CABLES ARE USED TO CONNECT DEVICES IN A LIGHTING SYSTEM; FROM POWER, TO LIGHTING INSTRUMENTS TO CONTROLS. CABLE IS RATED IN TERMS OF THE TYPE OF JACKET IT IS COVERED WITH, HOW MANY INTERNAL WIRES IT HAS, AND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INTERNAL WIRES. HERE ARE SOME OF THE TYPES OF CABLE THAT WE CARRY:

EXTENSION CABLE

The type of connector on the equipment that you own or rent determines whether you need Edison (like a wall outlet) or Stage Pin (a three pronged specialty cable found in most theatres). You will need one cable per lighting fixture in most cases. We offer standard lengths. Most extension cable is rated for 1,500 to 2,000 watts per cable.

MULTICABLE

Multi conductor cable is just that – a single large cable containing enough internal wires for 6 individual circuits. Its rating is very similar to extension cable, but it utilizes special connectors on each end for rapid hook up of all 6 circuits. Special cable adapters called break – ins and break – outs are needed to connect the multicable to individual cables, lights or dimmer circuits.

XLR/CONTROL CABLE

The most misunderstood cables in the world, these are often referred to as DMX, sound or mic cables. In actuality most control cables utilize an XLR connector. This type of connector commonly has 3, 4 or 5 pins, depending on what the cable is connecting to. What is especially important is not the connector itself; it is the internal wires and their characteristics that determine the use of the cable.

DMX CABLE

DMX refers to a type of standardized data protocol used throughout the entertainment industry to allow communication between lighting control devices (such as consoles) and dimmers and other devices. The nature of the cable used to successfully transmit this data is very special. As an industry standard, 5-pin XLR connectors are recommended for the ends of the DMX signal cable: however, just because a cable has 5-pin XLR connector on its ends does not mean it is DMX capable cable, the internal wire and jacket, along with the proper XLR connectors allow it to successfully transmit DMX 512 data. A common misnomer for control cable is “DMX cable”; not all control cable is DMX.

FEEDER CABLE

This heavy duty cable is used between the power source and the distribution system (usually the dimmer racks). A standard set of feeder cable contains 5 individual cables: Ground (green), Neutral (white) and three Phase or “hot” leg wires (red, blue, black). Only qualified personnel should be handling this cable, as its use involves dealing with potentially deadly amounts of current. We offer two standard sizes of this cable; the demands of the system determine which size is required.

Feeder cable utilizes a type of connector called a Cam-Lock.