117
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DEP 234: Basic Stage
Electrics |
M. Eric Rimes,
Instructor |
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Fall 2006 |
Electric Shop,
Office |
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Meets Monday and
Friday, 11:30AM – 12:50PM in Small Light Lab unless announced otherwise. |
336 770 3232
x123 rimese@ncarts.edu |
“A survey of basic stage electric equipment and systems
including power distribution, control signal and specialty DMX devices.” The first term (DEP 234) will the basics of
stage electrics: physics of electricity, power distribution and basic skill
(like soldering). The second term (DEP
235) will focus on discussions of control protocol, computer technology and the
chemistry of stage electrics. The third
term (DEP 236) will concentrate on preparing a shop orders and responsibilities
of the Primary Electrician and touch on the various sub-systems within the
electrics department including projections, special FX and moving light
technology.
This is an in depth
course designed to prepare NCSA students to work as Master Electricians in both
our theaters and commercial theater. The
fall term will cover basic console programming skills; basic electrical
knowledge and familiarity of the NEC; and soldering techniques. The class
combines lectures, and practical, hands-on sessions.
Ø
Access to the internet during
class is preferred and access outside of class is required.
Ø
TEXTS:
•
Backstage Handbook second edition, Paul Carter, Broadway Press,
Louisville, KY
•
Reqired: NEC2005 Handbook, Mark W. Earley,
NFPA, Quincy, MA
•
Optional instead of
above: NEC2005 Handbook, Mark W. Earley, NFPA, Quincy, MA (Also, on
reserve in library)
Ø
MATERIALS:
•
Wire strippers – 22AWG through 10AWG – this may require two tools
•
Insulated, 3/16” flat-blade screwdriver and #2 Phillips screwdriver…or
•
…10-in-1 screwdriver (recommended)
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6-8” needle-nose pliers
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Diagonal cutters
•
Multi-tester (Volts AC, Volts DC, Resistance and continuity)
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Soldering iron, gun or station capable of 750oF
•
Optional: 9” lineman’s
pliers
•
Optional: Windows laptop
with Ethernet and USB ports, capable of running Hog PC and Expression Offline
software.
**Students
intending to continue in stage electrics should obtain the optional items
above.
class participation:
All cell phones and pagers must be powered off prior to class! Please be on time for class. Arriving late is disruptive; lateness will be noted and points deducted from the final grade, ½ - percentage point for every occurrence of lateness. An unexcused absence will result in 8 – percentage points deducted from the final grade for each occurrence. Participation in class is essential to the learning process and is taken in consideration when evaluating the “class participation” portion of the final grade.
Your own class notes and the NEC book will
be allowed during exams, but not quizzes.
Therefore, it behooves the student to take notes in class so as to be
familiar with where answers can be found during exams. The exams are designed to test a student’s
familiarity with the material, while the quizzes will test a student’s memory
recall of class lectures and assigned reading material. Exam material will be
available on the website www.stagetechnician.com. Please do not print out information from the
website and refer to it as your notes.
Projects will be graded on their presentation and organization as well
as the amount of data.
PROJECT 1 (4): VOLTAGE READINGS; due September
22nd
Take voltage readings in no less than 6 locations
(your dorm room, scene shop, etc.) of hot – neutral, hot – hot (where
applicable), hot to ground, neutral to hot.
Make certain you perform these readings safely (do not start pulling
panels off of electrical boxes around campus) and do not endanger
yourself. Record your findings and make
an educated guess as the type of power you have metered. Ex:
you measure 208v between two hots, but 122v between one hot and a
ground, it is likely 3-phase “Y” power; if you measure 104v you may comment
that the voltage seems low.
PROJECT 2: (6) CONSOLE PROGRAMMING; due October 6th
On the console assigned to you, program the cues
and patch assigned in class.
PROJECT 3 (12): AMPERE RATINGS; due November
3rd
Using the NEC Handbook, look up all the different
ratings under different conditions for 12/3 SO, 16 ga. – 6 ga. and 2 ot – 4 ot
wires. You must find the different
conditions in which the ampere ratings differ from the standard and list the
new rating for each type of wire/cable in each condition where applicable. There is a review date for this project. On October 16th,
before the mid-term students are to hand in copies of the work completed up to
that point. The purpose of the review is
to advise the students if they are following the assignment correctly. Students are also welcome to contact me
during office hours for a quick review at any time during the trimester. The finished project may be on one chart,
several by wire type or whatever appeals to the student as organized and easy
to read.
