In almost every event produced these days, the moment comes during a meeting or tech rehearsal where someone asks, “Can’t we automate that?” Most good technicians will answer, “yes, but…” Those “buts” refer to cost, complexity, time, staffing and expertise. What has been missing (until now) are products designed for easily automating the little effect — a prop or drape or lighting practical.
Rose Brand, the well-known supplier of custom draperies, track and scenic supplies has partnered with Wahlberg Light and Motion, a boutique engineering and automation group in Denmark, to launch a range of affordable, DMX controlled winches and other motorized devices for use in theatre, industrials, church productions and live events. And they will be available here in North America just in time for the start of the school year and production season.
A range of five winches with load capacities from 1 kg (2.2lbs) up to 50 kg (110lbs) comprise the core of the Wahlberg product line. They are appropriately named Winch 1, Winch 10, Winch 50, etc. In addition, two specialty winches offer unique capabilities. The Winch 10 LX — here LX refers to “electrics” — utilizes a special Kevlar cable with an electrical circuit that runs through its center. This allows a practical to be rigged and powered from a single lift line — a huge benefit for the movement of chandeliers, moon boxes, lighted signs and other props. Another specialty winch is the Winch 25 X2, which has two parallel cables wound from the same drive shaft. With two lines, the set piece won’t spin or twist and will maintain exactly the orientation you expect. And all of the winches are controlled using DMX. Setting trim positions, speed and triggering the movement can all be programmed and executed as easily as dimming the front light.
Most technicians familiar with Scenery Automation would never allow DMX to come within 100 feet of their devices and proprietary control systems. The beauty of the Wahlberg products is that they are not intended to replace or compete with these sophisticated tools. Wahlberg Winches are designed for all of the places where alternate automation solutions would be overkill.
For Rose Brand, the “aha” moment was when they were asked to develop an affordable solution to motorize a lightweight contour curtain. An eight-line motor control system, with rigging running offstage to a series of independent motors could easily exceed $50K. But if you hang a compact winch directly above each lift line, and you run the whole thing from your light board, you cut those numbers to one fourth of the original cost. No head blocks, sheaves or cable runs need be rigged, so installation is fast. And programming the curtain with a choreographed series of contoured looks took less than 30 minutes.
Using the base components — motors and controllers — that had proven effective in their Winch product line, Wahlberg Light and Motion set their sights on expanding their range of solutions for moving and controlling scenic elements.
With their winches offering vertical motion, Wahlberg developed their Track Runner to provide horizontal motion. Track Runner is an independent, wireless motorized track carrier capable of driving loads up to 100 kg (220 lbs.) along a section of track. The system uses the Triple E Unibeam track modified with a gear rack on the bottom and electric buss rails on the top to provide power and drive for the Track Runner. Wireless DMX completes the system and results in totally independent DMX control of the carrier. Wahlberg’s original project called for moving lights to be mounted to the underside of the Track Runner carriers, allowing an unprecedented level of moving light choreography, which included full motion travel across the stage for five lights. Tracking flats and panels, leading curtain edges, running in signs and props, can all be easily accomplished and programmed with Track Runner.
The DMX Scenery Rotator has been described as a “mirror ball motor on steroids.” Repurposing the Wahlberg drive for rotational motion was easy, so now a “mirror ball motor” has DMX controlled, 16-bit precision accuracy for where and when it stops its rotation. The stage applications for this type of device are limitless. The Scenery Rotator can rotate and precisely position flats and periaktoi units (triangular scenic elements) weighing up to 50 kg (110 lbs.). Mounted upside down, the shaft of the Scenery Rotator can be attached to a door pivot, allowing for the opening and closing of doors or gates to be automated as well. One clever technician even suggested using it as the DMX controlled drive motor for a conveyor belt assembly used to create a falling leaf effect from the grid.
Lastly, while Roll Drums have been available since the dawn of theatre engineering, they have almost always been home made. Wahlberg has re-engineered and upgraded this venerable piece of stage equipment by mounting the drive motor completely within the tube, giving it DMX control. The result is a roll drum that can be up to 39 feet in length that is fast and easy to rig, with no external motor and chain assembly and no limit boxes or timing chains to set and configure on site. Users just hang the one-piece unit from scaffold clamps, plug in power and a DMX line, and they have full control of limits and speed from their consoles.
Moving Props, Drapes and More
Scenery Automation on Broadway and other high-end venues remain the realm of the professional automation engineer and rigger. But you don’t need a sophisticated motion control system to move a spinning mirror ball.
Aiming for the middle ground between these two extremes, Wahlberg Light and Motion Winches, Track Runner, Scenery Rotator and Roll Drum are designed for all the little projects that need a bit of motorized motion and easy DMX control — without breaking the budget.
The Wahlberg line, now distributed by Rose Brand, starts with five core winch products (1 kg to 50 kg capacity) plus specialty winches to make things go up and down. The Track Runner is for horizontal movement. The Scenery Rotator spins things around, and the Roll Drum moves with a DMX-controlled motor within the tube.
For more details, including pricing, contact Rose Brand at www.rosebrand.com.