PROJECT 4: (8) SOLDER PROJECT due November 13th
Stage pin cable.
Solder a set of connectors onto a piece of stage cable. Talk to the shop foreman about which length
is needed. Mark the cable with the
proper length in feet. All solder ends
must be cleanly soldered. The cable
should be labeled with the student’s name.
Grading is based on a percentage point system shown below. EXTRA CREDIT - opportunities will be made
available to students for extra credit; an extra credit assignment may also be
requested. Completing an extra-credit
assignment is the only way for a student to receive a “+” in addition to their
grade. An extra-credit project may be
used to improve a student’s grade-score at the discretion of the
instructor. However, extra-credit will
not be offered to replace missed exams or poor attendance.
|
Attendance and
participation….…… |
15% |
|
93-100………. |
A |
|
1 quiz and hands-on
work……….... |
10% |
|
85-92………… |
B |
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Projects........................................… |
30% |
|
77-84………… |
C |
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Mid-term………………………………. |
20% |
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70-76………… |
D |
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Final…………………………………… |
25% |
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69 and lower… |
F |
An “A” is earned in the course by showing superior ability in the
projects and hands-on work while having perfect attendance and high achievement
on exams and quizzes.
Students are expected to complete all work as
assigned for the class on time. If, due
to extenuating circumstances, a student is unable to comply with this
requirement, he/she may request a make-up time to complete missed practicum,
quizzes and/or exams. Further, if a
student attending and participating in class regularly is unable to perform
satisfactorily in practicum and/or on quizzes and exams, he/she may request
additional assistance from the instructor.
If, despite extra effort, the student is unable to complete the
assignments satisfactorily, he/she may request an incomplete or “I.” An incomplete allows the student one extra
term to complete the course satisfactorily or the grade is automatically
converted to an “F.”
In submitting assignments and projects for courses, students take
responsibility for their work as a whole, and imply that, except as properly
noted, the ideas, words, material and craftsmanship are their own. In written
work, if students cite from a source of information or opinion other than
themselves without giving credit, either within the body of their texts or in
properly noted references and without using quotation marks where needed, or
otherwise fail to acknowledge the borrowings, they have in fact presented the
work, words or ideas of others as if they were their own. Failure to abide by
those simple principles of responsible scholarship is dishonest, as is
receiving or giving aid on tests, examinations or other assigned work presumed
to be independent or original. A student whose work is found to be dishonestly
accomplished and submitted as his or her own for credit will be removed from
the course with a grade of “F.”
In compliance with the NC School of the Arts policy and equal access
laws, I am available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that may be
required for students with disabilities. Requests for academic accommodations
are to be made during the first three weeks of the trimester, except for
unusual circumstances, so arrangements can be made. Students are encouraged to
register with the Officer for Student Disabilities to verify their eligibility
for appropriate accommodations.
FALL TERM SCHEDULE
|
Date |
Topic |
Preparation/Homework |
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9/15 |
Review syllabus and course goals. Review Electricity Fundies Discuss
project one. Discuss feeder, 12/3 SO,
Discuss Article 400, 310 Discuss project 2. |
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9/18 |
Open |
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NEC2002 Article 520. |
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9/22 |
Review of control path, programming basics.* Look over L3 and discuss
plot. |
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9/25 |
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9/29 |
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10/2 |
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Bring laptop with Expression
Offline – if available |
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10/6 |
Discussion of Articles 520, 400, 320, 200. |
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Bring Codebook, Project 2 due |
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10/9 |
Over-current protection: breaker vs. fuse. Connectors. Review project 3. |
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Practicum: Strike Project 2 |
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10/13 |
ETC 96x dimmer rack - what’s the big deal? |
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10/16 |
Review |
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Project 3 review |
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10/20 |
Exam |
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10/23 |
Lecture: soldering |
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10/27 |
Practical: soldering, tinning,
tools |
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10/30 |
Practical: making connections |
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Read basic soldering hand-out |
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11/3 |
Practical: more soldering |
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Project 3 due |
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11/6 |
Electric lamps and dimming. |
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11/10 |
Units and luminance math.* |
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11/13 |
Review |
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Project 4 due |
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11/17 |
Final |
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